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The best place in town for a sundown cocktail. Tables with a view are at a premium, though, as this is currently Chania’s trendiest bar.

Oblomov attracts a youthful, mixed crowd of locals and visitors, and is less frenzied than many of Chania’s harbourside café-bars.

Tucked away in a courtyard shaded by pines and tamarisks atop the ramparts on the east side of the Venetian harbour, Pili Tis Ammou is at its very best in the evening.

Barbarossa has tables inside an old Venetian-Turkish quayside building, though it happily spills out onto the pier as well. Ice creams, fresh juices and snacks from mid-morning until late at night.

Old-fashioned wooden chairs, marble-topped tables and a vinecovered verandah are part of the appeal. Its interior – a vaulted bar with a wooden floor, set in an old stone building – is attractive too.

A rare authentic taverna, serving thimbles of Greek coffee and early-morning glasses of tsikondia (a strong spirit) to a clientele of venerable locals.

While waiting for your bus or ferry in Kastelli, consider popping into Bar Piscina. It has a small swimming pool and a reasonable choice of drinks, ice cream and light meals.

A simple, old-fashioned ouzeri on the town’s main street. Do not expect a list of sophisticated cocktails; do expect an authentic Cretan atmosphere.

Attracting more holidaymakers than locals, Jetee’s fancy drinks carry equally fancy prices. Overlooking the sandy beach on the west side of Paleochora, it is at its liveliest in the evening.

Best of the music bars along Pebble Beach. Rock, pop and dance music is occasionally interspersed with Cretan dancing to traditional lyra rhythms.