Talos Square (Plateia Talo) is a small open square at the northern end of Theotokopoulou Street, on the western edge of Chania's Old Town, close to the sea. It takes its name from Talos, the bronze giant who, in Greek myth, guarded Crete by striding round its coast. The square itself is plain, but it is a good starting point for the quiet western side of the Old Town: the Topanas quarter, the old Venetian bastion and the walk to the harbour.
Talos Square at a glance
- Where: at the sea end of Theotokopoulou Street, in the Topanas quarter at the north-western corner of the Old Town, a few minutes' walk from the Venetian harbour.
- Named after: Talos, the mythical bronze guardian of Crete.
- What it is today: a small open square that many visitors use as a way into the Old Town from the west, away from the crowds of the harbour front.
- Time needed: 5–10 minutes for the square itself, 30 minutes or more if you walk Theotokopoulou Street and look at the bastion.
The north-western corner of Venetian Chania
Venice ruled Chania from the 13th century until 1645 and rebuilt its defences in the 16th century: the second Venetian walls, begun in 1536 and completed in 1568, enclosed the town with bastions at the corners. The north-western corner was guarded by the San Salvatore bastion, also known as the Gritti bastion, close to the Firkas fortress at the harbour entrance. Talos Square lies near this corner, in Topanas, the quarter between the harbour and the western walls.
The Ottomans took Chania in 1645 and held it until the end of the 19th century; Crete became part of Greece in 1913. Topanas kept its old street plan, and its name is usually explained as coming from the Turkish tophane, a store for cannon and gunpowder. The street that ends at the square is named after Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco, the painter who was born on Crete in 1541. Today the quarter's stone houses are homes, guesthouses and small shops.
What to look for
- Theotokopoulou Street: the narrow street running from the square towards the harbour, lined with old stone houses and arched doorways.
- The church of San Salvatore: a former Venetian church on Theotokopoulou Street, now home to the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Collection of Chania.
- The San Salvatore bastion: the remains of the Venetian fortifications at the north-western corner of the Old Town.
- The sea: from this edge of the Old Town you look out over open water to the west of the harbour mouth.
Talos, the bronze guardian of Crete
In Greek myth Talos was a giant made of bronze, given, depending on the version, by Zeus to Europa or by Hephaestus to King Minos. Three times a day he marched round the coast of Crete and drove off ships by hurling rocks at them. His life depended on a single vein, sealed with a bronze nail. In the story of the Argonauts told by Apollonius of Rhodes, he tried to keep the Argo away from Crete until the sorceress Medea bewitched him; he grazed his ankle on a rock, his divine blood ran out and he fell. It is a myth, but an old one on Crete: coins of the ancient city of Phaistos show Talos with wings.
Tips for your visit
- Start here and walk Theotokopoulou Street towards the harbour, so that you reach the busy waterfront from its quiet western end.
- In summer, come early in the morning or towards sunset; the middle of the day is hot.
- If you arrive by car, park outside the Old Town: the streets inside the walls are narrow and partly pedestrian.
Nearby
- Venetian harbour and lighthouse: the harbour front with its old warehouses and the lighthouse, rebuilt in its present form in the 1830s on a Venetian base.
- Firkas fortress and Maritime Museum of Crete: the fort at the western entrance to the harbour, built in 1620, where the Greek flag was raised in 1913 to mark Crete's union with Greece.
- Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Collection: icons, mosaics and church art in the former church of San Salvatore, a few steps from the square.
- Nea Chora: the town beach with fish tavernas, a short walk west along the coast.
See Chania with World City Trail
Our Chania scavenger hunt turns the Old Town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 42 minutes of walking, through the alleys of the Old Town and along the Venetian harbour. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch and Greek.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Chania.
Play the Chania scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Chania →
Play the outdoor escape game in Chania →
Facts checked in October 2026.