Overview
Venice laid out the port and the arsenali, the vaulted shipyards on the eastern quay, and the Ottomans added the Küçük Hasan mosque that sits on the waterfront without a minaret. German bombing in 1941 destroyed much of the old town during the Battle of Crete, which began at Maleme just west of the city, and the rebuilding is visible if you look at rooflines. The covered market of 1913 is laid out as a cross and still sells to residents.
Highlights
Walk out along the mole to the lighthouse at dusk, then eat away from the harbour front where the prices follow the view. The Venetian arsenali and the Nautical Museum explain what the port was for. Rent a car for Elafonisi and Balos; the buses run but the roads are slow and the return times are tight.