Tag Archives: Chania

Breakwaters at Koum Kapi

The Koum Kapi sea front, which extends eastward from the Porta Sabbionara (“Sand Gate”) at the end of the Venetian Harbour in Chania, has a laid-back vibe which is appreciated by both visitors and locals. Less frenetic than the Venetian harbour at peak times, it is mainly the haunt of local Haniots, who throughout the year come to drink coffee at the many cafés along the promenade, meet friends, play tavli, and soak up the (winter) sun.

In summer, Koum Kapi beach is a popular bathing spot for locals, but suffers from erosion which over the years has reduced it to a narrow strip of sand, disappearing altogether when (as now) weather conditions raise the water level. At the same time northerly winds can provoke heavy waves, which are often braved by the regulars but can cause swimmers unfamiliar with the currents to get into difficulties.

The Koum Kapi sea front is seen on a grey day with waves lapping the edge of the promenade.
Autumn storms can raise the water level at Koum Kapi so that the narrow strip of sandy beach disappears altogether. A solution is being sought in the installation of breakwaters like those at Kolymbari.

One result has been the gradual dilapidation of on-shore installations, with broken paving stones and collapsing lamp standards which regularly require temporary repairs, lending an air of neglect to the area. Accounts in Haniotika Nea of the latest such incident are invariably accompanied by calls for an overall restoration and upgrading of the sea front, and on Monday the paper was able to report that some progress is within sight, with a restoration plan first drawn up a decade ago finally being put into action:

Remodelling of Koum Kapi to be tendered in 2027
The President of the Municipal Port Authority of Chania, Manolis Kotsifakis, estimates that works for the restoration of the Koum Kapi beach front will be put out to tender within 2027, implementing the Tsakalaki plan which has been in suspension for over a decade. “I am sure that the plan will be tendered and we will have a contractor within 2027,” Mr Kotsifakis told Haniotika Nea, noting that in addition to the restoration, the plan also envisages substantial works to protect the shore from erosion.

On the basis of the plan, three breakwaters will be constructed off Koum Kapi roughly on the lines of those at Kolymbari, so as to stop the waves from eating away at the beach. Mr Kotsifakis attributed the major delay at the Environment Ministry in approving the Environmental Terms for the plan to “bureaucratic reasons which held back the project,” adding: “Now the Municipality’s technical service is in the process of compiling the dossier for the tender. We have sent all the documents to the Decentralised Administration in Heraklion, which will carry out the final check.”

“I truly believe that the difficult stages have passed! There were major difficulties and the Municipality’s technical service has worked very hard for us to reach the point we are at today,” he said.

Waves surge over the quayside in the Venetian Harbour, with the entrance flanked by the lighthouse and the Firka Fortress in the background.
The breakwater which barely protrudes above the waves some 200 m offshore from the Venetian Harbour dates back to the 1990s. It is doubtful if it was ever very effective, and it is now no defence against the large waves which roll in through the harbour entrance in storm conditions, regularly tearing up paving stones and smashing the frontages of the restaurants. Plans to construct an extended and more effective breakwater were first reported in the local media in 2021. Photo: ERT News.

Breakwater at the Venetian Harbour
Progress is also being made towards tendering the plan for reconstruction of the breakwater outside the Venetian Harbour, which has been inoperative for many years.

Also proceeding are the plans for renewing the paving in the Venetian Harbour, dealing with the cavities which are undermining the quays, and instituting standardised sun shades for all the cafés.
(Haniotika Nea, 26/10/26)

Scandinavian dressmakers buy fabrics in Chania

Many Scandinavian tourists visiting Chania in the summer buy fabrics for home dressmaking, a phenomenon which is on the increase according to a recent report in Haniotika Nea.

A storefront with many fabrics on display
The Stavros Badogiannis fabric store on Mousouron street in Chania.

Stavros Badogiannis, whose family has run a fabric store on Mousouron street in Chania for the past 85 years, told the paper in August: “There is a great deal of interest, at the moment eight out of ten of our customers are women from Scandinavian countries – Norway, Denmark, Sweden – who do their own sewing.”

The owner stands in his store surrounded by shelves of fabrics
   The family of Stavros Badogiannis has been running their fabric store on Mousouron Street for 85 years.

But why the great interest in fabrics? “People there learn to sew their own clothes in school. Many schools have sewing rooms where they learn the technique. They come here and buy three or four metres of fabric; they know exactly what they want, for example enough for two pairs of trousers.

