The festival brings to light the local cultural identity and the historical and cultural exchanges, which created new paths allowing Cretan literature and poetry to flourish. The Renaissance Festival is considered one of a kind in the Mediterranean region. A colorful and joyous meeting point for local and international artists.

For more information visit: www.rfr.gr

Mild winter weather is not only a luxury but a frequent phenomenon.It hardly rains and temperatures rarely drop below 15 °C, making it very pleasant to be outside all day long strolling around the sunny streets of Rethymno or exploring the impressive countryside.While it may not be warm enough for swimming, the mild temperatures are perfect for taking part in all sorts of other indoor and outdoor activities, while accommodations are at their most affordable.

Rethymno is filled with a variety of attractions, from historical sites to museums, art galleries, and unique shops. Rethymno also has plenty of outdoor activities to suit all tastes, such as skiing, hiking, and cycling. With its abundance of restaurants, taverns, and many cafes to enjoy Cretan hospitality and traditional cuisine enjoying  local dishes and wines.

Christmas celebration lasts for thirteen days, from Christmas Eve until Epiphany, January 6th. 

Baking, as in most cultures, is an important part of Cretan cooking for Christmas and sweets are especially traditional. Don’t miss out on the “Melomakarona”!

Apart from the “European” Christmas trees, many houses and shops decorate the traditional Greek “karavaki”, (usually) a handmade wooden boat adorned with lights and ornaments and a symbol of the strong ties between Greeks and the sea.  

Enjoy “kalanda” (Christmas Carol) performed by the Band of the Municipality of Rethymno on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and Epiphany’s Eve. 

You will also see many children in the streets these three days, as they go door to door singing, often carrying triangles to accompany caroling.

Discover inland secrets and the wide variety of flora and fauna, 1,624 native wild plants with 170 endemic plants and 1,000 animal species and 4 Natura2000 – 88.000 acres area. Spring is ideal for those with special interests in bird watching and wildlife. 

In the prefecture of Rethymno, around 50 species and sub-species of wild orchids are found, in particular, on the plateau of Yious Kampos at the Amari Valley near Spili.

This plateau constitutes one of the most important biotopes of Rethymno since, apart from orchids, a beautiful wild red tulip (Tulipa doerfleri) is endemic to the area.

Traditional Greek Easter is all about warm family get-togethers. Celebrate Easter in Rethymno where guests are invited to enjoy the holiday, have fun, relax, and participate in religious and gastronomic experiences.

This is a celebration you don’t want to miss! 

Local customs such as the solemn Good Friday processions behind a bier decorated in white flowers, the Ascension ceremony on Easter Eve with its candles and fireworks, and the services in churches and monasteries will entrance you. Listen to the “Twelve Passion Gospels” at a monastery, decorated with wildflowers for the “Epitaphios”, and enjoy the traditional Easter cuisine. 

Enjoy a taste of our traditional and religious wealth.​

Apart from the celebrations, the visitor is able to minutely trace the religious physiognomy of the region through the centuries. 

Early-Christian basilicas, Byzantine churches boasting magnificent frescoes, historic monasteries, picturesque chapels but also “humble” iconostases give timeless evidence of the religious tradition.