Hania rewards wandering. The old town is small enough to cover on foot, and much of the pleasure is in the walking itself — through the old Jewish quarter (Evraiki), along the harbour front, and through the Venetian neighbourhood of Splantzia. Beyond the city, the Samaria Gorge is the most famous day trip in all of Crete.
The Etz Hayyim Synagogue in the Evraiki is one of the most historically significant — and moving — sites in western Crete. The Agora municipal market is the best place to stock up on Cretan produce. For day trips, the Akrotiri Peninsula has good beaches and old monasteries; Paleochora on the southwestern coast takes longer but is worth the drive.