Rethymno: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Rethymno's old town is one of the best-preserved Venetian-Ottoman towns in Greece: narrow lanes, wooden balconies, minarets and fountains under a great fortress. Venice ruled here for over four centuries, the Ottomans for more than two. This walk takes about three hours, with the fortress at the end for the evening light. Cars can't get into most of the old town, so park at the edge.

A short history of Rethymno

There was already a city called Rithymna here in the Minoan period, but today's Rethymno is above all a Venetian creation. Venice ruled Crete from the beginning of the 13th century, and after the corsair Uluç Ali sacked the town in 1571 the Fortezza, one of the largest Venetian fortresses, was built on the hill. In 1646 the Ottomans took it and added mosques, minarets and enclosed wooden balconies to the lanes. Crete was united with Greece in 1913. The old town, where the two cultures blended, has been preserved almost intact, and the University of Crete was established beside it.

The ten best sights in Rethymno

1
Fortezza
The Venetian fortress over the old town; go late afternoon for the sunset from the walls
2
Rimondi Fountain
The meeting point of the old town; water still runs from the lion heads
3
Neratze Mosque
Church, then mosque, now a music school; the minaret is the old town's landmark
4
Venetian Loggia
Elegant 16th-century hall of the Venetian nobles, by the fountain
5
Porta Guora
The one surviving gate of the Venetian walls, leading into the old town
6
Archaeological Museum
Finds from the Rethymno area, now in a restored Venetian church
7
Historical and Folk Art Museum
Weaving, lace and tools in a Venetian mansion
8
Paleontological Museum
Fossils of Crete's dwarf elephants and hippos, in an old mosque
9
Arkadi Monastery
Crete's symbol of the 1866 uprising, 25 minutes into the hills
10
Preveli Monastery
Monastery high over the Libyan Sea, on the south coast

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Whole routes, with a room up to $80 at every stop.

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Rethymno →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Rethymno:

Free walking tours in Rethymno

The Venetians' town

Porta Guora · The gate, built in the 1570s, is the only one left of the walls that once closed the town on the land side. It was named after the Venetian rector Guoro, and the old town begins as soon as you pass through.
Neratze Mosque · The building began as the Venetian church of Santa Maria and was turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1646. Its minaret, added in 1890, is one of the tallest left in Crete, and the hall is now a conservatory of music.
Rimondi Fountain · The Venetian rector Alvise Rimondi built the fountain in 1626, with water pouring from three lion heads between Corinthian columns. The Ottomans later added a dome over it, which has not survived.
Venetian Loggia · The Loggia was the club of the Venetian nobility, where they met to talk business and politics. Under the Ottomans it became a mosque, and today it houses the museum shop of the Archaeological Service.
Archaeological Museum · The museum moved into the restored Venetian church of Saint Francis in the old town. Its finds range from Minoan tombs to Roman statues from the Rethymno region.
Fortezza · The Venetians built the fortress between 1573 and 1580, after a raid by the Ottoman admiral Uluç Ali burned the town in 1571. It failed its only real test: the Ottomans took it in 1646 after a short siege, and built the domed mosque of Sultan Ibrahim inside.

Arkadi and the eastern hills

In the hills east of Rethymno stands Arkadi, the monastery whose defenders blew themselves up in 1866 rather than surrender to the Ottomans, an act that made Crete's struggle known across Europe. Nearby are an ancient city with a fine museum, a village of potters and a cave with a grim history of its own. Allow a full day by car. The roads are narrow but paved.

Paleontological Museum · Before people arrived, Crete was home to dwarf elephants and dwarf hippos, shrunk over thousands of years of island life. The museum, set in a restored Ottoman mosque at the edge of town, shows their fossils.
Arkadi Monastery · On 9 November 1866, with Ottoman troops breaking in, the defenders and the refugees sheltering here set fire to the powder store, killing themselves and many attackers. The roofless powder room is kept as it was left.
Ancient Eleftherna · At the Orthi Petra cemetery of Eleftherna archaeologists found rich burials of the 9th–7th centuries BC, including women buried with gold jewellery. The Museum of Ancient Eleftherna, opened in 2016 beside the site, displays them.
Margarites · Margarites has been a pottery village for centuries, using clay dug from the hills around it. A few workshops still fire their pots in wood kilns and let visitors watch at the wheel.
Melidoni Cave · In 1824 about 370 villagers hid in this cave from Ottoman troops; the soldiers lit fires at the entrance and all of them suffocated. An ossuary inside holds their bones.
Rethymno town beach · The beach runs for more than 10 km east from the old harbour, and loggerhead turtles nest on it every summer. Nests are marked with cages; keep away from them at night.

