Little Venice — Alefkandra — is the row of 18th-century sea captains’ houses built directly over the water on the western side of Chora. Their wooden balconies extend above the sea, and in the afternoon light, the facades reflect in the water below. It’s the most architecturally distinctive quarter of the town and the most popular spot for sunset drinks — which means it’s also the most crowded stretch of waterfront on the island between 18:00 and 21:00 in summer.
The Architecture
The buildings that make up Little Venice were constructed in the 18th century as residences and storage for the island’s prosperous sea captains and traders. Their characteristic feature is the extension over the water: the ground floor was built on supports above the sea surface, allowing small boats to load and unload directly from the building’s lower level. The wooden balconies on the upper floors, painted in faded blues, reds, and greens, are original in style if not always in material.
The area is genuinely worth seeing as architecture, independent of the sunset bar culture that now defines it commercially. The best time to appreciate the buildings is early morning, when the crowds are gone and the light comes from the east, casting the facades into sharp relief.
The Sunset Bar Culture
Little Venice has some of the most atmospherically positioned bars in Greece — tables cantilevered over the water, facing west toward Delos and the setting sun. This is not an illusion: the position is genuinely good and the views are exceptional. The price for that position, in July and August, is full tables by 18:30 and a crowd that sometimes makes the experience feel pressured rather than relaxed.
The practical solution: arrive before 18:00 if you want a table with a sea view, order immediately, and stay for the full duration. Or accept the promontory above (the windmill path) as a better alternative and return to Little Venice for dinner after the sunset crowd disperses.
Practical Tips
- Morning is the best time to see the architecture clearly — empty streets, direct light on the facades, and none of the commercial activity.
- For sunset: 18:00 arrival is the minimum. By 19:00, standing room only on the waterfront.
- The pelicans that live in this area are a genuine element of the place, not a tourist stunt — they’ve been resident in Chora since the 1950s. They can be aggressive around food.
- The walk from Little Venice south along the waterfront to the old harbor is pleasant in the evening — the less-photographed stretch of Chora’s seafront.