Essen & Wein
Rethymno Walk & Taste
A four-hour food and history walk through the Old Town
- Stunden
- 4 Stunden
- Schwierigkeit
- Leicht
- Kleine Gruppe
- 4–8
- Wann wir fahren
- Mo, Mi, Do
- Abholung
- 09:30
Rethymno Walk & Taste is a four-hour morning walk through Rethymno Old Town that combines the city's food, its landmarks and its everyday life. It starts at 09:30 with a Greek coffee or Cretan mountain tea at a local cafe, visits the Chatziparaschos family workshop where filo and kataifi have been made by hand for over 60 years, passes the Rimondi Fountain, Porta Guora, the Neratze Mosque and the Venetian harbour, stops for kalitsounia and lichnarakia at local bakeries, and ends with a shared Cretan lunch at a traditional tavern. It runs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday as a small-group walk, costs 120 EUR per adult and 65 EUR for children aged 4-13, needs a minimum of four guests to be confirmed, and includes a professional photoshoot.
- Start with a Greek coffee or Cretan mountain tea, the way locals open the day
- Watch filo stretched and kataifi spun by hand at the Chatziparaschos workshop
- Walk past the Rimondi Fountain, Porta Guora, the Neratze Mosque and the Venetian harbour
- Taste kalitsounia and lichnarakia from Old Town bakeries
- Finish with a shared Cretan lunch and a warm traditional dessert
- Professional photoshoot included, edited gallery delivered within 48 hours
This is a walking tour, not a driving one, and it is deliberately gentle: four hours through the heart of the Old Town, with tastings, landmarks and enough time to look in a shop window. There is no hotel pick-up. You meet the guide at a cafe in the Old Town at 09:30 over a Greek coffee, made slowly in a briki and served with a thick foam, or a cup of mild, aromatic Cretan mountain tea.
The first proper stop is the Chatziparaschos workshop, and for most guests it is the one they remember. The family has been making filo and kataifi dough by hand for more than 60 years and is among the very last producers in Greece still working this way. Sheets of filo are stretched until they are almost translucent; kataifi is spun into fine strands using tools the family learned to use from earlier generations. You watch from close up, take photographs, talk to whoever is working that morning, and taste the kataifi fresh.
From there the walk continues through the narrow streets, where Venetian arches, Ottoman buildings, old Cretan houses and modern cafes stand side by side. The route takes in the Rimondi Fountain, built by the Venetians in 1626; Porta Guora, the only surviving part of the original city walls; the Neratze Mosque, which has served several different purposes over the centuries; and the Venetian harbour with its fishing boats and lighthouse. The guide explains how the city came to look the way it does without burying you in dates.
Between landmarks there are tastings of the pastries locals actually eat: kalitsounia, the small cheese pies that come sweet or slightly savoury, and lichnarakia with their mild, creamy filling, all from local bakeries. The morning ends the way most Cretan mornings do, around a table: a shared lunch at a traditional tavern of seasonal greens, salads and local specialities, finished with a warm dessert.
So läuft der Tag
09:30 - coffee at a local cafe
We meet in the Old Town over something very ordinary and very Cretan: a Greek coffee brewed slowly in a briki, or a cup of mountain tea. It is a short stop to sit down, meet the group and set the tone for a morning that is friendly rather than formal.
rethymno old townThe Chatziparaschos family workshop
The Chatziparaschos family have made filo and kataifi by hand for over 60 years and are one of the last workshops in Greece still using the old method. Filo is stretched by hand until it is paper-thin and kataifi is spun into long, fine strands. You watch the whole process from close up, and taste the kataifi freshly made.
Walking through the Old Town
The walk continues through narrow streets where Venetian, Ottoman and Cretan buildings sit alongside modern cafes. We stop at the Rimondi Fountain, built in 1626; Porta Guora, the last remaining piece of the city walls; the Neratze Mosque; and the Venetian harbour. Nothing is rushed, and there is time for photographs and small shops.
rethymno old townTasting local pastries
Along the way we stop for the pastries Cretans eat every day: kalitsounia, small cheese pies that can be sweet or slightly savoury, and lichnarakia with a mild, creamy filling. Everything is fresh from local bakeries. The idea is not a big meal but a taste of the flavours people here grow up with.
A Cretan lunch to finish
The walk ends around a table at a local tavern, with a traditional lunch built on simple seasonal ingredients: fresh salads, seasonal greens and a selection of local specialities meant to be shared. A warm traditional dessert closes the experience.
Inklusiv
- Traditional Greek coffee or Cretan mountain tea at a local cafe
- Visit to the Giorgos Chatziparaschos workshop and tasting of handmade filo sweets, including kataifi
- Guided walk through the Old Town with insights into local history and culture
- Stops at key landmarks: Rimondi Fountain, Porta Guora, Neratze Mosque and the Venetian lighthouse
- Lunch at a traditional Cretan restaurant, featuring local dishes
- Tasting of kalitsounia or lichnarakia pastries
- Professional photoshoot: high-end portrait and landscape photography during the tour
- Edited digital album: high-resolution, colour-corrected photos delivered within 48 hours
- Bottle of water during the tour
- Public liability insurance
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
Selbst zu tragen
- Personal expenses, including souvenirs or any additional services not specified in the itinerary
- Gratuities and tips for guides (optional)
Was anziehen
- Comfortable walking shoes: the Old Town is cobbled and uneven in places
- Light, breathable clothing in summer; the walk is outdoors throughout
- A hat and sunglasses from late spring onwards
Was mitbringen
- Sun protection
- A little cash for the small shops and bakeries along the route
- An appetite: there are tastings throughout and lunch at the end
Gut zu wissen
Where does the walk start, and is there hotel pick-up?+
There is no hotel pick-up: this is a walking tour that begins and ends in Rethymno Old Town. We meet at 09:30 at a local cafe, and the exact meeting point is sent to you when your booking is confirmed.
How much walking is involved?+
The difficulty level is easy. Over four hours we cover the Old Town at a gentle pace, with frequent stops for tastings, landmarks and photographs. Comfortable shoes are all you need.
What is the Chatziparaschos workshop?+
It is a family workshop in the Old Town that has been making filo and kataifi dough by hand for over 60 years, and one of very few producers left in Greece still following the traditional method. You watch the filo being stretched and the kataifi spun, and taste it freshly made.
Is lunch included?+
Yes. The walk ends with lunch at a traditional Cretan restaurant, with local dishes served to share and a warm traditional dessert to finish. There are also pastry and filo tastings along the way, plus coffee at the start and a bottle of water during the tour.
Can you cater for vegetarians or other dietary requirements?+
Tell us when you book and we will arrange the tastings and the lunch accordingly. Much of the Cretan table is naturally vegetarian in any case: kalitsounia, seasonal greens, salads and cheese pies.
Is it suitable for children, and what does it cost?+
Yes, the easy pace suits families. Adults are 120 EUR per person, children aged 4 to 13 are 65 EUR and infants aged 0 to 3 are free. A minimum of four participants is required for the departure to be confirmed.
What is the cancellation policy?+
Cancel up to 48 hours before the tour and you receive a full refund.
Eine längere Beschreibung dieser Route mit Karten und Fotoessays erscheint bei unserer Schwestermarke Way to Crete. Die ganze Geschichte lesen — Way to Crete
