The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Ρεθύμνης

This section gives you "butterflies"

The path from the spa facility leads here to the beach of Damnoni, the other way would be a (desolate) road.

The main entrance to the old town of Rethymno in Crete is the Guora Gate, also known as Megali Porta (Great Gate). It dates from the 16th century, from the Venetian period, and is the only surviving part of the old city wall.

The Mosque of Ibrahim Khan is located almost in the center of the imposing Fortezza fortress in Rethymno. The building was erected in 1583 during the Venetian occupation and served as a Christian church in honor of Saint Nicholas. The city's cathedral had been destroyed by an invasion in 1571, which is why the Venetians decided to move the service to a safer place within the Fortezza castle. However, it seems that due to lack of space, it was not the central temple of the city. After the Ottomans occupied the city in 1646, the Church of Saint Nicholas was converted into a mosque dedicated to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Ibrahim Khan. Then the large dome with a diameter of 11 m was added, which distinguishes the building from all other buildings in the fortress. The building has a square floor plan with spherical triangles in the corners formed by the arches on its four walls. Above the entrance, there is a relief arch, while the mihrab is decorated with relief patterns. Externally, the base of the broken minaret is preserved. The valuable rainwater for the fortress was concentrated in a large tank next to the mosque, thus covering the water needs during the harsh sieges. Source: https://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/cities-and-towns-in-crete/rethymnon-city/religious-monuments-of-rethymnon-city/the-sultan-ibrahim-khan-mosque-in-rethymnon

The Kara Musa Pasha Mosque combines a house of prayer and the founder's tomb in a single complex: in the courtyard stands a domed mausoleum — a türbe — where the Ottoman commander who commissioned the complex was likely buried. This connection was a deliberate display of power; Kara Musa Pasha, presumably serving as an Ottoman governor, placed his own monument next to the house of prayer, which he most likely built in the 1680s, with 1683 considered a more precise date. The mosque stands on the grounds of a Venetian monastery dedicated to Saint Barbara — one of several Catholic monasteries in Rethymno during the long Venetian rule. After the Ottoman conquest in 1646, the monastery was rebuilt: a dome and minaret were added. With its location on Arkadiou Street, the new complex moved into the central commercial and administrative axis of the Ottoman city. The most striking element of the courtyard is the domed ablution fountain — a şadırvan — under whose dome the entrance to the mosque passes. The fountain opens in two directions: one side to Arkadiou Street, the other to the courtyard. The three-bay türbe stands in the same complex; road construction on Viktor Hugo Street in the 20th century partially damaged it. The minaret, once a defining element of the cityscape, is no longer fully preserved — only the base remains. One source describes the facade as a striking black-and-white pattern that distinguishes the mosque from the other former mosques of Rethymno. In the 1890s, the mosque was no longer actively used. Source: https://stonepath.eu/de/rethymno/poi/kara-musa-pasha-mosque/

The Fortezza fortress dominates the Palekastro hill next to the old town of Rethymnon and is one of the largest fortresses of the Venetian era. It was built on the site of the citadel of ancient Rithimna and the temple of Artemis Rokkea. The large pentagonal fortress was built in the year 1573 and has a circumference of 1300m. On the walls you will find four bastions (St. Luke, St. Elias, St. Paul, St. Nicholas). The fort is so large that it could host and protect the entire population of the city. Inside the fortress there are several barracks, a church, a hospital and some storage rooms. The main gate is located between the bastions of St. Nicholas, because access to the city was easier from there. The main gate is a large gallery that allows the easy passage of carts and weapons. At the entrance you will encounter the armoury, which is a large two-story building with arches inside, which today hosts cultural events and exhibitions. Head towards the bastion of St. Elias, you will see one of the castle's many tanks, used for collecting water from the roofs. There is also the "Erofili" theatre, which has events every summer. Furthermore, near the central square of the fortress, stands the beautiful mosque of Sultan Ibrahim, which was originally Christian. In the immediate vicinity you will see the modern church of St. Catherine. In addition, there are only a few remains of the governor's house and many smaller houses. You can even see the house of one of two advisors and the warehouses near the north walls, which are located at a very impressive height. Source: https://www.cretanbeaches.com/de/geschichte/festungen/festung-fortezza-in-rethymnon

Many take the local bus line up into the gorge and then walk down into the valley. There is a lot to discover, the paths are well laid out.

Well done, could be a few more signs