Top 10
In & Near Rethymno
by Minoa.info / Juhani
Updated 13.03.2014
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1. The Old
town in Rethymno
The Old
town is situated south of the Fortezza. You can feel the past as you walk along
the alleys of the Old town, where locals live in their small old houses. Take
your time, and enjoy one of the many restaurants on your
walk-around.
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2. Fortezza
Fortezza is the most remarkable monument in the city. The largest fortress on
the whole island is located at the north-eastern part of the city. The
continuously restored fortress is an interesting sight and visually wonderful.
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3. Local Food
The food in Crete is known to be healthy, and poses almost none of the risks that often accompany food & water in tourist locations. Tap water is drinkable, and the food is almost always freshly produced from local ingredients. The freshness of
the ingredients is the cornerstone of the Cretan cuisine. Cretan bread and
horiatiki (Greek Salad) are excellent snacks.
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4. The
Beach
The beach
in Rethymno extends far to the east of the city. The longest beach in Crete
has soft sand and the services are just behind you, along the coastline
promenade.
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5. Ancient
Olive Groves
Just a 20
minutes drive and you are up in the mountains, where old olive trees are an
impressive sight. These trees are still productive and taken good care of, and
there can be up to thousands of trees in one grove. The oldest groves are to
the south-east of the city. The allegedly oldest olive tree is about 2000 years
old, located in Vuves village between Chania and Kastelli Kissamos, just south
of Kolimbari.
While
caring for the trees, branches and even trunks have to be cut occasionally. For
this reason the valued tree is a familiar material for firewood. As the tree
grows old it becomes extremely hard. In the lower picture a typical olive grove
in the mountains behind Rethymno.
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6.
Waterfall Paradise
In the
village of Argiroupoli there are many nice restaurants by the waterfalls, as
well as old mills and stone channels. Especially in the evening lights the
place is spectacular, and it is easily found by car, driving towards Chania and
exiting the main road to the southbound road to Episkopi. You should get there
in 45 minutes and there are several taverns serving great food, favoured by
tourists and locals alike. Coordinates: 35°17’12.01″N 24°19’56.79″E.
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7. The Arkadi
Monastery
The
beautiful and impressive Monastery in Arkadi is famous for its history and
known by all in Crete. The Church
is inside the surrounding walls and it has been restored into its original
glory in a successful way. Arkadi is south-east of Rethymno and reachable in
an hour.
You can see the whole route from Rethymno to the Arkadi monastery on this video.
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8. The Mill
Gorge
Here you
can find dozens of abandoned hillside mills, and uninhabited houses. There is
just one tavern serving visitors, and that is the only activity you will find
at his place. This enchanting place is poorly marked, but you can reach it in
20 minutes from Rethymno by heading to the Amari valley, and turning right
following the “Miloi” sign right to the road to Chromonastiri after you have
passed underneath the road from Heraklion to Chania.
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9. The
Amari Valley
The Amari
Valley is a beautiful valley southeast from Rethymno. You can navigate around
the valley and its many small villages along nice drivable roads. Although the
roads are well marked, be prepared for a whole day trip. If you reach the
valley directly from Rethymno and head back after you have had a good look at
the valley, you will be back in two-three hours.
Here’s a panoramic
view of the Amari Valley.
See the video “Driving in the Amari valley”.
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10. The Minoan
Graveyard in Armeni
The
Graveyard is just off the road to Spili and Agia Galini, just before the Armeni
village. This well signed sight is open limited hours and reachable by car in
15 minutes from Rethymno. There are hundreds of graves carved into soft rock
around the Graveyard. This impressive place is reachable also by bus. Coordinates: 35°19’5.13″N 24°27’46.14″E
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A map of the destinations covered on this page.
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