Chania old town is delightful. Its full of tiny back alleys with 4 and 500 year old buildings. The harbour and old town area will take you a couple of days just to figure out where everything is. Evening activities are centered at the Venetian harbour which is lined by tavernas and bars, Nothing rowdy though.

Chania is also a good base for day trips. The famous Samaria gorge hike is a favourite (for people who can hike downhill for 16 km) There is an excursion boat from Kissamos to Gramovossa island to visit a pirate fortress and also the Balos Lagoon beach. Ancient Aptera is a wonderful ancient site with over 5,000 years of history scattered on a mountain top.

You can easily do a day trip to Rethymnon to visit the Fortezza or take the bus south to the Lybian Sea to visit Elafonissi beach or a tiny village like Sougia for a day of beaching and a bit of hiking.

Depending on what interests you it would be possible to stay in Chania for a week to do some of the day trips.

Western Crete flickr.com/photos/…

Aptera images 38-62 Balos Gramovossa images 79-106

Chania flickr.com/photos/…

Theotokopoulou St area flickr.com/photos/…

Hi,

I would (and have) stayed quite happily in the old town for a week. I guess it depends what you want out of a base in which to stay. I like the mornings and a coffee/leisurely in a shady square, going out of the town elsewhere by day, and the town and harbour lit at night and with a pleasant evening buzz. I like the character of the back streets for a wander, and also there are plenty of little shops for a nosey, if the mood takes you. No shortage of choices of places to eat al fresco, or pit-stop to sip a chilled drink. The evenings are a nice mix of local people and international visitors, and I like the fact that it's not a "resort". It can get very busy July/August, but May is a nice, out-of-peak season time to visit.

As stanbr points out, it is a great base from which to get out and about in the day, either on organised trips, getting on the bus or if you hire a car.