Kathiana: Velodrome, Festival Traditions and Christos Chapel

Kathiana brings together a specific connection to cycling, local festival history and sacred cultural heritage. The Chania Velodrome, events around grapes and the grape harvest, and the very old Christos Chapel give the area a range of cultural highlights. You can shape your trip around cycling, festival traditions or sacred history.

Cycle Races and Cycling Activities

The Chania Velodrome in Kathiana hosted the Greek Track Cycling Championships from 29 July to 1 August 2026. During a school event at the velodrome, pupils from the 11th Primary School Centre of Chania, the 2nd Primary School of Kounoupidiana and Kounoupidiana High School took part in cycling activities. They also watched a demonstration by award-winning athletes and were shown around the facility.

Local Festival Traditions

At that time, in 2011, Kathiana held events involving grapes, the grape harvest and grape stomping almost every year. At the same time, a large traditional church festival was held annually at the central church dedicated to the Prophet Elias. If you want to plan your trip specifically around a celebration like this, check the dates in advance.

Christos: A Very Old Chapel

A local history account from 2021 describes Christos as a very old chapel that was originally a monastery church. There is a tomb associated with the chapel; whose tomb it is remains unknown. Local people believe that the abbess is buried there. The chapel thus connects its former use as part of a monastery with a local tradition whose interpretation is explicitly left open.

More Highlights Across the Wider Chania Destination

The wider Chania destination has additional cultural sites. The permanent exhibition at the Chania Archaeological Museum occupies three rooms on the ground floor and one room upstairs. It presents archaeological evidence from the Chania regional unit spanning several centuries. The historic lanes of Chania’s Old Town are home to Venetian mansions, old hammams, minarets and churches. Chania’s Venetian Harbour was built in the 14th century for trade and protection from pirate raids. The Δημοτική αγορά market in Chania is also considered a city landmark by locals and visitors alike.

The wider Chania destination also includes the history of the historic village of Theriso. During the 1905 Revolution under Eleftherios Venizelos, Theriso was the seat of the Cretan insurgents. The Historical and Folklore Museum of Theriso is housed in the former headquarters of Eleftherios Venizelos and the Theriso Movement of 1905. The Eleftherios Venizelos Gorge, through which you reach the historic village of Theriso, is 6 km long in total.

Akrotiri is another distinct landscape theme within the wider Chania destination. It has small coves and beaches suited to recreation and tourism. In the northern hills, nature remains largely undisturbed by human activity; the landscape has rich, partly endemic flora, as well as land and sea caves inhabited by endemic invertebrates. This clearly distinguishes the coastal scenery of Akrotiri from the natural character of the northern hills.

When looking for a holiday rental, it is therefore useful to consider the focus of your trip: are you mainly interested in Kathiana’s cycling and cultural offerings, or would you like the city, history and landscapes of the wider Chania destination to shape your plans too?

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Kounoupidiana, Voulgaro, Platanos, Drapanias, Vamos, Tsikalaria, Kalives, Astrikas.

Return to the wider travel guide: Chania.