Chania Shopping – Shops, Stores, Best Buys & Inside Tips

Chania Shopping

Chania is well-known among tourists for its wonderful shopping, especially the locally-made items.

Agora

The Agora (the Central Municipal Market) is a hot shopping spot in Chania. A long, enclosed structure, it houses several dozen shops selling everything from souvenirs  to toys. It also stands such as fish, meat, bread, fruits and vegetables, herbs and olives. You can find almost any local food item or craft here. There’s also a kiosk with magazines, newspapers, books and postcards.

City Streets

Local craft makers hope you will support their efforts and keep alive customs handed down by their ancestors. As you walk along the port edge there will be many sellers, and also when you walk up and down the small streets there will be some nice shops. Surrounding the Central Municipal Market are several streets filled with shops. If you go down Mousouron Street, you’ll find a number of clothing, shoe and jewelry shops. Many artisans will make items to order and/or repair things. The pedestrian street of Skridlof at the “Stivanadika” is a busy shopping area and popular with tourists. Visitors often go here to buy handmade leather goods; you can even observe the shop owner actually working and making items to sell (he will make things on the spot too).

Other Popular Items Sold

Knives are very important in Cretean culture. You can buy an almost-traditional Cretean knife in any tourist shop but if you want to get something special and really original, go to Sifaka. Here you’ll be able to see thousands of different knives made by local craftsman who has been making knives for years. Chania is well-known for its jewelry and there are many stores. Most of the jewelry for sale is unique and original to this part of the world. Generally, there are good prices though and a great quality selection. You can try to haggle for great deals on these pieces.

Honey By Monasteries

When you visit a monastery in Crete and, even when you are shopping in a city like Chania, you will find honey produced from bees owned by monasteries. This is how they make their living, and if you want to bring a good souvenir home, this might be the way.

Editor’s Note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about shopping in Chania.