A Rethymno catamaran cruise sails from the harbour of Rethymno along the north coast of Crete to its bays and beaches. It is one of the Greek tours on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Rethymno catamaran cruise includes, where it leaves from and the routes it sails. It also covers the bays and beaches, the history along the shore and the sea life. Wind and sea, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Rethymno catamaran cruise or a nearby cruise that can be booked online.
What does a Rethymno catamaran cruise include?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise runs as a shared day sail, a sunset trip or a private charter. Shared day catamarans open with a light brunch of homemade Greek pitas, croissants and healthy bars. Each shared trip takes up to 25 travellers.
Lunch on one shared day sail brings calamarata with beef cheek and graviera béchamel. Ratatouille and BBQ chicken with basmati rice follow. Quinoa salad, politiki salad and stuffed cherry tomatoes come too.
A Rethymno catamaran cruise of this kind ends lunch with lemon tart and a seasonal fruit platter. Vegetarian and children’s meals are available on request. Hotel transfers cost extra and are paid in cash on board.
Another shared day catamaran includes hotel pickup and a lunch of vegetables, cheese and freshly caught fish. The catamaran from Bali lunches at a Panormo taverna, with saganaki, meatballs and sardines.
After the swim stop, the sunset catamaran serves sushi rolls and then seasonal fruit. Children on board get chicken bao buns made for them.
A premium Rethymno catamaran cruise at sunset serves Cretan tapas of local cheeses, rusks, olives and dips. The private VIP catamaran adds a water slide and a sea scooter.
- Gear: Shared boats carry fishing gear, swim vests and noodles.
- Groups: Private catamarans take one group of 10, 15 or 20.
- Ages: The day sail sets no age limit.
The shared sunset catamaran lists 12 drop-off points, from Georgioupoli to Bali.
Where does a Rethymno catamaran cruise leave from?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise leaves from Rethymno marina, from Panormo harbour or from Bali’s fishing harbour. The marina takes vessels from 8 to 40 m long, with a maximum draft of 3.5 m. It lies about 1 km from the town hospital.
84 marina spaces suit boats of 10 to 12 m, and 40 suit boats under 8 m. The Municipal Port Authority Trust works from an office at the marina gate.
Rethymno’s port trust dates back to 1914. Presidential decree 186/2001 passed its duties to the municipal trust. The marina lies 75 km from Chania airport and 85 km from Heraklion airport.
Visiting yachts, sailing boats and boat trips from Rethymno use the marina or the old Venetian harbour. That harbour covers 5,250 square metres of land at the heart of the port.
In the outer harbour, boats moor stern-to, bow-to or alongside on the east and west walls. Arriving boats call the Port Authority on VHF channel 12, watched 24 hours a day.
A Rethymno catamaran cruise from Panormo boards right at the port, with parking in front of the harbour. Its alongside berths give good shelter except in strong north, east and northeast winds.
- Authority: The Rethymno Port Authority also covers Panormo’s harbour.
- Ranking: The Coast Guard lists Chania and Heraklion as central authorities.
- Marina radio: Marina listings give VHF channel 67.
Bali’s fishing harbour sits mid-village at the end of the central road, where excursion boats leave.
Which routes does a Rethymno catamaran cruise sail?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise sails west to Georgioupoli Bay or east toward Skaleta and Panormo. The shared morning sail heads west and switches to Skaleta if the weather requires. Sunset trips head east from the marina for a swim.
Near Georgioupoli, the morning Rethymno catamaran cruise stops to swim at Omprosgialos. The private VIP catamaran anchors in Georgioupoli Bay or off Skaleta.
The shared sunset catamaran swims either in Skaleta Bay or in the Gerani area. Its itinerary names Geropotamos beach as the main stop for photos, drinks and the sunset.
A premium sunset Rethymno catamaran cruise stops to swim at the Camarola Arch. Private sunset trips sail along the coast or, in calm weather, off Panormo.
Skaleta lies about 4.2 km from Geropotamos beach and 7.6 km from the Agia Sofia basilica in Panormo. Boats call daily at Kamarola, 3.8 km from Skaleta, on calm days.
From Bali, a catamaran sails along the Rethymno coast and stops at a secluded bay. Guests on the Panormo catamaran snorkel over reefs, statues and seagrass in Bali Bay.
- Bogazi: This Bali beach lies 6.7 km from Panormo’s harbour beach.
- Kamari: This Gerani beach, 6 km west, has a small harbour.
- Skaleta caves: Rocky formations and caves line its anchorage.
Private day and sunset catamarans from Rethymno each take only one booking per day.
Which bays and beaches does a Rethymno catamaran cruise reach?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise reaches sandy beaches, rocky coves and sea caves east of town. Skaleta’s beachfront runs for roughly 3 km of fine golden sand. Spilies is a small rocky bay with deep water under vertical cliffs.
Skaleta, also passed on sunset cruises from Rethymno, holds a Blue Flag and a lifeguard. Its sea surface tends to be wavy. Sea caves line the shore from Skaleta toward Geropotamos.
