Rethymno
Venetian And Ottoman Old Town With The Fortezza Citadel, The Rimondi Fountain, Minarets And A Small Venetian Harbour, Beside A Long Sand Beach · Rethymno, Crete
Rethymno is Crete's third town and keeps the most intact old quarter on the island: a compact Venetian and Ottoman old town on a headland of the north coast, roughly midway between Chania and Heraklion. The Venetians walled it and, after a pirate raid sacked the town in 1571, built the huge Fortezza citadel on the hill above; the Ottomans, who took Rethymno in 1646, added domes, minarets, fountains and wooden bay windows. The result is a maze of lanes where a carved Venetian doorway sits beside an Ottoman balcony, a domed mosque stands inside the Fortezza and the Rimondi fountain still runs in a small square. A tiny Venetian harbour with a lighthouse is lined with fish restaurants, and a long sand beach runs east from the walls for kilometres. It suits travellers who want a walkable town base with a beach, easy day trips to Arkadi, the gorges and the south coast, and real town life rather than a resort. Honest caveats: the harbour front is a gauntlet of touts and set menus, the eastern beachfront is a long strip of hotels, and the old town is small - one full day covers its sights.
Old Town of Rethymno on Crete's north coast, between the Fortezza and the Venetian harbour; long town beach to the east, Rethymno, Crete, Greece
The old town is a living neighbourhood with no gates or hours: the lanes, squares, harbour and fountains are free at any time. The Fortezza keeps state-site hours, roughly 08:00 to 19:00 or 20:00 from April to October and much shorter in winter (often to about 15:00-17:00), with a small entry fee; it closes on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December - confirm current hours. The Archaeological Museum keeps similar state hours and has had a weekly closing day in winter - confirm. KTEL buses run along the north coast road from Chania (about 1 hour) and Heraklion (about 1 hour 30 minutes), frequently in summer. The old town is largely pedestrian; park in the paid lots around the Fortezza or on the seafront. Book rooms well ahead for carnival weekends and July-August.