Rethymnon – Old Town, Fortezza and Coast

Rethymnon brings together a layered Old Town and a long coastline. The Old Town of Rethymno stretches from Palaiokastro Hill, where the Fortezza stands, to the old Venetian harbour; the historic centre lies below the fortress walls. As you stroll through its lanes, you’ll encounter buildings of traditional architecture, while pergolas covered in grapevines and colourful flowers adorn the corners. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can first weigh up whether the city’s history and culture or the coast should be the focus of your days.

Old Town: Architecture and History

Architectural features from the Ottoman period have been preserved in the Old Town. Buildings acquired oriels, and symbols of the Muslim faith and inscriptions were added to portals. Venetian monasteries were also converted into mosques with minarets. The Loggia of Rethymno served as a place for meetings and consultations: nobles discussed political and economic matters there. Together, these buildings and places offer different perspectives on the city’s history—from visible changes to buildings to the former function of a meeting place.

Museums Between Antiquity and Craftsmanship

Exhibits at the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno explore the history of the prefecture from the Neolithic period to Roman times. The Historical and Folklore Museum offers a different focus: it presents traditional occupations, including those of the coppersmith, saddler and farrier. Temporary exhibitions are held on the ground floor. This brings different approaches together: a long archaeological time span and topics from traditional working life. If you’d like to include culture in your stay, you can distinguish between these themes when planning.

Coast and Choosing a Location

Rethymno Beach is twelve kilometres long, beginning at the historic city centre and extending eastwards to Scaleta. This stretch makes the coastline a landmark in its own right. When choosing a location, you can consider whether the Old Town or the beach stretching to Scaleta should be the focus of your holiday-apartment search. This turns the kind of holiday you’re looking for into a practical question as you search, without requiring you to settle on a single place or a particular experience.

Routes to the Fortezza

There are three routes to the Fortezza: Heimarras Street, the paved path on Katechaki Street, and a newer paved path that starts at the city’s northern ring road. The descriptions distinguish between one street and two paved paths; the newer path’s starting point is also specified. If the Fortezza is part of your city exploration, you can use these details to find your way and plan your route.

Cultural Venues by Season

The time of year also shapes the choice of venues. During the winter season, the Conservatory, St. Francesco Church and the Touring Club hall are among the venues for arts and cultural events. In summer, almost all of the city of Rethymno’s visual arts, music and theatre events take place at the Erofili Theatre in the Fortezza. So in winter, several named venues are in the picture, while in summer the focus is on the theatre in the fortress. If events are important to your trip, plan around the relevant season and check the specific dates.

Discover more destinations: Pigi, Platanés, Sfakaki, Sises Geropotamos, Anógeia, Mariou, Roussospiti, Garazo.

For the broader travel overview: Rethymno.