A Rethymno boat trip sails from the harbours of the Rethymno region, on both the north and the south coast of Crete. It is one of the Greek tours on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Rethymno boat trip includes, its harbours and the boats it uses. It also covers the coast to Bali, Preveli beach and the Paximadia islands. Sea life, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Rethymno boat trip or a nearby boat trip that can be booked online.
What does a Rethymno boat trip include?
Rethymno boat trip choices include pirate-style boats, motorboats, speedboats, catamarans and sailing yachts. The pirate-style boat anchors in Kefalas Bay for a swim. A Bali Bay catamaran takes up to 16 guests. A south coast yacht takes up to ten, with snorkel gear.
A pirate-style Rethymno boat trip sails past Gerani Bay to anchor in Kefalas Bay. Masks and snorkel tubes are on board. Wave-carved sea caves line the return.
Lunch on board is a Greek salad. Adults get wine or beer, and children a soft drink.
An eastbound Rethymno boat trip on a 40-passenger fast boat passes the Camarola Arch to Panormo. Water and a snack are included, but lunch is not.
A speedboat safari runs to old pirate sea caves on the north coast. Turtles or dolphins appear only with luck. Riders under 16 need a parent’s consent.
A south coast Rethymno boat trip leaves Agia Galini with a skipper and deckhand. Weather decides the day’s stop. Guests watch for dolphins on the sail home.
Agia Galini boats run to Agios Georgios and Agios Pavlos beaches. Tour boats there add sea caves west of the village to the boat trips around Crete.
In Plakias, a Rethymno boat trip leaves a small harbour lined with close-set tavernas. Catamaran cruises to Bali Bay start from Panormo, on the north coast.
- Safety: The speedboat supplies life jackets but no lifeguard.
- Languages: Pirate boat crews speak five languages, including Ukrainian.
- Lunch: The Agia Galini yacht serves a Cretan dish and dessert.
A pirate or fast-boat Rethymno boat trip sets no minimum age.
Which harbours serve a Rethymno boat trip?
Rethymno boat trip departures outside the town use village harbours at Bali, Panormo, Agia Galini and Plakias. Bali and Panormo belong to the municipality of Mylopotamos. Agia Galini and Plakias belong to Agios Vasileios, on the Libyan Sea.
A Rethymno boat trip from Bali starts in a village of 407 residents, per the 2021 census. It sits on a small raised peninsula above its cove.
Bali’s small port is well protected but nearly always full of local boats. A Rethymno boat trip there can meet swell, as the bay is very open.
Panormo lies 20 km from Rethymno, by the new national road. It counted 661 residents in the 2021 census. The Genoese fortified its natural harbour in 1206.
A Rethymno boat trip from Panormo leaves a fishing shelter built in the 1980s. Its breakwater blocks north and northwest winds, but the harbour opens east.
Agia Galini counted 631 residents in the 2021 census. It lies about 55 km from Rethymno, and its new harbour gives good shelter in all weather.
At Agia Galini, Rethymno boat trip vessels berth stern-to, bow-to or alongside. Very strong winter winds limit use of the harbour. A light marks its southwest corner.
Plakias, founded by fishermen from Sellia, counted 120 residents in the 2021 census. Its moorings shelter boats from southwest winds, but the harbour opens east and south.
- Bali: Its bay has no shelter from northeast winds.
- Panormo: Fuel is sold, but no repairs are done.
- Plakias: Eastern approaches round Cape Kakomouri.
Panormo, Agia Galini and Plakias each have a small-boat ramp.
Which boats run a Rethymno boat trip?
Rethymno boat trip outings include an old pirate boat, run by a local operator since 1997. Elsewhere on Crete, day trips use glass-bottom boats, a semi-submarine, wooden caiques and rigid inflatables. A private Chania inflatable takes groups of seven to nine.
On a Rethymno boat trip aboard the pirate boat, the captain shares stories about places en route. The crew is responsible for guest safety on board.
The Maritime Museum of Crete built a 17 m Minoan ship replica in Chania. It copies a 15th-century BC oared ship and was built from cypress with traditional tools.
Cloth soaked in resin and beef fat seals its hull. Twenty-four volunteers rowed it from Chania to Piraeus in 2004, escorting the trireme replica carrying the Olympic Flame.
A glass-bottom motorboat for 36 guests sails from Chania to the islet of Lazaretta. Fish are fed during the trip, so passengers see them through the glass floor.
In Agios Nikolaos, a semi-submarine with windows below the surface takes up to 48 guests. Passengers can watch caretta caretta turtles, coloured fish and rock formations.
A traditional wooden caique sails from an Elounda resort jetty to hidden bays. Its day trip anchors at Kolokytha for a barbecue from the onboard chef.
When fire trapped people at Agios Pavlos beach, an Agia Galini fishing caique ferried out about 30. It was a small boat, so it made three separate runs.
- Display: The replica sits in Chania’s Moro dockyard.
