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Built in 1573, this imposing stronghold – one of the largest Venetian castles ever built – broods on a headland above the town. It has four sturdy bastions and three gates. Within the walls, the most interesting building is the Ibrahim Han Mosque, originally the Venetian Cathedral (see Venetian and Turkish Castles).

Vivid woven rugs and hangings, fine lace, traditional pottery and magnificent silver and amber jewellery are among the relics of a vanished way of life that are preserved in this interesting little place. The collection is housed in an old Venetian town house.

Rising above the old town’s rooftops, the pointed minaret of the 17th-century Nerandzes Mosque is a prominent landmark of Rethymno and has a great view from its turret. Unfortunately, it is currently closed for renovation: contact the Rethymno Tourist Office for further information.

Opposite the main gate of the fortress, in a converted bastion (part of the fortifications added by the Turks), the archaeological museum’s displays include finds from Neolithic, Minoan and Roman sites( (see Rethymno Archaeological Museum)).

Water flows from an ornate fountain, built in 1626 by one of Rethymno’s patrician families on the site of an earlier, simpler water source. Both Venetians and Turks endowed various cities with numerous public fountains.

The most important architectural reminder of Venice’s long reign is now a shop selling museum-grade reproductions of Classical works of art.

Rethymno was one of the most important centres of dyeing, weaving and embroidery in Crete, and the Franzeskaki Collection at Epimenidou displays marvellous examples of these decorative textiles.

The small inner harbour, below the fortress, is one of the most picturesque in Greece, with ramshackle old houses, small boats at anchor and a busy quayside.

The only remnant of the city’s Venetian fortifications is an arched stone gate, leading from the picturesque old quarter into the modern part of the city. Other gates were dismantled to provide better vehicle access.

Rethymno’s town beach starts just east of the main harbour breakwater and stretches eastward. Behind it is an esplanade lined with palm trees planted in the 1990s, and an almost continuous chain of openair cafés and restaurants.