A Rethymno sunset cruise sails along the north coast of Crete from Rethymno as the sun drops over the Cretan Sea. It is one of the sunset boat trips in Greece on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Rethymno sunset cruise includes, where it leaves from and where the sun sets. It also covers the Fortezza, the lighthouses and the coast seen from the sea. Wind and sea, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Rethymno sunset cruise or a nearby cruise that can be booked online.
What does a Rethymno sunset cruise include?
A Rethymno sunset cruise runs on a sailing catamaran, a skippered motorboat or a wooden pirate-style ship. Catamaran trips pair a bay stop with Cretan food and drink. The pirate-style ship holds 130 passengers, with no age limit.
A Rethymno sunset cruise on a sailing catamaran carries up to 20 guests. The welcome on board brings prosecco, soft drinks, water, cheese pies and biscuits.
Later, finger food adds local cheeses, fruit, coffee and tea. Beer and white Cretan wine are poured too. In the bay, guests can swim or fish.
On a small-group Rethymno sunset cruise, the captain picks the bay by the day’s weather. Snorkelling sets, stand-up paddleboards and inflatable water toys come on board.
Rethymno charter listings include RIBs, catamarans and yachts. Groups of up to 10 can book a skippered motorboat. It is a private take on sunset cruises around Crete.
The pirate-style ship has restrooms, a sun-protected deck area and a bar selling crisps and ice creams. Passengers can also take a turn steering the vessel.
Each pirate-ship ticket includes one beer, wine or soft drink. On the return of this Rethymno sunset cruise, the lit port and town come into view.
- Access: The pirate-style ship is not wheelchair accessible.
- Own food: Pirate-ship guests cannot bring food or drinks aboard.
- Packing: Catamaran crews advise sunscreen, a hat and a towel.
A Rethymno sunset cruise returns after sunset, when a light jacket helps.
Where does a Rethymno sunset cruise leave from?
A Rethymno sunset cruise boards inside the town port on Rethymno Bay. The port holds a commercial side, a ferry side, a marina and the old Venetian harbour. Day boats moor at pier sections the municipal Port Fund assigns.
The pirate-style Rethymno sunset cruise runs from the old Venetian harbour basin. This basin has 390 metres of piers and a sailing depth of 2.5 metres.
The harbour first operated after 961, in Byzantine times. A Venetian mole from the 13th century survives. In 1582 the Venetians began expanding and fortifying it.
Coastal currents give the basin a narrow shape that silts up fast. Venetian engineers once planned to move it further west, but the cost stopped them.
Fishing boats, yachts and coast guard floats also moor in this basin. Fish tavernas and cafés line the quay, partly inside the old Venetian boat workshops.
Ferries, liners and passenger ships dock at eastern piers F and G. These piers run 125 and 140 metres, with an average depth of 9 metres.
Five western piers, A to E, total 810 metres and hold up to seven ships. Pier D can take tourist ships over 150 metres when needed.
The marina lies on the port’s eastern side, with 800 metres of piers, floating ones included. Its sailing depth runs from 3.5 metres to 4.5 metres.
- Pier C: Its inner side takes professional vessels of 8 to 18 metres.
- Big boats: Vessels of 21 to 30 metres use the passenger quay.
- Shops: Cafés stand about 100 metres from the marina.
The full marina has no room for new Rethymno sunset cruise berths.
Where does the sun set on a Rethymno sunset cruise?
A Rethymno sunset cruise sees a 20:40 sunset at the June solstice. The December solstice brings sunset at 17:13. The sun sets at 299 degrees in June and 241 in December. Civil twilight lasts under half an hour.
A Rethymno sunset cruise in mid-April meets sunset at 19:52. In mid-July the sun sets later, at 20:38. By mid-August, sunset has slipped back to 20:14.
Mid-September brings sunset at 19:34, over an hour earlier than mid-July. By mid-November the sun goes down at 17:19. The town’s base time zone is UTC+2.
The year’s earliest sunset in Rethymno comes on 5 December, at 17:09. Mid-December keeps it at 17:10. By mid-January, the sun sets later again, at 17:28.
Sunset azimuth counts degrees clockwise from true north. Between the solstices, the sunset point swings 58 degrees along the horizon. Mid-October sunset sits at 261 degrees.
On 11 October, a Rethymno sunset cruise sees sunset at 18:52 and civil twilight end at 19:18. Nautical twilight ends at 19:47 and astronomical at 20:16.
Civil dusk falls at 21:07 in mid-July, 17:45 in mid-November and 17:38 in mid-December. On 11 October, the evening golden hour runs from 18:18 to 19:08.
Heading west, a Rethymno sunset cruise faces the Gulf of Almyros, with the town on its eastern side. Episkopi’s long sandy beach lies 14 kilometres west.
- Georgioupoli: It lies about 23 kilometres west of Rethymno.
