Rethymno has a lot to offer- a stunning fortress, beautiful (and delicious) baked goods, incredible architecture and quaint streets covered with flowering bougainvillea…

This city is certainly worth visiting, and this post talks about our favourite places- both attractions and eateries.

Overall the city is very walkable- we parked outside the town center in a free car park (see google maps here), and walked into the Old Town alongside the harbour, taking in the fresh sea air and sunshine.  Whilst there are other car parks nearer to the old town, we prefered this car park as the walk is so pleasant (and finding a spot here is easy).

Buildings in the Old Town

The Loggia

Alongside the harbour you will find numerous souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants and bars:  visitors here are really spoilt for choice. We didn’t stop at any of these places, and instead kept walking into the old town, where you are presented with an even bigger selection of places you can pop into.

At first we spent some time just wandering around- we walked past the Loggia, the Rimondi Fountain, the Archaeological Museum and the Neratze Mosque.

The Loggia is a 16th century Venetian building, situation right in the middle of the Old Town. You can walk around three of the four walls, each with impressive arches, showcasing the stunning architecture.

The Rimondi fountain, 17th century and Venitian, can be found on one of the squares in the town. It is a small fountain, with three springs coming out of lion heads, and is another beautiful example of some of the Venetian influence.

It is also located on a rather lively square,  where there are numerous bars/cafes you can stop at for a cafe freddo, a cold beer or cocktail, sit back and people watch. And nearby you can also find some of our recommended restaurants- see below in the eateries section.

The Archaelogical museum of Rethymno is quite small but has a good collection- and is certainly worth visiting if you have an interest in archaelogy. There are various pieces on display, ranging from Minoan to Byzantine. The ticket price was around 4 euros and you can probably spend somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour walking around.

The Neratze Mosque was originally a stunning Venetian church, which was then turned into a monastery, and when Crete was taken invaded by the Turkish, turned into a mosque. These days, the building is mostly used for concerts. 

Neratze Mosque

Central Gate and entrance to Fortezza

Within the walls you can see the Asteria open air-theatre, the Ibrahim Mosque (which was originally a church but became a mosque after the Turkish occupation), a church for Agios Theodoros Trichinas, a church for Agia Ekaterini and several Bastion buildings. 

Overall, it is very vast and grand- and you can spend quite a bit of time walking around and taking in the surroundings.

Inside the Ibrahim Mosque

Above right: remains of Bastion buildings

Right: Inside Agia Ekaterini

Best Eateries

1. Bakery on Nikiforou Foka Street

One we’ve been to several times and would recommend (and go back ourselves) is a small bakery on the Nikiforou Foka street at number 93. This bakery has been here since 1958 (and on google it is called Bakery since 1958 )- and we were lucky to come across this place by complete chance. As you can see from the photos, there are a variety of pies on offer with various fillings and many pastries. What is more impressive impressive are the animal shaped pastries, still made by hand, and apparently this is the only bakery that still continues this tradition. Definitely do come by this place and try it out!

2. Taverna Larenzo

Located just a short walk from the Rimondi fountain, we first came across Taverna Larenzo (La Renzo on google maps) by complete chance when looking around for lunch. This is a great restaurant- we’ve since been back as it was that good! While it has all the standard dishes such as tzaziki, dolmades etc., these were all absolutely delicious. The location is also beautiful- there are tables outside lining the restaurant, and the flowering bougainvillea is weaving overhead, creating a rather romantic atmosphere.

3. Raki Ba Raki

One of the busier restaurants, Raki Ba Raki is also located near the Rimondi fountain. We stopped by here for lunch as the menu seemed rather interesting- as well as the classic Greek dishes we have seen in most tavernas, we saw a few dishes here that we hadn’t come across much before- such as summer bulbs and rabbit with buckwheat. The food was delicious- and we’d really recommend this place.