Rethymno is a perfect getaway destination, a charming home-away-from-home

welcoming visitors with a warm embrace, as it offers quiet living, a slower pace, and the chance to enjoy unique local goods and a variety of fine food, in general, a unique Cretan way of life. 

Under the banner of World Tourism Day, Rethymno celebrates the Friendship Awards to honor our friends from abroad that make Rethymno their holiday choice year after year.

Our annual celebration recognizes and awards our return friends who become a part of the family of Rethymnon. 

On Tuesday night the Municipality of Rethymno and the Rethymno Hoteliers Association honored our repeat guests in the beautiful Paleontological Museum, chosen for the first time and proved to be very unique and welcoming.

In total, 29 of our guests were given the Friendship Award during World Tourism Day 2022 celebrations, some of whom are visiting Rethymno for the 33rd time!

All of them declared themselves enthusiastic about our hometown and were particularly touched by the honor of receiving the Friendship Award.

The Finn family from the UK has been visiting Rethymno for 31 years and this year is their 55th visit. “I've been to many other parts of the world and we've been to many other parts of Greece. The first thing you feel when you step off the plane in Crete is the warmth. It's not just from the sun, it's from the people, people of Crete and especially the people around Rethymno are different, we've met many people and we feel so safe here. The air here is so clean. Everybody's so friendly”. 
The Van Interson family from Holland mentioned that “Rethymno has been developed into a gourmet food destination”.

From cooking classes and cellar door experiences to authentic Cretan food and wine experience. Rethymno has all the ingredients for the perfect gourmet getaway featuring Cretan traditional dishes and flavors that have attracted a loyal following.

Rethymno is a breathtaking, walkable town that has maintained and preserved its historic charm well into the modern day.

The Old Town is full of things to do from browsing local boutique stores to finding unique goods, brand retail, upscale dining in meticulously restored buildings, and live entertainment. Visitors can look forward to strolling down narrow streets and learning more about history as well as visiting museums such as the Archeological, Eleutherna Museum, the Museum of Modern Art of Crete, or the historic Arkadi monastery. They can also enjoy the breeze and the exciting views on their way up to Rethymno Fortress, explore nature and hiking trails or just relax on the beautiful beaches. Effectively, a destination within a destination. Hospitality, entertainment, and experiences from Greek’s largest hotel brands meld to create unique, authentic memories for Rethymno visitors to deliver an unprecedented vacation experience that feels like a visit to “home.”

Colors, flags, visitors from 41 countries, athletes filled the streets of the city of Rethymno, hosting the World event "OCEANMAN" (28-30 October)

organized by EY ZHN Greece with the support of the Municipality of Rethymno, the Region of Crete, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and the Hellenic Swimming Federation (KOE).

Rethymno is excited to create a new open water swimming race experience that allows 800 athletes from 41 countries to compete in a unique destination while enjoying a beautiful weekend full of sports and cultural events.
Hundreds of athletes are competing, testing stamina, in an environment that can energize the human spirit and inspire athletes to cross that finish line.

The swimmers who had qualified from previous OCEANMAN races swam 10km, 5km, 2 km as well as teams of 3 people had the opportunity to swim 500m each. At the same time, those who had not qualified from previous races participated in the open races of the same distances.

The following three champions arrived together at the finish line pointing to showing everyone the true meaning of the OCEANMAN Family.
ROMANCHUK MYKHAILO
WELLBROCK FLORIAN
MUFFELS ROB FREDERIK

Through international athletic events, Rethymno is also looking to boost tourism with the city offering beach, nature, adventure, food and cultural history.

Home to the best outdoor activities that contains a full “mountain-to-sea” ecosystem, the city also sits beside one of Crete's most beautiful coastlines, making it a premier tourist and ecological destination recently awarded, and a great place for world swimming champion racing.

Colors, flags, visitors from 41 countries, athletes filled the streets of the city of Rethymno, hosting the World event "OCEANMAN" (28-30 October)

organized by EY ZHN Greece with the support of the Municipality of Rethymno, the Region of Crete, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and the Hellenic Swimming Federation (KOE).

Rethymno is excited to create a new open water swimming race experience that allows 800 athletes from 41 countries to compete in a unique destination while enjoying a beautiful weekend full of sports and cultural events.
Hundreds of athletes are competing, testing stamina, in an environment that can energize the human spirit and inspire athletes to cross that finish line.

The swimmers who had qualified from previous OCEANMAN races swam 10km, 5km, 2 km as well as teams of 3 people had the opportunity to swim 500m each. At the same time, those who had not qualified from previous races participated in the open races of the same distances.

The following three champions arrived together at the finish line pointing to showing everyone the true meaning of the OCEANMAN Family.
ROMANCHUK MYKHAILO
WELLBROCK FLORIAN
MUFFELS ROB FREDERIK

Through international athletic events, Rethymno is also looking to boost tourism with the city offering beach, nature, adventure, food and cultural history.

Home to the best outdoor activities that contains a full “mountain-to-sea” ecosystem, the city also sits beside one of Crete's most beautiful coastlines, making it a premier tourist and ecological destination recently awarded, and a great place for world swimming champion racing.