“They are of different ages, from 20 to 80, and very many of them are repeat customers. They come to our shop and they are wearing clothes which they sewed themselves from fabrics which they bought last year. And they are very happy and smiling.

“One of them told me that to go to Oslo to buy fabrics they have to take the car and spend two and a half hours on the road. But here it’s connected with their holidays, they can stay 15 days and buy their fabrics at the same time,” Mr Badogiannis said.

Two dressmaker's dummies swathed in fabrics stand in the store
Scandinavian visitors buy fabrics to sew their own clothes.

Another important factor is that of price and quality: “Our prices are very good, too, and the quality is excellent! We have lots of cotton, lots of linen – natural materials. Also many American women from the cruise ships come to buy different kinds of fabrics which they use to make soft covers. There, they usually have synthetic fabrics, and they are very pleased to find pure silk and cotton here,” he added.

There is also interest in fabrics from local customers, but the fact that there are few dressmakers in the area often puts them off.
(Haniotika Nea, 21/08/26)

Badogiannis Stavros Fabric Store, 35 Mousouron Street, Chania, 73100.
Photos: Badogiannis/Facebook/Google Maps.

Crete among national leaders in business activity

The intensity of business activity in Chania and its leading role on a national level are confirmed in the most recent analytical data which emerge from the General Commercial Register (GEMI)’s* Annual Business Report for 2025. The report depicts a dynamic local economy which is on course for growth, but highlights important issues relating to its structure, resilience and the need for product diversification beyond the traditional tourist model.

The Region of Crete in third place
The Region of Crete is in third place nationally, with 70,491 active business units, behind Attica (366,965) and Central Macedonia (162,044). Even more impressive is the picture of business density, where Crete has 113.5 businesses per 1,000 inhabitants, occupying 3rd place nationally among the 13 Regions (behind the Ionian Islands with 187.7 and South Aegean with 180.1) and substantially exceeding the national average of 96.3 businesses.

Table of active businesses in Greece
   Active businesses in Greece. These figures, taken from the GEMI website (www.gmi.gr), differ slightly from those given in the report. They are stated to be up-to-date as of 26th September 2026.

At a local level, the Regional Unit of Chania is also high on the scale, occupying 7th place nationally among all the country’s Regional Units, with 137.64 businesses per 1,000 inhabitants (Rethymnon is in 9th place with 118.04). At the same time the Chania Chamber of Commerce and Industry confirms its active role in regional development, numbering 21,534 active members, a figure which puts it in 10th place among the 50-plus Chambers in the country. (The Heraklion Chamber is in 5th place with 31,062 members.)


Four businesses founded for each closure
One of the most noteworthy findings of the GEMI report relates to the Mobility Index, i.e. the relationship between business start-ups and closures. On this scale Crete comes second in the whole country, with a score of 4, behind the Ionian Islands (4.67). This means that there are 4 business start-ups for each closure, considerably higher than the national average of 2.67.

An aerial view of Chania with the sea and harbour with lighthouse in the background


An aerial view of the old city of Chania. Although Crete is among the most commercially active Regions in Greece, its economy remains vulnerable through its dependence on the monoculture of tourism. Photo: Cretetourism.gr.


Excessive dependence and the vital challenge for the agri-food industry
Despite the significant mobility, the Location Quotient (LQ) in the report confirms that the local economy is heavily dependent on a few sectors such as tourism and hospitality. This concentration offers temporary growth, but creates structural sensitivity to external disruptions. In addition, 75.5% of active businesses in Crete are one-person enterprises (as against 24.5% multi-person enterprises), a fact which restricts the scope for scale and resilience.

However, the answer to this challenge lies not far from the physiognomy of Chania. The primary sector and the agri-food industry (although often not reflected on business registers) constitute the backbone of the area. The basic connection between agricultural production and manufacturing, certification (of PDO products) and tourism (through gastronomic tourism and exports) provides the strongest antidote to the route of monoculture, offering stability and sustainability beyond seasonal fluctuations.
(Haniotika Nea, 17/09/26)

*GEMI, the General Commercial Register, is run by the Ministry of Development and the Union of
Hellenic Chambers of Commerce.

VOAK traffic restrictions at Kolymbari

The Police Directorate of Chania has announced that emergency traffic restrictions will be in force on the Kissamos-Kolymbari section of the VOAK from 07/09/26 to 17/09/26. According to the announcement, the specified works will be carried out from km 25.5 to km 23.0 [distances from Chania] of the Kissamos-Kolymbari section each night, between the hours of 22:00 and 06:00, with alternating streams controlled by traffic lights. The stretch in question is just west of the Kolymbari interchange.

