Neoria, Chania, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

The Neoria are the Venetian dockyards on the old harbour of Chania, in western Crete. Built in the 16th century as covered slipways where galleys could be repaired, they are among the most substantial reminders of the centuries when Chania was a Venetian port. Their long stone vaults still line the waterfront today.

The story behind it

In the 1500s Venice was a leading power in the Mediterranean, and its fleet needed safe places to be built, stored and repaired. In Chania the answer was a row of neoria, shipyards with thick stone walls and arched roofs that sheltered the ships through the winter months. The buildings looked different then. The sea reached right up to them and ships were hauled in and out along slipways, so there was no wide quay in front as there is now.

Only some of the original dockyards survive on this side of the harbour. The larger Megalo Arsenali, the Big Shipyard, stands a little further along and today is home to the Center of Mediterranean Architecture, which hosts exhibitions and cultural events. Venetian rule in Chania ended when the Ottomans took the city in 1645, and the dockyards were put to new uses over the following centuries, which helps explain why so many of them are still standing.

What to look for

• The thick stone walls and pointed arched roofs of each bay, built to take the weight of timber ships and the damp of winter storms.
• The way the bays stand side by side in a row, each one once opening onto the water through its own slipway.
• The larger Megalo Arsenali, which is easy to tell apart from the smaller dockyards by its scale.
• The view along the waterfront toward the harbour and its lighthouse, which shows how closely the town and the port grew together.

Tips for your visit

• You can see the outside of the dockyards for free from the harbourfront. Allow 20 to 30 minutes, or more if an exhibition is on. Check current opening hours for any interior visit.
• Late afternoon and early evening are pleasant, when the light warms the stone and the waterfront is cooler for walking.
• The old harbour, its lighthouse and the Venetian town are all within easy walking distance, so combine the Neoria with a longer stroll.
• Wear comfortable shoes. The quayside and the lanes behind it are paved but uneven in places.

See it on a quest

Charming Chania: In Quest of True Love is a good way to see the Neoria properly. You reach them on foot as one stop of a longer route through the old town and harbour, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. You can start any time without a guide or group, and one ticket covers the whole group.