Rethymno Essentials

Rethymno centers on its 16th-century Venetian Fortezza and the historic Arkadi Monastery, a significant site of Cretan resistance. This region offers diverse landscapes ranging from Mount Psiloritis, Crete’s highest peak, to Lake Kournas, the island's only natural freshwater lake. Its central location provides access to the Minoan palaces of Knossos and Phaistos, the 16-kilometer Samaria Gorge, and the distinctive pink sands of Elafonisi Beach on the southwest coast.

Knossos

Knossos is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major center of the Minoan civilization and is known for its…

Samaria Gorge

A beautiful national park. Its top attraction is a point where two massive rocks form a passage just few meters narrow.

Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a museum located in Heraklion on Crete.

Elafonisi Beach

One of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Washed by the warm southern waters, you should not miss this one.

Monastery of Arkadi

The Arkadi Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox monastery, situated on a fertile plateau 23 km to the southeast of Rethymnon on the island of…

Fortezza Fortress

The Fortezza is the citadel of the city of Rethymno in Crete, Greece. It was built by the Venetians in the 16th century, and was captured by…

Psiloritis

Mount Ida, known variously as Idha, Ídhi, Idi, and Ita, is the highest mountain on the island of Crete, with an elevation of 2,456 metres.

Palace of Phaistos

Phaistos, also transliterated as Phaestos, Festos and Latin Phaestus, is a Bronze Age archaeological site at modern Faistos, a municipality…

Kourna Lake

Lake Kournas is a lake on the island of Crete, Greece, near the village of Kournas.

Melidoni Cave

A cavernous site featuring impressive stalactites and stalagmites. Historically significant as a Minoan place of worship and the site of an 1824 massacre during the Greek War of Independence, it now contains a memorial ossuary and a small chapel.