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Rethymno out & about
by Minoa.info / Juhani

The third biggest city in Crete is the most versatile of Crete’s tourist cities. The beach bordering the city, idyllic old town, and the location of the city in the center of the north coast gives visitors a chance to explore both Rethymno and the whole island even during a shorter visit.

For the visitor Rethymnon is versatile, rich in nuances and friendly. The city history includes many upsets during the centuries, which all have left a mark to the city. The Venetians, Ottomans and Turks have in turn captured and ruled the city. In particular the Second World War left deep wounds for Crete and Rethymno.

The most interesting period in the history of the island is the Minoan period. There are a lot of items from the Minoan period in the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno. Many of those items have never been photographed.

The old town is located on the cape of Rethymno, and from it spreads out the newer part of the city and the tourist area along the coast to the east. The old town is especially interesting, as the local people live their everyday life while the tourists walk around the narrow, beautiful streets.

From the gate of the Old town (1) you can get to the Turkish Minaret (2). There is no record of the city being destroyed by an earthquake, so the Minaret is still intact - although its structures were secured in 2006. Next you reach the historic Rimondi Fountain (3). After passing many churches and narrow streets you arrive at the dominant feature of the city, The Fortezza fortress, which was built by the Venetians. There is an Archaeological Museum by the fortress (4). From the Fortezza you can descend to the Old harbour, which is lined with taverns. The Old harbour was built around 1210 AD, and the city was called Rettimo at that time. Even though the harbour was important for the whole island, Rethymno kind of disappeared from the map during the Turkish invasion after 1646 AD.

In the old town the impact of different periods and ruling cultures is easily visible from buildings and structures. Churches are an important part of the city life, and the numerous church bells call people to attend church services. The main church is located at (5). The Tourist Office is at (A). The city is alive almost around the clock during tourist high season. The louder combination of sounds from traffic, talk and other sources changes suddenly to almost silence, as you turn from the main street into an old narrow alley. This dramatic change is easy to remember and recall.

The small stores side by side in the alleyways of the Old town are full of merchandise, often inexpensive souvenirs: lace, ceramics, t-shirts, honey, spices and artefacts. There are also stores selling top fashion clothes and shoes, as well as gold and jewellery. All stores are concentrated on the area around the Old town harbour.

Comments

arkadi | 2010-11-25 08:00 EET

Good town to visit!

podilato | 2011-02-12 11:30 EET

nice city, I have been there many times.

karen brown | 2011-11-04 15:58 EET

We as a family love Rethimno and the whole of Crete been there over 30 times lovely or families.

karen brown | 2011-11-04 15:58 EET

We as a family love Rethimno and the whole of Crete been there over 30 times lovely or families.