Shopping in Rethymno: connect with local culture
Travel is about making connections with a community, its culture and local people.
Rethymno offers the opportunity to buy various small ornaments for the house, books, jars with local foods, drinks and many gifts, all kinds of branded clothes, shoes and cosmetics at particularly competitive prices, suitable for all budgets.
Old Town shopping streets
Numerous shops for souvenirs with many local products are available, trendy fashion and original jewellery combines with the scenery to make a colourful street market. Souliou, Paleologou and Arabatzoglou Streets are perfect stops for gathering all the gifts you need to complete your shopping list. Kountouriotou, Arkadiou and E. Antistaseos Streets are excellent shopping areas with up scale wares far from the usual tourist souvenirs.
Take a little Crete home
Take a little Crete home! Cretan olive oil and oil based cosmetics, local red wine and tsikoudia, graviera and other traditional Cretan cheeses, fresh pickled olives and beneficial Cretan herbs, as well as hand sewn needlework are few of the many local products one can carry home as gifts.
The shopping area is located in the center of the city and nearby there are many parking areas and the bus station. Opening hours vary by shop and season; check directly before planning a specific visit. In Loggia (corner of Arkadiou and Paleologou Streets) near the Venetian port you can buy copies of exhibits of the National Archaeological Museum.
Shopping at local markets
Do not miss the «Laiki», Rethymno’s open-air market, where local producers bring vegetables and other fresh goods. The city also has an organic farmers’ market. Check current locations and schedules in the official Rethymno shopping guide before visiting.
Use our location and useful information to plan your route, and return to your Old Town accommodation after exploring the shops.