The 15 Best Rethymno Tours & Day Trips

1.Samaria Gorge Full-Day Trek, Pickup & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,610 reviews · 9 - 12 hours · from $37Our pick

Review of the Samaria Gorge trek from Rethymno, with transport, guide, ferry, costs, trail advice, and an honest look at the challenge.

“This was such a wonderful day. Beautiful views and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Pia, our guide, was absolutely amazing. Words can't describe how important she was to us having this great experience. Our group was not experienced at trekking but she gave us tips for how to tackle the challenge, looked out for us and encouraged us in the final stretches. Thank you so much Pia! The journey to and from was well managed and the coach was lovely. Definitely recommend this gorgeous experience”

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2.Sunset Catamaran Cruise – Sushi & Open Bar

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 446 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $100

Sail from Rethymno for sushi, Greek wine, swimming, SUP, snorkeling, and a memorable Mediterranean sunset aboard a luxury catamaran.

“The crew was very experienced, communication was also great. It was a bit windy at first but the crew brought to an amazing area with quiet sea where we had a long pause and were able to swim. This little cruise was my mom’s birthday present and she was extremely happy.”

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3.Spili, Agia Galini, and Matala Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 391 reviews · 10 hours · from $33

Review of Crete’s Spili, Matala, and Agia Galini day tour from Rethymno, with caves, beaches, village stops, guide tips, and practical advice.

“The best tour in 2021! Pickup in time, stops well organized,enough time everywhere, lovely stories about Crete from the guide, perfect little tips about where to go, what to photograph.. excellent german and english, genuine love for Crete, quite excellent skills in communication, a long with very scenic places in south crete, driving through magnificent Mountains. Love it and recommend!”

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4.Sailing Catamaran Cruise with Meal & Drinks

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 285 reviews · from $164

Review of a six-and-a-half-hour Rethymno catamaran cruise with swimming, SUP, snorkeling, fresh Mediterranean lunch, and unlimited drinks.

“I liked being out on the water and everyone was so nice.”

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5.Full-Day Land Rover Safari from Rethymno with Lunch Swimming

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 215 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $113Top rated

Explore Crete by Land Rover from Rethymno, with gorges, Spili’s lion fountain, Preveli Beach, mountain water, lunch, and wine.

“Awesome Experience. Great tour guides! They were wonderful with my kids and explained things to them as well as to the adults. The places we visited were wonderful. We spent 17 days in seven cities in Europe and this was in the top two favorite things of my whole family. Highly recommend.”

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6.Arkadi, Melidoni, and Margarites Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 211 reviews · 10 hours · from $41

Explore Crete beyond the beach on a 10-hour tour of Melidoni Cave, Arkadi Monastery, Margarites pottery, lunch, music, and rural villages.

“Absolutely fun day out … including Greek dancing in the street!”

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7.Samariá Gorge Full-Day Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 129 reviews · 12 hours · from $37

Hike Crete’s Samariá Gorge from Rethymno with a guide, mountain springs, Iron Gates, a Libyan Sea swim, and ferry ride to Sougia.

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8.Melidoni Cave and Arkadi Monastery Half-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 120 reviews · 210 minutes - 6 hours · from $28

Explore Melidoni Cave, Arkadi Monastery, Margarites pottery, and Fragma Potamon Dam on a practical Crete tour from Rethymno.

“The guide was very informative and answered any questions. My wife and I enjoyed the visit to the monastery. The coach was very cunfortable with plenty of room”

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9.Mini Pirate Boat Cruise with Swimming Stop

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 110 reviews · 2h 30m · from $41

Cruise from Rethymno past Fortezza to pirate caves, swim by Camarola arch, enjoy a snack, and return through the Venetian harbor.

“Hyvin sujui. Merellä olo parasta, vesipullo ja sen kanssa tarjottu sämpylä positiivinen yllätys.”

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10.Rethymno Old Town: A Traditional Cretan Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 103 reviews · 3 hours · from $104

Taste Cretan dishes, wine, raki, baklava, and lokma while exploring Rethymno Old Town with a small local group.

“We experienced a wide variety of delicious local food in lovely places we would not have known to go to without a guide. Virginia was really friendly, extremely knowledgeable and great fun. We would highly recommend doing this tour early in your stay so you have a lot of great authentic options to return to later. There are a few surprise personal touches along the way too! We could not recommend this tour enough, must do if you are in the area. Fabulous.”

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11.Chania City Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 98 reviews · 7 hours · from $29

Explore Chania from Rethymno by comfortable bus, with a local guide, five hours of free time, and the Venetian harbor.

“perfect trip to Chania, with the right amount of free time to explore. guide was very knowledgeable.”

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12.Agia Galini: South Crete Sailing Trip with Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 92 reviews · 4.5 - 6 hours · from $106

Sail from Agia Galini along South Crete for swimming, snorkeling, local food, island views, and a relaxed small-group day at sea.

“We had a wonderful 6-hour sailing tour! Unfortunately, there was no wind so we couldn’t actually sail, but the super friendly crew more than made up for it. Lunch was a simple, light dish – very tasty and freshly prepared. With 8 people it felt a bit crowded in the back if everyone wanted to sit together, but the front of the boat was even nicer – perfect for relaxing and enjoying the view. The sea was calm, ideal for snorkeling and exploring. We also had great conversations with the other guests. The organization, including the taxi transfer from Panormos, was smooth and easy. Overall, a fantastic experience – highly…”

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13.From Herakleion: Day Trip to Preveli Beach and Kourtaliotiko

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 90 reviews · from $39

Review of Crete’s Preveli Beach day trip from Heraklion, with Kourtaliotiko Gorge, palm forest walks, swimming, transport, and practical tips.

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14.Kourtaliotiko Gorge River Trek with Lunch! Pick-up Avaliable

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 90 reviews · 5 hours · from $112

Swim to Kourtaliotiko Gorge’s great waterfall, wade through natural pools, and enjoy a farm lunch on this guided Crete adventure.

“It was truly an awesome experience from the very start to the end. The guide was well organised and helped walking through more challenging spots in the river. Also told a lot about Crete and the place where we were walking. The views were breathtaking. At the end we had lunch at banana garden where we also got a chance to walk around with the garden owner and see lots of plants/trees. Thanks very much for such a great experience. It was well worth it!”

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15.Preveli Palm Beach and Kourtaliotiko Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 87 reviews · 10 hours · from $25Best value

Review of a $25 day trip from Rethymno to Preveli Beach, with a boat ride, palm forest, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, and useful planning tips.

“Excellent guides Spiritos & Johnny starting in the olive groves into a gorge to arrive at Plakias beach. Onwards to catch boat to Preveli beach. As this was first boat of season had to split party in half due to numbers. This resulted in revisit to Plakias as first group hadn't seen initially. A good trip out, but could imagine Preveli gets packed peak season.”

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