- Cape Drapano: Its rocky coast lies north of Georgioupoli.
- Almyros river: It forms a small harbour for fishing boats.
Archaeological evidence points to ancient Amphimalla at Georgioupoli.
What does a Rethymno sunset cruise see of the Fortezza?
A Rethymno sunset cruise sees the Fortezza, a star-shaped Venetian citadel of rectangular stones. Its walls hold three gates. A heritage register lists the site 15 metres above the sea. An 11-metre dome crowns the Ibrahim Han mosque inside.
One theory holds the hill was once an island. A narrow land strip joined it to Crete, then silted up. Artemis Rokkaia had a sanctuary there.
Rector Alvise Lando oversaw the work. The walls seen on a Rethymno sunset cruise took 76,800 days of forced labour. Residents of the whole prefecture supplied it.
On a Rethymno sunset cruise, three projecting points show on the north and west sides. They carry the names Holy Spirit, St Justina and St Sozon.
The main gate on the east has three vaulted guard rooms. A Lion of St Mark stood on its portico, one of five lions on the fort.
On land, tours of Rethymno reach the central square, where the rector lived in a Renaissance palazzo. Records list two storeys, 49 doors and 81 windows.
The mosque building dates from 1583 and stands on a square plan. On a Rethymno sunset cruise, no minaret rises above it, since only its base survives.
Gazi Hüseyin Pasha’s troops stormed the town on 20 October 1646. Luigi Minotto held the citadel with about 1,200 men. Plague spread and ammunition ran low.
- Flaws: A 1602 report found walls low enough for ladders.
- Surrender: Minotto raised the white flag on 10 November.
- Stage: The south bastion gained the Erofili theatre in 1993.
The fort jailed resistance fighters in the Second World War.
Which lighthouses does a Rethymno sunset cruise pass?
A Rethymno sunset cruise passes the old Egyptian lighthouse and two working lights on the harbour moles. The north mole flashes green every 3 seconds. The south mole flashes red every 4 seconds. Both reach 10 nautical miles.
Egypt held Crete from 1830 to 1840. The island was a reward for helping the Sultan in the Greek War of Independence. Mustafa Naili Pasha governed it.
A Rethymno sunset cruise sees a minaret-shaped tower. Its light once shone from 15 metres and reached 6 miles. No keeper’s house was built beside it.
Seen from a Rethymno sunset cruise, the tower stands 25 metres inside the breakwater head. It joined the Greek lighthouse network after union with Greece in 1913.
German forces destroyed its light in 1941, and it shone again in 1945. The stone tower is unpainted, with a dark metal lantern. It appears recently restored.
The active lights moved to the outer breakwater ends. On a Rethymno sunset cruise, a white hexagonal hut with a green band marks the north mole.
Khondros Kavos, a headland about 18 km east, flashes every 6 seconds from 57 metres. Its white beam reaches 12 nautical miles, its red beam 8.
- South mole: Its light shines from 12 metres.
- Cape Drapano: Three white flashes every 15 seconds reach 20 nautical miles.
- Old code: A lighthouse register lists the old tower as code 3125.
The Cape Drapano light stands 2 km north of Kokkino Horio.
Which coast does a Rethymno sunset cruise follow?
A Rethymno sunset cruise follows the Gulf of Rethymno, a bay with 8,500 metres of coastline. The town beach runs 2,500 metres and faces north. Its sand averages 50 metres wide. Episkopi and Petres lie to the west.
East of the centre, a Rethymno sunset cruise passes Pervolia, Misiria and Platanes. These three suburbs began as separate settlements. Housing later absorbed them into Rethymno.
The Platanias river meets the sea at Pervolia. It carries overflow from the Potamoi dam in Amari through the Prasanos gorge. Dense reeds line its banks.
Past Platanes, a Rethymno sunset cruise follows a 3,700-metre beach of sand and pebbles. It averages 55 metres wide, with 5-metre depths about 200 metres out.
Adelianos Kampos lies about 4.5 km east of town, at 2 metres altitude. Its name comes from the Adelianos plain, the largest plain in the Arkadi area.
Pigianos Kampos has an 820-metre beach, 15 metres wide, that faces northwest. An intermittent stream reaches the sea at its western end. Brown algae coat offshore rocks.
At Skaleta, a Rethymno sunset cruise passes sand with pebbles and small rocky patches. The water reaches 5 metres deep about 120 metres from the shore.
West of town, Episkopi has a 2,800-metre sandy beach facing north. Two year-round streams flow into it: Mikro Livadi mid-beach and Stomio at the west end.
- Petres: A beach register calls its river the longest in Rethymno province.
- Wetland: That river forms a key wetland near its mouth.
- Koumbes: A Gallianos gorge stream enters this 360-metre beach.
Episkopi means diocese, a role the village held in Byzantine times.
