Nick & Katja

Rethymno is located just over an hour away by car from both major cities of Chania and Heraklion. You can fly into either Heraklion or Chania from Athens or from many other European cities. For our London guests, you can fly direct into both cities. 

We'd recommend arriving in Rethymno on Thursday 8th September before both the Hens/Bucks (Friday) and the wedding (Sunday), to enjoy the Old Town and local beaches and activities (and spend some time with us!).

If you have some time before this and would like to spend some time exploring another side of the island before coming to Rethymno, we'd recommend flying into Chania and spending a day or two within the historic Venetian Port and Old Town. It's one of our favourite places for its beauty, hospitality and authentic Greek cuisine. 

If you'd prefer to fly into Heraklion and spend some time there before coming to Rethymno, you can spend a day visiting Knossos, which is the ancient Minoan palace thought to be the site of the labyrinth of the Minotaur.  

Note: We do very strongly recommend staying in Rethymno itself on the day of the Hens/Bucks and wedding, as both Chania and Heraklion are over an hour away from Rethymno and transport options across the island late at night will be very minimal and would need to be organised in advance.

There are a few options for getting to Rethymno from the airports in Heraklion or Chania. 

If coming in from Chania the KTEL bus service (e-ktel.com) runs 5 services per day and takes 1hr 35mins at a cost of 6-8 euro. If you'd prefer to take a taxi, it is a 1 hour journey and will cost you 50-60 euro. Lastly you may choose to hire a car with prices starting at about 35 euro per day. 

If you're coming in from Heraklion, the bus service runs hourly (e-ktel.com) at a cost of 14 euro, a taxi will cost about 80 euro and car rental again starts at about 35 euro per day.


Please note that taxis will be in limited supply so if you are planning to use a taxi it would be worth pre-booking with the airport company.

Crete is a large island, with many towns and villages. Rethymno itself is a beautiful smaller town and has plenty to explore, including its own beach.

However, if you'd like to get to some of the most beautiful and famous beaches and tourist sites on other parts of the island, we would strongly recommend hiring a car. 

There is also a local bus network but you should expect this to be running on island time!

Please note that taxi companies are in very limited supply and taxi cars will need to be pre-booked/pre-organised with the car companies for any trips you may be planning without your own hire car.

Imposing ruins of a 16th-century Venetian citadel, offering panoramic views of Rethymno town & port.

Elaborate public fountain with Corinthian columns, built in 1626 by the Venetian governor Rimondi.

An Eastern Orthodox monastery, situated on a fertile plateau 23 km to the southeast of Rethymnon.

The current church dates back to the 16th century and is marked by the influence of the Renaissance. This influence is visible in the architecture, which mixes both Roman and baroque elements

The western coast of Crete is blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean. Take a day trip to Balos, Falasssarna or Elafonisi. It's a bit of a drive but well worth the effort!

The Palace of Knossos in Heraklion (about an hour drive from Rethymno) is the most important and largest Minoan Palace in Crete! A multi-storey construction, with carved streets and magnificent, colourful mural decorations, the ceremonial chambers, the warehouses and the workshops, the sanctuaries, the treasuries and the throne room. The buildings and frescoes of the palace were decorated in striking colours, such as red and Egyptian blue. 

The labyrinth, designed by Dedalus, is thought to have existed in the underground space of the Knossos palace. According to mythology, it was the home of the Minotaur, a hybrid creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The famous Greek hero Theseus was the only one who succeeded in killing the Minotaur and exiting the labyrinth.