Rethymnon is one of the four departments of Crete and is located east of the department of Chania and west of the Heraklion department.
The department is very diverse with a part of the Ida mountains, many Byzantine churches and monasteries, beautiful nature with impressive gorges for example the Kourtaliotiko gorge. The 'careta-careta' turtles lay on different beaches their eggs.
The most beautiful beaches of this department include Rethymnon town, Damnoni, Plakias, Souda, Bali, Triopetra, Agios Pavlos, Panormo and the Preveli palm beach.
The capital Rethymnon is a beautiful and fun city.
In the department of Rethymnon it is possible to make beautiful day trips to for example:
The department is very diverse with a part of the Ida mountains, many Byzantine churches and monasteries, beautiful nature with impressive gorges for example the Kourtaliotiko gorge. The 'careta-careta' turtles lay on different beaches their eggs.
The most beautiful beaches of this department include Rethymnon town, Damnoni, Plakias, Souda, Bali, Triopetra, Agios Pavlos, Panormo and the Preveli palm beach.
The capital Rethymnon is a beautiful and fun city.
In the department of Rethymnon it is possible to make beautiful day trips to for example:
- Agia Galini: Originally a fishing village, nowadays tourism offers the largest source of income, although fortunately it has not become a massive tourist destination. The white houses built against the mountain around the fishing harbour provide a picturesque image of this charming and hospitable village.
- Arkadi: strategically (south of Rethymnon) in the mountains is the monastery of Arkadi. Here hundreds of resistance fighters, women and children died during the struggle for independence against the Turks. In 1866 there was a tragedy in the Arkadi monastery. The Cretan rebels had chosen the monastery as a shelter and home base, and resistance meetings were organized. The Turks wanted to put an end to this and attacked the monastery and it soon became clear that the Cretans were the losing party. To prevent capture and torture by the Turks, all ammunition was brought together in the gunpowder magazine, so that the rebels could blow themselves up in case of emergency. When the Turks had invaded the monastery and the situation for the Cretans was hopeless, the Cretans gathered in the gunpowder magazine and let it explode. The monastery is still inhabited today by Greek Orthodox monks.
- Damnoni: has a beautiful beach and has only been developed touristy in recent years. After the arrival of a large foreign holiday park (Hapimag) it went very quickly with Damnoni.
- Kourtaliotiko gorge (Kourtaliotis gorge): is located 22 km south of Rethymnon town. The gorge starts at the village of Koxare and runs between the mountains Kouroupa (984 m) and Xiro Oros, (904 m). The end point is the Preveli palm trees beach. The name "Kourtaliotiko" owes the gap to the sound that is observed when a strong wind blows. The sound of hitting the wind against the rocks is similar to the sound of kourtalis (castanets). Halfway up the gorge a path leads down to the church of Agios Nikolaos. The gorge has beautiful waterfalls and is home to many rare species of Cretan plants and animals and is known for its birds for example vultures. The huge rocky slopes of the gorge are full of openings and caves.
- Plakias: a popular tourist resort and located on the south coast of Crete. It used to be a fishing village and has a nice boulevard with shops, cafes and restaurants. Plakias is ideal as a base for getting to know the south of Crete.
- Preveli: known for the beautiful palm beach, the river that flows into the sea and the monastery that was founded here at the end of the sixteenth century. From Agia Galini and Plakias daily boat trips goes to the palm beach of Preveli, but it can also be reached by car. From a parking lot on top of the mountain near Moni Preveli there are hiking trails with stairs down. It is a tough walk down and back up again.
- Moni Preveli: monastery built on top of a mountain and has a great view over the sea and the surroundings. In the past, the monastery has always played a major role in the liberation of Crete because it provided shelter to opponents of the Turkish regime. During the Second World War the monastery supported the resistance against the Germans. The monastery is still in use.
- Rethymnon: the old town consists of a maze of streets and alleys with beautiful buildings (do not forget to look up) and nice shops. There are cozy restaurants in various (old) houses. The fishing port is also very cozy with many (fish) restaurants. Outside the old town is a long and wide sandy beach with on the other side a boulevard with several hotels, shops, supermarkets and many food / beverage outlets. Sights in the city include the best preserved castles in Crete (the Fortezza), the Neratze mosque, the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, the great gate (Megali Porta / Porta Guerra), the Rimondi square and the Venetian Loggia.
- Rodakino (literally peach): a small village near Plakias and it lies at the end of the gorge, between Frangokastello and Plakias. Near Rodakino, direction Korakas, are two beautiful secluded beaches. The first beach is at the end of the gorge, where the river flows into the sea. It is a beach with small pebbles, to the east you see sea caves. To the west is the other beach, this is a sand-pebble beach, here it is slightly quieter.
- Souda: a small beach near Plakias. The route from Plakias to Souda is quite curvy but very beautiful. Along the way you see beautiful overgrown mountain slopes and small idyllic beaches.
- Spili: a small village in the heart of the Rethymnon department on the Rethymnon and Agia Galini route. The most striking feature of Spili is the abundant flowing water. From the rock wall, cool spring water flows all year round to the fountain that counts many individual lion heads. The name derives from the village by the many caves that occur in this area (Spilaion = cave). Because of the water present, nature in the area is beautiful green all year round.
- Triopetra: an unknown paradise, located in the area between Agia Galini and Preveli. It is not far from the Agios Pavlos beach. Abandoned sandy beaches, a few taverns and apartments and that's it. The beaches are great and are among the best in Crete. The water is wonderfully clear. The road there is narrow, but paved, with beautiful views. The name Triopetra owes the beach to the three large rocks rising up out of the sea. This gives the beach a characteristic face. Actually Triopetra has two beaches, namely east of the peninsula with the three rocks the beach Akoumianos Gialos and west of the rocks the large Akoumianos Gialos beach.