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Rethymno Prefecture & Town

Rethymno prefecture showcases some lovely countryside with hiking, interesting traditional villages, as well as the attractions of the city of Rethymno itself; and on the south coast both wildness and some fine beaches can be found, in varying combinations of the two. Also to be found are ancient cities and monasteries, some described below.

The smallest of Crete's four prefectures in both size and population Rethymno Prefecture ('nomos' in Greek) i , with the city of Rethymno Crete's third largest city (after Heraklion and Hania) as well as provincial capital , situated on the north coast of Crete 78km/48.5miles to the west of Heraklion and 58km/36miles to the east of Hania.

The northern coast of this province dips south lower than the provinces to east and west, and though the part of the Aegean Sea north of Crete is generally known as the Kritiko Pelagos (Cretan Sea), the gulf between the city of Rethymno and the higher part of the coast to the west is known as the Ormos Almirou (Bay of Salt, literally) and the province is bounded in the south by the Liviko Pelagos (Libyan Sea). Rethymno prefecture is bounded by the Psiloritis mountain range on the east and the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) on the west and its north-south distance is one of the narrowest in Crete.

With a population of approximately 25,000, the city of Rethymno despite the increase in tourists during the past 25 years, is still a more provincial and slower-moving city than either of the two big cities in either directions east or west.

Flanking the town is a long sandy beach, with the walls of a massive Venetian fort at one end up above it on the hill, and below it the old Venetian harbor and a lighthouse. The old parts of town are graced with both Venetian and Turkish buildings, the latter with over-hanging wooden balconies with iron supports, though sometimes it's hard to tell which is which, as generations have restored and added on to the buildings. There are mosques, and Turkish fountains. The University of Crete has some of its departments in Rethymno, bringing students from all over Greece to the city, along with the usual ambience of university towns.