Kydonia is the old name of Chania, and the city carries its past visibly. The Minoans had a settlement here on the Kastelli hill, above what became the Venetian harbour, and ancient writers mention Kydonia as one of the leading cities of Crete. The Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Venetians and Ottomans each left something on the same rocky ground, and today you find all of them stacked in the old town: Venetian palazzi, Ottoman mosques, a lighthouse at the end of the mole, and a harbour front lined with tavernas.
Chania sits on the north-west coast of Crete, with the White Mountains, the Lefka Ori, rising to over two thousand metres just south, their summits holding snow into spring. For a rider it is a lovely base, the gateway to some of the best roads on the island: the climb up to the Omalos plateau and the Samaria Gorge, the winding route south to Sougia and Paleochora, and the coastal road west toward Kissamos and Falasarna. Roads in Crete are a mixture of good and bad, with potholes, loose gravel, goats on the tarmac and drivers who treat the white line as a suggestion. Take care on mountain bends, especially after rain, when the surface becomes slick, and watch for the summer heat that can make midday riding unpleasant.
Chania itself, a city of more than fifty thousand, has everything: fuel on the outskirts, large supermarkets, cafés, and a municipal market in a cross-shaped building with fish, cheese, olive oil and herbs. In the old town the lanes are too narrow for comfortable riding, so leave the bike at the edge and walk. Parking is tight in high summer.
Crete's food is a reason to visit alone. Try dakos, a rusk topped with tomato and mizithra cheese, graviera cheese, wild greens called horta, and snails cooked with rosemary. The local raki, a clear spirit, often arrives free at the end of a meal, and it is rude to refuse, though a bike rider might just take a sip.
Go in May or October if you can. Summer is crowded and hot, but spring brings wildflowers across the mountains and the sea is swimmable by late May. Evening light on the Venetian harbour is the best time of day.