The resort town of Adelianos Kampos is 7 km from Rethymno. The settlements are connected by the main National Highway of Crete. The city does not differ in special attractions, but it can be an excellent starting point for exploring the surroundings and history of the island from ancient times to the present. The resort lives at the expense of tourists, so there are 71 kinds of rental housing. These are hotels, guest houses, private apartments and apartments. Many provide breakfast or half board meals.
Chromonastiri Military Museum
You can get to the nearest attraction by bus. They run towards Rethymno and back every half hour. In the city you can buy a tour and get to the military museum together with a tourist group. The first flight to Chromonastiri from Adelianos departs at 06.55. Thanks to the direct communication between the villages, vacationers often independently plan a visit to the museum. Crete has a rich military history. In each century, the island had enemies who occupied this strategically important territory. For a long time Crete was under the rule of the Venetians, then the Ottoman Empire, during the Second World War, military operations were also held here. During Operation Mercury (May 1941), German fascist troops captured the entire island. The Allies (the British) left Crete, and most of the locals went to the mountains to organize guerrilla groups. More details about the heroic history of the movements of the liberation of Crete in different centuries tell the guides of the Military Museum, which is based on the villa Claudio, owned by the Ministry of War of Greece.
Address: Chromonastiri village 741 00, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
Agrofarm
You can spend the whole day in benefit on a local agricultural farm. This is a place where parents are happy to come with their children. Here they are given the opportunity to “play” a real farmer throughout the day. The main emphasis is on the preparation of traditional Cretan dishes, olive oil, wine and rakia. To begin with, you will have to collect all the necessary products. The owners of the farm are loyal to visitors, so you do not have to catch chickens. They will provide meat, and visitors will be asked to collect eggs for homemade country eggs. Also, tourists will shear sheep and milk goats, cook fragrant Cretan pies, pick vegetables and fruits, an unforgettable farm dinner on the terrace overlooking the sea. On the territory there is a shop of ECO-products that you can buy for yourself.
Address: Adelianos Kampos 74 100, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
Official site: https://www.agreco.gr/farm-activities.html
House-Museum of Polyos in the village of Asteri
2 km inland from the National Highway, connecting all the settlements of the coast, is the village of Asteri. It is built on a hill and is famous for its main attraction – the house-museum of Polyos. This is a traditional dwelling of the Cretans, turned into a museum of folk life and creativity. Here is the most popular and authentic tavern, which prepares dishes according to ancient recipes, serves wine and rakia of handmade making. The founder of the museum was George (Georg) Polyudakis. He considered that tourists will be interested in learning about the originality of local traditions through direct communication and staying “away”. The first visitors of the unusual museum took in 2009.
Address: Asteri village, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
Prassano Gorge
Near Adelianos Kampos there are two unique natural gorges. One of them is called Prassano. It can be reached by bus to Rethymno or on foot, spending half an hour on a walk. Everyone must decide for himself which way is more convenient, given that the length of the gorge is 10 km and you will have to go along the dried up river bed, strewn with pebbles and stones. The borders are the villages of Platanias and Perivolia. Along the way you will meet an ancient stone bridge, steep cliffs with mountain goats grazing on them and herds of domestic sheep. Going on a hike, you need to stock up on water and sandwiches, comfortable shoes and a hat. The gorge is wild, not landscaped, so you need to rely only on your own resources. The route ends in a valley, from the height of which surprisingly picturesque views open. From here you can walk to the nearest village and go back by bus or walk through the gorge again.
Mili Gorge
This gorge can be reached by taxi or by bus to Chromonastiri. Or go on a journey on a tourist train, which departs daily at 09.00 from Rethymno. The natural object is located in the vicinity of the village of the same name Mili. On the track in her direction is a fork. Literally 200 meters after the turn there will be an entrance to the gorge. It is landscaped, handrails are installed, there is a bench for changing shoes and resting, a tavern is open where you can stay for the night. Home hotels in the surrounding area are also available. Tourists recommend staying here for a day to admire the delightful views of sunset, dawn and just breathe fresh mountain air. Immediately after the descent into the gorge is the chapel of St. John, carved into the rock. Then residential buildings begin with a cable car, along which food and other necessary things are delivered here. Unlike Prassano, it is always cool here, the river does not dry up, there are water mills everywhere. Here there are thickets of walnuts and figs. Along the way, mini and cascading waterfalls appear.
