Maritime Museum of Crete, Maritime museum in Chania harbor, Greece

The Maritime Museum of Crete occupies the Venetian Firka Fortress at the entrance of the old harbor and houses ship models along with objects from different periods. The collection spans from Bronze Age artifacts to modern times.

The Maritime Museum of Crete was founded in 1973 in Chania. Its collection is arranged chronologically, from Bronze Age finds to the present, and covers ship models, nautical instruments, paintings, historical photographs and war relics. A separate section in the Moro Shipyard at the eastern end of the harbour holds ancient naval architecture, centred on a 17 m replica Minoan ship built between 2001 and 2004.

The displays show navigation tools and maritime objects that reveal how seafaring shaped the island's connection to the sea across many centuries. You can see how shipping influenced daily life and trade for local communities.

The fortress sits right at the Chania harbor and is easily accessible on foot from the city center. Plan to spend two to three hours there depending on your interest in the different sections.

The 17-metre Minoan ship replica was built between 2001 and 2004 and later sailed and rowed to Piraeus. It is displayed not in the Firka Fortress but in the Moro Shipyard at the eastern end of Chania harbour, a separate smaller exhibition of ancient naval architecture.