La Canea 

La Canea is a small city located on the eastern side of the northern coast of Crete, on the feet of Akrotiri peninsula and at the eastern edge of the gulf which the city takes its name from. Once Roman colony, it was later dominated by Venetians, Turkish before conquering independence together with the rest of Greece. It was the capital city of Crete in early 70's.

There's much Venice in La Canea, starting from the city wall, the houses of the old city and the Venetian port, out of business today but an important tourist site.

Those who visited it define La Canea one among the most beautiful cities of Crete. Picturesque, it preserves all the traditional Greek atmosphere, since it's far from mass tourism circuits.

La Canea has two ports: one in the old city and the harbour of Suda, on the other side of Akrotiri mountain. The narrow long well-sheltered bay of Suda hosts a Greek naval base and a NATO one, so mooring places are very few. However, the city has an international airport and an important international air base, used by Greel Air Force, US Navy and Raf. For all these reasons, entering the bay requires some caution: we recommend to contact the Coast Guard on VHF channel 9 to verify whether entrance is possibile at that very moment.

The port of La Canea is located just on the feet of the city. It offers a good shelter from Meltemi wind, especially when it blows from North-East. The real problem of this harbour is that mooring places are very few: 15, 20 at most. The rest of the port is used by local vessels.

To enter the harbour, boats must pass between the fortress and the long breakwater with a small lighthouse, then set course to the dock on the right.

The dock is equipped with mooring ropes but they are not sufficient for everyone: if you arrive late, you will need to use your anchor on a muddy and rocky seabottom.

The quay offers water and electricy at a very good price; Wi-Fi is free, while the harbour is not equipped with any gas station (but you can ask for some fuel to the harbour staff who will take you by a mini tank). Some toilets and showers are located next to the harbour offices.

You can find some basic services (restaurants, supermarkets, shops) in the city centre, in addition to a chandler shop and some small garages.

East of Akrotiri, there's the commercial port of La Canea, called Suda. Unfortunately, it offers very few mooring places but an excellent shelter from all winds. For further information, please contact the local Coast Guard