Standing at the Venetian Harbor of Chania city, it is difficult to imagine that there is a nice beach at less than a 1 km away where you can easily get there on foot. Welcome to Nea Chora. The neighborhood has developed west from the Venetian Harbor, and the name means “New Town” in Greek, because it was one of the first suburbs of the modern Chania city, that developed outside the Byzantine walls. Prior to that time, the area was full of crop fields, irrigated by Kladisos river. Nowadays, Nea Chora features the best beach in Chania city, along with some of the most delicious fish taverns.

The neighborhood was first inhabited in the middle of the 19th century by Muslim workers from the Cretan mainland who settled here to find work in the city. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the industrial era, the AVEA factory was established in Nea Chora. This was the largest factory in West Crete that produced olive oil and olive oil products. The company still being active and having established a strong brand across Crete, is now operating at a new factory in another part of Chania. Since the beginning of the 20th century, many Christians moved to the neighborhood. The local population in the past was mostly comprised of labor workers, fishermen and artisans, but in the last decades the neighborhood has become a home to an increasing number of writers, artists and vacation rentals due to its proximity to the beach.