Chania is the capital city of the prefecture of Chania. This beautiful city is an ideal base for exploring the whole island. The county of Chania covers the western part of Crete and has an area of 2.376 km2 and a population of 140,000 residents (1991 inventory). The county is divided into 5 provinces with the capital the city of Chania. Since 1999 the county is divided into 23 counties and 2 provinces. The north area of the county with very welcome seas ends up to 3 peninsulas. Concerning the south side of the island towards the Libyan sea it presents the biggest amount of sunlight in Europe. North, west and south the county is surrounded by sea.
Chania is about 1 hour (59km) long from Rethimnon and 2 hours (137km) long from Iraklion. It is easily accessible from Athens by three regular flights a day (45 minutes) during winter and four during summer. The International Airport is located 11km outside the city on Akrotiri. There are also two daily boats from Piraeus (Athens) to Souda (Chania).