Travel is about making connections with a community, culture and, ideally, the local people.
Rethymno offers the opportunity to buy various small ornaments for the house, books, jars with local foods, drinks and many gifts, all kind of branded clothes, shoes and cosmetics at particularly competitive prices, suitable for all budgets.
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 bit of Crete at 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. Stores are open from 9am to 2pm, and from 6pm to 9pm, with exception of Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Souvenir shops are everyday open, all day long until late. In Loggia (corner of Arkadiou and Paleologou Streets) near the Venetian port you can buy copies of exhibits of the National Archaeological Museum.
Do not miss «Laiki» (open air market) operating on Thursday mornings at the parking next to the Municipal Garden and on Saturday mornings, at 200m distance from the central bus station. «Laiki» is one of Rethymno’s basic trademarks where you can buy vegetables and other local products. Local producers bring their finest, fresh goods every week. Also on Wednesday afternoons, the local organic farmers market (begins at 13:00) takes place in Koumoundourou Str, behind the Municipal Garden.