Arkadi Monastery
A very popular tourist destination is the Arkadi Monastery, located on Mount Ida. There are buses, tourist trains, taxis. Arkadievsky Monastery is a symbol of the struggle of the Cretans for independence, reunification with Greece, is included in the list of protected sites of UNESCO, as the European Freedom Monument. The complex was built in the Renaissance, which influenced its architecture and decoration. The monastery was built on a plateau, fortified with powerful fortress walls. In 1866, when the Cretan uprising against the Ottoman occupiers began, several hundred Greeks, including women and children, were hiding in the monastery. The monastery was besieged by the Turks and almost captured it. Then the besieged, led by Abbot Gabriel, gathered in a powder magazine and blew themselves up. The survivors were captured by the Ottomans, brought to Rethymno and subjected to various humiliations. The events in Arkadi caused an international resonance. Peacekeeping military units entered the island, thanks to which the Cretan population was not completely destroyed.
Address: Arkadi, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
Official site: https://www.arkadimonastery.gr/
Archaeological Museum of Eleftherna
Not far from the monastery of Arkadi are the ruins of the ancient Greek polis of Eleftherna. Here, in 2016, the first museum in Crete was opened, located on the site of archaeological excavations at the foot of Mount Psiloritis. It contains artifacts found over 30 years of research. For the museum built a modern building with an area of 1800 square meters. m It is divided into two wings. The right floor on the ground floor is designed to accommodate the ticket office and the Training Center. On the left side there are exhibition halls of the museum. On the adjacent territory there is parking, an amphitheater has been built for thematic lectures and events, a garden typical of Crete is broken. At the excavation site you can see the remains of walls, columns, an ancient aqueduct, the ruins of Roman baths and religious temples. a covered pavilion was built over the most valuable area of excavations. The main find was the unrefiled acropolis. The main artifacts were found in it, which made up the museum’s fund. If there is a desire to stay overnight, the nearest hotels are in the village of Margarites (one and a half kilometers from Eleftherna).
Address: Eleftherna, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
https://interkriti.org/crete/rethymnon/eleftherna-museum.html
Melidoni Cave
There are a lot of caves in the Cretan mountains. Many of them are mentioned in legends and myths. In the vicinity of Adelianos Kampos is one of the most popular, after Dikteia, caves of Crete – Melidoni. It is located among the hills at an altitude of 220 meters. Near the entrance there is an observation deck with a view of Mount Kouloukones. There is also a ticket office. The entrance fee is 4 euros, children under 5 years old are allowed free of charge. In the Minoan period, rituals and rites were performed in the cave in honor of the guardian of Crete, the bronze giant Talos. During the research, artifacts stored today in the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno were discovered here. Inside there is the so-called “Hall of Heroes”. This is a crypt in which the remains of 370 men, women and children who took refuge in a cave from the Ottoman occupiers are buried. They held the siege for 3 months until they were destroyed by incendiary mixtures with which the Turks threw the cave. Visiting Melidoni is rarely included in tourist tours, so it is necessary to clarify with the guides the exact route of excursions or plan an independent visit to the attraction.
Address: Melidoni, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
City of Rethymno
A colorful memory will remain a walk to the center of the prefecture – the city of Rethymno. The history of its foundation goes back to the distant millennia of the Minoan period. According to researchers, it is much older than the capital of Crete Heraklion. At one time, it served as a port, minted its own coins and was quite successful. The real heyday began during the reign of the Venetians (16th century AD). The old historic center is perfectly preserved and is now the main walking area for numerous tourist groups. Here intricately combined Byzantine, Venetian and Muslim cultures. This is especially noticeable in the architectural features of the temples, which were built on the foundations of destroyed churches. The main fortification is the fortress of Fortezza. On the territory of the monument there are towers, fortress walls, powder magazines, houses, utility rooms. Entrance fee. Near the fortress there is a harbour and free public parking. It is best to start acquaintance with the city from the port. The hotels of Rethymno are particularly authentic, especially in its historical part.
Lake Kourna
The mountain fresh lake of Kourna or Kournas, as it is called by the locals, is located between Rethymno and Chania. This is the largest closed reservoir in Crete, the depth of which reaches 25 meters. This is a very popular place to relax and walk on the water surface. On the shore there are landscaped areas with beaches, rental of boats, boats and catamarans, taverns. On the opposite bank, the picture is completely different. There is a wild area inhabited by waterfowl, amphibians. The entire coast is protected by the state program for the preservation of the environment. Fishing is strictly prohibited. You can swim in the lake, as the water warms up to a temperature of +250. There are legends that on the site of the reservoir there used to be a village, whose inhabitants were mired in sins and debauchery. For this, the gods sent endless rain on her. He covered the settlement with a thick layer of water. It is best to go here by rented car. Parking is available at the entrance to the beach. Hotels are open in the surrounding area.
Attractions Adelianos Campos on map
