Top Things to do in Rethymnon
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Rethymnon, Greece
Rethymnon is one of the most well-preserved Venetian old towns on the island of Crete. Its 16th-century buildings are stunning examples of ancient architecture, and the monolithic Fortezza reflects both European and Moorish influences. Explore the magical waterfalls, rock formations, and ‘"cave church" of Saint Anthony Gorge before taking a pleasant evening stroll along the colorful Venetian Harbor. Relax in a taverna over a plate of Cretan meze, like fresh feta drizzled with local olive oil.
Restaurants in Rethymnon
1. Sacred Monastery of Arkadi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Ulysses336 - Brasov, Romania
The Monastery is situated little over 20 km southeast of Rethymnon and is a symbolic place of local resistance in its struggle for freedom ; here hundreds of people have lost their lives in 1866 in a decisive battle against the Turks ; originally it was a Venetian church from the 16th century; the front of the church displays eight Corinthian columns and a bell tower with three bells ; as we learn from the guides,the exact date of founding the monastery is not known ; between the 16th and 18th century,the monastery housed a rich library and a laboratory for gold embroidery ;
2. Gorge of Mili
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 91 reviews
Reviewed By mrbox - Cornwall, United Kingdom
We stopped off from the City bus tour to walk down through here. A very pleasant, peaceful couple of hours and a quirky taverna at the bottom. Get prepared beforehand with sensible footwear, water etc and maybe a little research, so that you know what to look for and what you are looking at. Met some people who were actually walking UP the gorge. Rather them than me
3. Eyes Live Lounge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 111 reviews
Live entertainment every night..LIVE MUSIC from "The Soulman"..KARAOKE..LIVE SPORTS including football, rugby, tennis, golf & formula one..DISCO 60'S,70'S,80'S original vinyl records. Delicious COCKTAILS including the famous COME 2 BED EYES! A full selection of homemade BAR SNACKS including burgers, pizza, salads and curries. SEE YOU!
Reviewed By IgorBendas
If you re looking for a nice night with good stuff and nice music that's a nice place to spend an evening owned by a great English man who just fell in love with crete and in every opportunity he he show it to you, best part is that he has great voice and sometimes brings some singers as well and the atmosphere is just great for people that like live music..
4. Marianna's Workshop
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 60 reviews
Reviewed By fzachary - california
We really wanted to go with Marianna on a foraging trip for herbs of Crete, which I believe normally happens on Wednesdays. We called up and she said it was too dry. Saving that for next time.
Nonetheless after our walk through Mili Gorge (see my other reviews) we drove up the Maroulas (its a hill town) to the shop arriving around 4:00 pm. She closes in the afternoon and re-opens 5-7 pm, so was closed.
After a late lunch /early dinner at the Taverna Armos, just up the road (fantastic views and food), we walked back down to her shop. Its cute - her son helped us. The herbs are more expensive than what you get at the open market places (like 1866 street in Heraklion), but the quality seems very high and she has nice herbal combinations for specific issues (dematological, weight management, etc).
She sells creams, ointments, etc. as well. I got a natural "bug spray" which worked well for the mosquitos, was light, refreshing. The mosquitos were fairly light at this time, and the spray worked fine. A good alternative to the chemical heavy citronella stuff.
5. Chromonastiri Military Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 145 reviews
The building was built in 1610 and was the summer residence of the noble Venetian family "Clodius". Villas were mainly of agricultural and stockbreeding character, as shown by their architecture which, other than the main manor house, it included rooms for workers and spaces for warehouses and stables.The museum has 8 chambers full of artifacts from various periods of international history. Summer opening hours: Mondays,Saturdays closed , Tuesday-Friday 8:00-14:00 , Sundays 10:00-15:00
Reviewed By mrbox - Cornwall, United Kingdom
Set in a beautiful restored villa, this is a small and interesting exhibition relating to WW2 and the Ottoman war. I felt it was a work in progress as at times it seemed a little sparse. However the young soldiers who oversee the place are very informative and helpful in their explanation of how the museum was founded. Some of the images are very poignant, and it is right that these events should be remembered as part of this Islands history...
