Above Chania's Venetian harbour, on the northwest coast of Crete, rises Kastelli Hill — the site this page calls Torre de Kastro. It's one of the most continuously inhabited spots in Europe: excavations trace near-unbroken human occupation from the transition between the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, around 3000–2900 BC, right through to today.
This hill was the site of ancient Kydonia, one of the leading Minoan cities of western Crete. Greek-Swedish excavations at Agia Ekaterini Square, running from 1969 to 2014 (joined by a Danish team from 2010), uncovered a dense urban quarter — houses over 200 m² in size, frescoes, seals, and an archive of Linear A tablets among the largest ever found. In 1989–90, archaeologists also recovered five Linear B tablets, the only ones found outside Knossos since the early 20th century. In July 2025, UNESCO recognised Kydonia as part of the "Minoan Palatial Centres," a serial World Heritage listing spanning six archaeological sites on Crete, alongside Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros and Zominthos.
The hill kept its strategic importance long after the Minoan era ended. In the 6th–7th centuries AD the Byzantines fortified it, reusing stone from Hellenistic and Roman buildings, and reinforced the walls again in the 10th century against Arab raids. After the Fourth Crusade in 1204, Crete passed to Venice — though Venetian control wasn't secured immediately: from 1206, the Genoese corsair Enrico Pescatore seized a number of the island's strongholds and contested it with Venice for several years. It was only with Venice's "colonisation wave" of 1252 that Kastelli truly became the heart of the new Venetian town of Canea (Chania), gaining a new wall, grand houses and public buildings, including the cathedral of Santa Maria.
Much of the historic quarter was destroyed in German bombing raids in 1941, which struck the Venetian cathedral and inadvertently exposed Minoan pottery beneath the rubble. The find wasn't investigated again for decades: in 1963, British artist John Craxton spotted Minoan sherds on the site, halting plans to rebuild a church there and paving the way for the systematic excavations that began in 1966.
Today, the archaeological site at Agia Ekaterini Square is fenced off and can only be viewed from the outside, but the short, uphill walk up Kanevarou Street from the Venetian harbour is worth it for the views over the port and lighthouse. From here, it's easy to explore the wider Crete region, or head west to Elafonissi beach, roughly 50 km away in the same region via the Lefka Ori mountains.
Access to this area is listed at €4; much of Kastelli hill, including the fenced perimeter of the archaeological site, can still be viewed for free from the outside.
On foot, up Kanevarou Street from Chania's Venetian harbour — a short but uphill walk of a few minutes. Chania International Airport ("Ioannis Daskalogiannis") is about 14 km away.
Not on a regular basis — the excavations at Agia Ekaterini Square are fenced off to the public, though the layered Minoan, Byzantine and Venetian remains are visible from outside the fence.
Yes — since July 2025 it has been part of the "Minoan Palatial Centres" serial listing, alongside Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros and Zominthos.