- Semi-submarine: Information boards explain local wildlife.
- Inflatables: The Chania trip lends snorkel gear on request.
The replica has since sailed in Greek Naval Week events.
What does a Rethymno boat trip see between Rethymno and Bali?
A Rethymno boat trip east to Bali passes Lavris, the Geropotamos river mouth and the Panormo castle site. The coves of Bali follow: Livadi, Varkotopos and Karavostasi. Inland rises the Psiloritis massif, whose northern slopes feed the Geropotamos.
A Rethymno boat trip passes Lavris beach, 20 km east of Rethymno. Its closed cove, 70 m long, is reached on land only through a hotel.
East of Lavris, the Geropotamos forms a small lake near the shore and holds water all year. Just before the sea, it joins the Mylopotamos river.
Near its mouth the river is also called Avlopotamos, after ancient Avlona. A Natura 2000 site protects the mouth, and shore hollows westward shelter monk seals.
At Panormo, a Rethymno boat trip passes the site of a castle that Genoese pirate Enrico Pescatore built. Ottoman forces took it in 1647; only stones remain.
On a Rethymno boat trip, Livadi is the longest Bali beach, running 390 m mid-bay. Its sand was brought from the seabed onto a rocky shore.
Bali sits 43 km west of Crete’s capital, the base for boat trips from Heraklion. Varkotopos lines the bay’s west side; Karavostasi, or Evita Bay, fills the northern tip.
Inland rises Psiloritis, the mountain also known as Mount Ida. Springs carry water from the Psiloritis range into the sea at Bali, cooling it.
- Panormo castle: Barbarossa wrecked it in 1538.
- Lavris: the cove held a Blue Flag in 2014.
- Livadi: the name means meadows, after a nearby valley.
The same Natura 2000 site also covers Cape Lianos Kavos, beside Lavris.
What does a Rethymno boat trip see at Preveli?
A Rethymno boat trip to Preveli reaches the beach where the Megalos Potamos meets the sea. A large palm grove lines its banks. Preveli monastery sits on nearby cliffs. The beach lies about 10 km east of Plakias.
On a Rethymno boat trip, Preveli’s beach fills an open bay 180 m long, facing south. Water reaches about 5 m deep just 30 m out.
The Megalos Potamos carries water from the Kourtaliotiko and Fratiano gorges. Before reaching the sea, it forms a lake about 500 m long that never dries.
A Rethymno boat trip reaches the second largest palm grove in Crete, after Vai. Its tree, Phoenix theophrasti, is named after Theophrastus, the ancient father of botany.
The grove caught fire at dawn on Sunday, 22 August 2010, and nearly 70% of it burned. This palm resists fire, so burned adult trees survived.
Fresh seeds sprouted that autumn. The grove was then protected from grazing and trampling to aid regrowth. Since 2002 the area has been wildlife refuge K761.
A Rethymno boat trip passes below Preveli monastery, which sheltered Allied soldiers after the Battle of Crete. More than 5,000 waited there for transport to Egypt.
A British submarine took 78 men from Limni Bay at Preveli on 28 July 1941. A second one carried 130 more on 20 August, a submarine record.
- Natura 2000: habitat and bird sites both cover Preveli.
- Phoenix theophrasti: it is one of two native Mediterranean palms.
- German raid: troops wrecked the monastery on 25 August 1941.
Greek state checks of Preveli’s bathing water began in 2018.
What does a Rethymno boat trip see at the Paximadia islands?
A Rethymno boat trip from Agia Galini crosses the Messara gulf to the two Paximadia islets. Together they cover 1.75 km² and stretch about 3 km. Boats from there also reach the coves of Agios Georgios and Agios Pavlos.
Megalo Paximadi lies to the west and is long and narrow. Mikro Paximadi, to the east, is rounder, and a slim strait called Bougazi divides them.
Their name means rusks, since their shape recalls paximadi, a dry Cretan bread. In ancient times the islets belonged to Phaistos and were called Dionysoi, after Dionysus.
Legend says the goddess Artemis hunted on these islets with Britomartis. A Rethymno boat trip finds 4 pebble beaches on Mikro Paximadi, and one, Varkaki, on Megalo.
Caiques also sail to the islets from Kokkinos Pyrgos, on the Messara coast. The European Natura 2000 map lists no protected site on or near them.
The Messara gulf receives another Geropotamos, the river with Crete’s largest drainage basin. Greek water plans rate the ecological state of its shore waters as good.
A Rethymno boat trip reaches Agios Georgios, two pebbly bays 3 km west of Agia Galini. The east beach is Lichnistis; the west one is Kolimbistiri.
A Rethymno boat trip finds Agios Pavlos in an open bay 250 m long, east of Cape Melissa. Its chapel of Saint Paul stands north of the beach.
- Cave: Tzigkounas is the largest cave on the islets.
- Cape Sakouleva: the sea drops to about 70 m beside its cliff.