How do wind and sea shape a Rethymno sunset cruise?
A Rethymno sunset cruise meets its calmest winds from June to August, averaging 4.6 to 5.1 knots. At the Violi Charaki station, January and February average 7.8 and 8.0 knots. The local sea peaks at 26°C in August.
The station at Violi Charaki in Rethymno has logged wind readings since 2011. From June to September, its mean wind direction holds between north-northwest and north.
From January to March, the station’s mean wind direction swings to south or south-southwest. December and April average from the east, at 6.7 and 7.0 knots.
Gusts at the station average 7.9 knots in June, the calmest month for gusts. More than half of June readings sit at Beaufort 0 to 1.
Sea breezes form because the sea has greater heat capacity than land. A Rethymno sunset cruise sails as they fade after sunset, when land cools faster.
A research buoy sits north of Crete, in the open Cretan Sea. From September 2010 to August 2011, its mean significant wave height was 0.8 metres.
Sea temperature off Rethymno bottoms out at 15.9°C in February. It climbs to 22.9°C in June and holds 25.3°C in July and September. October averages 23.2°C.
- Barrier: Crete blocks northern and southern flow.
- Night: a shallower land breeze blows seaward.
- August: the sea spans 24.7°C to 27.3°C.
Under one August reading in ten reaches Beaufort 4.
When is the best season for a Rethymno sunset cruise?
A Rethymno sunset cruise season runs from April to October on one local sailing listing. July is the warmest month, averaging 25.2°C with zero rain days. Heraklion airport logged its highest monthly arrivals that month, 802,624 in 2023.
April averages 14.7°C in Rethymno, with lows of 10.7°C. Humidity reaches 65% that month, and four rain days fall on average. Daily sunshine averages 9.8 hours.
Heraklion airport counted 64,602 passenger arrivals in March 2023. April arrivals jumped to 263,287. Chania airport arrivals rose from 39,222 to 106,962 over those two months.
A Rethymno sunset cruise in June meets 23.1°C air on average, with 18.5°C lows. June and July share 51% humidity. Sunshine peaks at 12.6 hours a day.
Heraklion airport handled 1,605,708 passengers in August 2023, its busiest month overall. Chania airport, serving travelers bound for sunset cruises from Chania, counted 3,647,880 passengers in 2023.
September averages 22.4°C, with 18.6°C lows and two rain days. October brings a Rethymno sunset cruise an 18.4°C monthly average, 70% humidity and five rain days.
February was the quietest month at Heraklion airport in 2023, with 51,558 arrivals. Rethymno air averages 9.7°C that month, with 77% humidity.
- Heraklion: it handled 8,747,679 passengers in 2023.
- Chania: its arrivals fell to 30,517 in November 2023.
- July sunshine: it averages 12.5 hours daily.
October sunshine falls to 8 hours a day on average.
What do travelers ask about a Rethymno sunset cruise?
A Rethymno sunset cruise starts in a town with two municipal info points. They stand at the Venetian port and Four Martyrs Square. The tourism department there helps visitors plan their stay. Free Wi-Fi covers the old town.
How do travelers reach a Rethymno sunset cruise by bus from Chania?
Intercity buses link the central stations of Chania and Rethymno. The Rethymno station sits on Kefalogiannidon Street, postcode 74100. Buses from Chania leave about every hour, a University of Crete page notes. Land travel from either town takes 1 to 1.5 hours.
Which bus serves a Rethymno sunset cruise from Heraklion?
The bus operator for Chania and Rethymno keeps an annex at Heraklion port. Rethymno to Heraklion is one of its popular routes. Buses leave Heraklion for Rethymno about every hour as well. Tickets can be reserved online through the operator.
Which port authority covers a Rethymno sunset cruise?
The Hellenic Coast Guard runs the Rethymno Port Authority. Its office stands on Sofokli Venizelou Street, in the Delfini building, postcode 74133. The office covers the port where a Rethymno sunset cruise berths. Its duties include search and rescue.
Which hospital serves a Rethymno sunset cruise?
The General Hospital of Rethymno stands at 17-19 Trantallidou Street. It is the only hospital in the Rethymno prefecture. Its Emergency Department sits in the new wing, reached through the south gate. The hospital inaugurated in 1987 had 150 beds.
Where can drivers park for a Rethymno sunset cruise?
The municipality lists 4 free parking lots and 8 paying parking areas near or in the old town. Together they hold 1,570 car spaces, plus extra spaces for motorbikes. Paid areas use an e-parking system with a free smartphone app.
What rules apply to dolphin watching on a Rethymno sunset cruise?
ACCOBAMS recommendations set a 300-metre zone around whales and dolphins. Inside it, a vessel keeps a constant speed of 5 knots or less. It stops within 100 metres and approaches diagonally from the side. One vessel watches at a time.