6. St. Anthony Gorge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 319 reviews
Reviewed By aaaVienna - vienna
When I read some of the reviews prepared by other visitors, I became a bit anxious as the reviews were describing difficult paths with dangerous crossings and exposed trails. What we found was a far less demanding adventure, but rich of astounding scenarios, in a pleasant shadow and cool air. I travelled to the gorge from Triopetra, on the Cretan south coast, through the nice village of Spili and following the indications to the Drimos tavern, which brought us to a winding road climbing on the top of the hills for about 15 km through the village of Karines and finally to our destination. I must say that I visited the gorge in the mid of September, and the water level was very low, so other travellers visiting in other periods of the year may find some difficulties that I did not experience due to the water level. Good walking or trekking shoes are recommended. Particularly remarkable is the Drimos tavern, not only because of good food quality, but also for the quite interesting environment and the museum on farming culture maintained behind the tavern. Overall, it was worth the half a day we spent there, and a nice interlude to the sequence of Beaches on the Cretan coasts.
7. Evelin Divers
Overall Ratings
5 based on 76 reviews
Reviewed By RedPenMan - Cheshire, United Kingdom
I went to Evelin with my three (adult) children for a day's diving (we are all occasional/newbie PADI open-water divers, with a range of 9-20 dives each). We found the company well-organised, with good kit for rental. Instructors were very good; excellent English, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. We joined several other (experienced) divers to make a group who were taken off in a RIB for two dives, led by two Evelin guides.
First was a boat dive. Have to say it was pretty boring really; it was basically just swimming along a sandy/rocky bottom and none of us really saw anything of interest. With hindsight I suspect the main purpose was to informally assess our abilities to check whether we were up to doing the second dive, which was the 'flagship' Elephant Cave. That was indeed truly spectacular; an amazing dive as other reviewers have said. One of my favourite dives ever, in fact. Based on this experience I'd certainly have awarded Evelin the full 5 stars for this review.
However. When I originally phoned Evelin to inquire about availability, we were invited to join a planned dive to the Elephant Cave. I said we were all PADI open-water qualified, with little experience; but I was assured that was fine (and indeed the Evelin website states that the Elephant Cave is 'open-water' level). The cave is entered via a large underwater tunnel, about 4m below the surface. You swim 40-50m along this tunnel, into complete darkness (you're provided with a suitable lamp) before surfacing inside the cave. Now, I really enjoyed the dive, and personally didn't feel in danger, but the fact is that was not an open-water dive - certainly not by any PADI definition. I did express my surprise about it with the divemaster afterwards, but he assured me it was fine (I think on the basis that the entry tunnel was open to the air at both ends?). I checked my PADI manual later... it defines open water as having "direct access to the surface at any time - as soon as you lose the ability to ascend directly to the surface your risk and the potential hazards go up enormously". Indeed, there's a whole page dedicated to warnings about how I should not have entered anywhere with an overhead environment, period ("One of the leading causes of diver fatalities is going into overhead environments without the proper training and equipment").
The main reason I chose Evelin was because they are a 5-star-rated PADI dive centre, and having been PADI-trained I'm quite reliant on that to find reputable, safe outfits when I'm travelling, and I feel let down by this experience. I do not deny having enormously enjoyed the dive; nothing went wrong; all the divers had good buoyancy control and we were all monitored as we swam along the tunnel, which that was mostly wide enough for two or three divers swimming abreast. Nevertheless, that was only my daughter's 11th-ever dive and I don't feel we should have been put in that position. That deserves a 1-star review in my opinion; but as we had an otherwise 5-star experience I'm giving 3...
8. Rethymnon Old Town
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By dalton1skiing - London
The old town is a maze of narrow back streets, shops, market stalls and restaurants. Its easy to lose your bearings & end up going in the opposite direction, so take a map! The streets are cobbled, so wear comfy shoes and not heels! Certainly worth a look when in the area.
9. The Holy Monastery of Preveli
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 597 reviews
Reviewed By Happykath912 - Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Enjoyed our visit which included a visit to the chapel. We then had enough time to have a wander round the grounds. Had a small zoo area which you could look down on the animals.
10. Kotsifou Canyon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 99 reviews
Reviewed By Jonathan S
This was beatiful scenery, and plenty of walking possibilities. However when we were here it was very very windy (funnelled through the gorge) and when we opened the rental car door the wind blew it off the hinges and dented and damaged it! So do be careful!
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