- Kolimbistiri: the beach name means swimming area.
Legend says Saint Paul once stayed at Agios Pavlos.
What sea life does a Rethymno boat trip meet?
A Rethymno boat trip passes the beach with Crete’s largest number of loggerhead nests. Dolphins live year-round in the trench south of Crete. Crete holds only a small monk seal population. Wrasses and seabreams live in shallow water.
ARCHELON has watched this nesting beach every summer since 1990. In 2022, its field team walked 11 km of sand daily and protected about 170 nests.
The beach averaged 387 nests a year from 1990 to 1999. ARCHELON blames tourism pressure for the later decline and calls for action without further delay.
Hatchlings confused by artificial light can dry out or die under passing cars. ARCHELON asks that lights seen from the beach go off after 11 pm.
In 2018, 68% of Rethymno beach businesses removed furniture at night. Nesting rules set sunbeds in rows at right angles to waves, over 3 m apart.
South of Crete lies the Hellenic Trench, an important marine mammal area of 56,568 km². Its list includes common and bottlenose dolphins plus the monk seal.
Acoustic surveys covered 18,366 km of trackline off the Peloponnese and Crete. They confirmed Risso’s dolphins there in summer and winter. A further 224 recordings came from unidentified dolphins.
Known seal areas include the shores south of the Asterousia Mountains, Gavdos, Koufonisi and Sfakia. Pups are born black, with a white mark on the belly.
- Ornate wrasse: Its depth range is 1-150 m.
- Dusky spinefoot: All its spines are slightly venomous.
- Long-snouted seahorse: It lives 0-12 m deep.
Spinefoots entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
When is the best season for a Rethymno boat trip?
A Rethymno boat trip has its main season from late spring to the end of October. A daily Agia Galini cruise then sails to Agios Pavlos and Preveli. ARCHELON’s turtle field season on the Rethymno beach ends in mid-October.
A Rethymno boat trip back to Plakias can end a river walk to Preveli. That walk, boat not included, runs from 23 April to 31 October.
Bali’s main resort season ends in early October. Visitors there can rent a catamaran to sail the calm bays. It is one option among catamaran cruises on Crete.
Loggerheads nest on the Rethymno beach from late spring until mid-August. Hatchlings emerge from mid-July to late September. Beach crowds there peak from mid-June to mid-August.
A Rethymno boat trip in July falls in the busiest arrival month at Heraklion airport. In 2023, 723,779 international passengers landed there that July.
Eurostat shows a summer peak at Rethymno port. In 2023, the port handled about 7,000 sea passengers in the second quarter and 41,000 in the third.
Autumn brings a steep fall. Heraklion arrivals dropped from 432,104 in October 2023 to 67,702 in November. Rethymno port handled about 4,000 sea passengers that quarter.
Winter is the quietest season at Heraklion airport. In 2023, the airport counted 4,326,871 arrivals over the whole year.
- January: Arrivals fell to 53,356 in 2023.
- June: Arrivals climbed to 637,098.
- September: Arrivals stayed high at 639,180.
Each daily Rethymno boat trip from Agia Galini depends on weather.
What do travelers ask about a Rethymno boat trip?
A Rethymno boat trip from Plakias to Preveli runs on a schedule matched to the public bus. Preveli beach has no sunbeds or umbrellas, but trees give shade. A canteen there sells food, snacks, soft drinks and water.
Which buses serve a Rethymno boat trip from Plakias or Agia Galini?
The bus line from Rethymno to Plakias runs every day, and certain departures pass through Myrthios and Mariou. The Agia Galini line has a Thursday service via Saktouria and a weekday service via Melambes. A weekday line also serves Rodakino.
What bus and gear suit a Rethymno boat trip from Bali?
Bali sits on the daily Rethymno to Heraklion bus line. That coastal bus runs once an hour and stops at every resort on the way. One Bali cruise listing asks guests to pack swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and a jacket.
Which coast guard post covers a Rethymno boat trip from Agia Galini?
Agia Galini has its own Hellenic Coast Guard port station. Kokkinos Pyrgos to the east and Chora Sfakion to the west hold the same rank. Rethymno town ranks higher, with a full port authority of its own.
Where is the health centre for a Rethymno boat trip on the south coast?
The health centre stands in Spili, which also has banks, a post office and police. The village sits at 430 m and serves as a transport hub for southern Crete. A school-day bus line links Rethymno, Spili and Kria Vrisi.
How do visitors reach Preveli on foot without a Rethymno boat trip?
From the main Preveli car park, a steep concrete path drops over 300 steps. It ends at the upper beach, called Limni. The palm section lies 600 m along the shore. The beach level has no lockers or storage facilities.
What rules apply in the Preveli palm grove on a Rethymno boat trip?
In September 2010, the Region of Crete declared the Preveli palm grove a reforestation zone. The order banned grazing for ten years and every form of holiday camping on site. Offenders face penalties under Article 268 of Legislative Decree 86/69.