South to the Libyan Sea

Crete is narrow here, and in less than an hour the road from Rethymno crosses the mountains to the south coast, facing Africa. The way passes a village of lion fountains and a gorge, and ends at a monastery whose monks helped Allied soldiers escape in 1941, and a palm beach below it. A full day by car, with a steep walk down to the beach. Take swimming things and water.

Spili · The Venetian fountain in the centre of Spili pours spring water from a long row of lion heads. Fill your bottles; the water comes straight from the mountain.
Kourtaliotiko Gorge · The gorge takes its name from kourtala, the clapping sound the wind is said to make between its walls. Steps lead down from the road to the chapel of Agios Nikolaos and to springs that feed the river.
Preveli Monastery · After the Battle of Crete in 1941 the monks hid British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers and helped them escape by submarine from the beaches below. A memorial on the road honours them.
Preveli palm beach · The Megalopotamos river runs into the sea here through a grove of Cretan date palms, a species that grows wild only in a few places. A fire burned the grove in 2010, but the palms grew back within a few years.
Argyroupoli · Argyroupoli stands on ancient Lappa, and below the village springs pour out of the rock so strongly that they once drove a row of watermills. Today tavernas sit among the streams.
Lake Kournas · Kournas is the only natural freshwater lake in Crete, fed by underground springs from the White Mountains. Its colour changes with the season and the light, and freshwater turtles live along its edge.

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Getting to Rethymno and getting around

KTEL bus station · Buses along the north coast to Chania and Heraklion, and south to Preveli and Plakias
Chania Airport · About an hour west on the highway; the nearest airport
Rethymno port · The modern port east of the Venetian harbour; ferry services vary by season

Cheap eats in Rethymno

Rethymno eats the Cretan way: gyros pita and souvlaki for a quick meal, kalitsounia and bougatsa for breakfast, and long evenings of raki and small plates. The old town still has a workshop where filo and kataifi pastry are made by hand, one of very few left in Greece. Prices are in euros and moderate.

Obelistirio Sarlo · Souvlaki and gyros pita, about €3.50-5
Pavlos 2 · Quick grill on Arkadiou street, about €3.50-6
Nyktaris bakery · Bread, kalitsounia and bougatsa, about €1.50-4
Yoghurt Bar · Greek yoghurt with honey and fruit, about €3-6
Hari's Creperie · Sweet and savoury crêpes in the old town, about €4-7
Kokkinos · Local grill for a quick lunch, about €4-8

Museums in Rethymno

Archaeological Museum · Finds of the region in a Venetian church
Historical and Folk Art Museum · Village crafts in a Venetian mansion
Paleontological Museum · Dwarf elephants of ancient Crete
Museum of Ancient Eleftherna · Gold and graves of an early Greek city
Arkadi Monastery · The monastery museum and the powder room

Nature and day trips near Rethymno

Preveli palm beach · Palms, river and sea in one place
Kourtaliotiko Gorge · Waterfalls and springs below the road
Lake Kournas · Freshwater lake with turtles
Argyroupoli springs · Shaded streams and old mills
Rethymno town beach · Kilometres of sand from the old town east

Things to do in Rethymno with kids

Fortezza · Walls, bastions and a mosque to explore
Paleontological Museum · Bones of small elephants
Lake Kournas · Pedal boats and turtles
Municipal Garden · Shade and a playground
Rethymno town beach · Sand right next to the old town

Where to eat in Rethymno

Avli · Cretan cooking in a Venetian courtyard
To Pigadi · Dinner around an old well in the old town
1600 Raki Ba Raki · Raki and Cretan small plates
Bakalogatos · Meze in the old town
Kyria Maria · Small family taverna

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Frequently asked questions about Rethymno

What is there to see in Rethymno?

The top sights in Rethymno are Fortezza, Rimondi Fountain and Neratze Mosque. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Rethymno?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Rethymno without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Rethymno?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Rethymno, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Venetians' town.

How do you get to Rethymno and get around?

The main ways are KTEL bus station, Chania Airport and Rethymno port. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Rethymno, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Rethymno that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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