Seen from a bridge, the highway with safety zones demarcated by white lines and orange cones curves away into the distance.
There will be night-time traffic restrictions on the VOAK just west of Kolymbari from 7th to 17th September 2026.

Drivers are requested to exercise extra care at those points and to obey the provisional signs and the signals of the traffic police.

Restrictions on the Chania bypass
As a reminder of the diversions currently in force on the VOAK at Chania, on 24th August the Police Directorate of Chania announced that traffic restrictions would apply from 25th August because of roadworks on the stretch between Mournies and Vamvakopoulo. No end date was given.

As announced, there are narrowed lanes in the section from km 00.97 (the Mournies interchange) to km 02.03 (before the Vamvakopoulo interchange). For the duration of the restrictions, traffic in both directions will travel on the eastbound (Kissamos to Chania) carriageway, with narrowed lanes and appropriate signage, while the Chania to Kissamos carriageway will be closed.

As a result of the works being carried out, access to and from the westbound carriageway of the VOAK at Mournies will be closed, and only access to and from the eastbound carriageway will be permitted. Emergency vehicles including the Fire Service, Ambulances, the Police, etc, will be exempt from this prohibition, with the contractor ensuring that there is adequate space for the vehicles in question to manoeuvre.

Drivers are again requested to exercise extra care at those points and to obey the signs and the signals of the traffic police.

Road closure at Mournies
Also, part of the parallel road running on the north side of the VOAK at Mournies will be closed to allow the construction of a retaining wall. The section of Skamaga street between the junctions with Thetidos and Sivrisario streets will be closed, with traffic diverted along Thetidos and Sivrisario streets and via underpasses along Megalou Alexandrou street on the south side of the highway. Steps will be taken to allow uninterrupted vehicle access to the dwellings on the closed section of Skamaga street.
(Haniotika Nea, 07/09/26, 24/08/26, 05/09/26)

More traffic restrictions on the VOAK

New traffic restrictions are in force owing to roadworks on three sections of the VOAK in the Regional Unit of Chania.

In the Vrysses area, on the Chania-Georgioupoli section from km 31.7 to km 33.7 (distances from Chania), there will be narrowed traffic lanes 24 hours a day from 1st September to 1st November. Similar measures will be in force in the area of Agios Fanourios from km 28.4 to km 29.7, from 31st August to 31st October, also with narrowed traffic lanes 24 hours a day.

Also, on the Kissamos-Kolymbari section, from km 27.0 to km 25.5 (just east of Melissourgeio), there are alternating streams with traffic lights from the evening of 31st August to 6.00 am on 8th September.

According to Diktaion Parachorisis, the company created in May 2025 by the concession holder GEK TERNA to manage the construction and operation of the Chania-Heraklion section of the VOAK and the Kissamos-Chania extension, in the event that the works in question are completed early, normal traffic may be restored before the scheduled dates.

Drivers are urged to proceed at low speed at the points where works are in progress and to follow the temporary signs and the instructions of the traffic police
(Haniotika Nea, 02/09/26)

Two women stand at a roadside stall selling candles while streams of traffic pass along the VOAK behind them.
   A woman sells candles at a stall beside the VOAK in Apokoronas. The caption reads: “Pilgrimage with caution today and tomorrow at Agios Fanourios.” Photo: Haniotika Nea/Facebook.

Agios Fanourios
The roadworks in the area of Agios Fanourios in Apokoronas start just to the east of the church dedicated to St Fanourios, “the revealer” or saint of things lost. The church stands a short way away from the VOAK and on the saint’s feast day of 27th August attracts crowds of the faithful who in previous years were in the habit of parking beside the VOAK and making their way along the highway on foot – a highly dangerous situation for both pedestrians and passing motorists. This year parking on the highway was blocked and visitors were forced to take the old Chania-Rethymnon road, with special bus services laid on for pedestrians.

The Kipos Cinema opens for summer 2026

The following press release appeared on the Municipality of Chania’s website on 21st May.

The entrance to the outdoor cinema is shown with the illuminated sign above which reads "Cine Kipos from 1912"

The Kipos Municipal Cinema, the city’s historic summer cinema, is this year once more opening its doors to the public, inviting young and old to a summer filled with cinematic experiences, in the leafy setting of the Municipal Garden of Chania. The showings start on Monday 25th May 2026, with a week of free showings up to Sunday 31st May.

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