Things to do
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Arkadi Monastery
A fortified monastery on a plateau in the hills south-east of town, with a carved Venetian church front facing its courtyard. In 1866, besieged by Ottoman troops, the defenders blew up the gunpowder store, and the roofless room where it happened can still be entered. A small museum holds icons and relics of the siege. Entry is ticketed, and modest dress is expected.
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Kourtaliotiko Gorge
Pull off the road to Plakias and a stone stairway takes you down to springs that run all year, a waterfall and the chapel of Agios Nikolaos at the foot of the cliffs.
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Preveli Beach
A freshwater lagoon sits behind Preveli beach, fed by a river that leaves its gorge through wild Cretan date palms. You can walk its banks inland, then cross the sand to swim in the Libyan Sea.
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Archaeological Museum
Now housed in the restored Venetian church of Saint Francis in the old town, a single tall nave filled with finds from the Rethymno region. Cases follow the story from Neolithic tools through painted Minoan clay coffins to Roman marble statues. It is a short visit that pairs well with the Fortezza nearby, and entry is ticketed.
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Fortezza of Rethymno
Venetian walls enclose the whole hill above the old town, built in the late sixteenth century after pirate raids. Inside, the ground is open and grassy, with a domed Ottoman mosque, a small church, cisterns and the ruins of barracks. The ramparts give the widest view over the harbour and the town roofs. Entry is ticketed, with long summer hours and a shorter winter day.
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Margarites
Margarites is Crete's pottery village, a drive of 24 to 40 minutes from Rethymno on well-kept roads, and its workshops make pottery. The public bus usually runs once a day and takes about 50 minutes, so a car makes the visit easier. April to May and September to October are quieter than August.
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Melidoni Cave
Melidoni Cave lies inland from Rethymno, and visits are guided, lasting about 45 minutes. Opening hours change between summer and winter, when the cave opens on fewer days. Call the cave before the drive out to check the day's times and book a place.
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Preveli
The monastery of Preveli stands on a terrace high above the Libyan Sea, on the south coast directly across the island from Rethymno. Its church, courtyard fountain and small museum of icons look straight out to open water. During the Second World War the monks hid Allied soldiers here before their evacuation by submarine. Shoulders and knees must be covered.
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Rethymno Lighthouse
The old lighthouse stands at the end of the causeway that closes Rethymno's small Venetian harbour, and the walk out along the causeway and back takes in both. The harbour is at its best in the evening, with the boats moored, the quay lit and the town rising behind.
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Rimondi Fountain
A Venetian fountain of 1626 at the heart of the old town, where water still runs from three carved lion heads between Corinthian columns. It stands at the corner of a small square lined with cafés under plane trees. The lanes leading south from here hold most of the old town's wooden Ottoman balconies, so it makes a natural starting point for a walk.
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Souliou Street
Souliou Street is the lane in Rethymno's Old Town for local craft, lined with the workshops and small shops of the town's artisans. Only delivery vans may enter the Old Town lanes, so the street is reached on foot from the car parks on the edge of the centre.