On a Rethymno catamaran cruise, Stavromenos lies about 1 km east of Sfakaki. Its beach is mainly sand with rocks in places, and northern winds bring waves.
Spilies sits about 15 km east of Rethymno, with a pebble beach. Part of the sea caves at its eastern end collapsed in the winter of 2011–12. Panormo’s harbour beach, Limanaki, is sandy and shallow behind a mole.
A Rethymno catamaran cruise reaches Kamarola, a sand and fine-pebble beach beside a natural rock arch. Cliffs ring it, so only boats can reach it.
Geropotamos beach lies about 18 km east of Rethymno and 3 km west of Panormo. North winds reach it freely. The Mylopotamos river takes its name from the watermills along its course.
- Poseidon: The Cave of Poseidon holds stalactites and stalagmites.
- Panormo: Its beaches hold a Blue Flag and a lifeguard.
- Bali: Livadi holds a Blue Flag but gets more wind.
Varkotopos fills an enclosed bay in front of Bali’s village, with shallow green water.
What history lines a Rethymno catamaran cruise?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise passes the Venetian harbour, the Fortezza and the fort site at Panormo. Coins of ancient Rithymna from the 5th–4th centuries BC show a trident, two dolphins or a goat. Venetians fought silting in the harbour from the 14th century.
The silting problem still exists today. In 1864 the harbour’s Egyptian-built lighthouse passed to the French lighthouse administration. An older Venetian light possibly stood on the same spot.
Between the 10th and 13th centuries, the Byzantines built Castrum Rethemi east of the Fortezza hill. It had square towers and two gates.
A Rethymno catamaran cruise sees the Fortezza, built to defend against attacks from the sea. A pentagonal Ottoman outwork outside its main gate now holds the Archaeological Museum.
Panormo’s harbour, once called Roumeli Castelli, was a leading trading port before roads joined Crete’s towns. Its egg-shaped fort had seven towers and two gates, one facing the sea.
A Rethymno catamaran cruise off Panormo recalls two sieges. In 1341 the Kapsokalives family besieged Alexios Kallergis there but soon gave up. In 1647 a Venetian attack under General Gil d’Has failed.
- 1646: Captain General Cappello failed to break the Ottoman blockade.
- 1898: Admirals put Rethymno’s customs house under British control.
- 1941: Australian fire destroyed a German seaplane off Rethymno.
The Agios Nikolaos bastion of the Fortezza overlooks the Venetian harbour below.
What sea life does a Rethymno catamaran cruise see?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise passes a loggerhead nesting beach that runs about 12 km east of town. Its water is shallow, with pockets of low dunes. Bottlenose dolphins swim near Crete’s shores in pods of up to about 100.
A five-year project counted an average of 410 loggerhead nests per season from Perivolia to Skaleta. Nests there average more than 35 per kilometre. Nests have also been found at the Geropotamos river mouth.
Nests on the Rethymno beach fell by 45% between 2000 and 2014, to just over 200 a year. In summer 2017, more than 10,000 sunbeds lined nearly 11 km of nesting beach.
Seven cetacean species live regularly in Greek seas. They range from fin and sperm whales to Risso’s, bottlenose, striped and common dolphins. Cuvier’s beaked whale is one of them.
Striped dolphins, the commonest in Greek seas, travel in pods of 50 to 100. They mix with Risso’s dolphins at times. Eleonora’s falcons and wild pigeons nest in the cliffs around Kamarola.
For a Rethymno catamaran cruise, the shore and the Geropotamos mouth form Natura 2000 site GR4330004. It holds 9,833.86 ha of land within a 95.6 km perimeter.
- Threat: Site records list dynamite fishing as a danger.
- Marinas: New marinas risk changing the sand deposits.
- Seagrass: Shifting sand also threatens the Posidonia belt.
Tag recoveries show Rethymno’s loggerheads turn up mainly in the Aegean and Levantine Seas.
How do wind and sea shape a Rethymno catamaran cruise?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise meets a yearly mean wind of about 6 knots at the Violi Charaki station. It blows from the north-northwest, with gusts near 11 knots. Off Rethymno, only one wave height in ten tops 2 metres.
September ranks among the calmest months there, at 5.3 knots with gusts near 9.5. October averages 6.1 knots, and November 6.9 knots from the north, with gusts near 13.
About a quarter of all station readings come from the north, and about one in six from south-southeast. In January and February, one reading in four reaches Beaufort 4 to 6.
For a Rethymno catamaran cruise in July, the station has logged no Beaufort 7 to 8 readings. September has logged only one in more than 16,000. All four readings above Beaufort 8 came in December.
In 1994, three wave buoys off Rethymno measured waves from February to November. They logged intense events of 3 to 6 metres from the north and northwest.
Off Rethymno, sea temperature averages 16.6°C in January and 16.1°C in March, both rated cold for swimming. December averages 18.4°C, between 16.6°C and 20.3°C.
- Peak buoy: On 5 March 1994, waves reached 3.65 m.
- Buoy depths: The 1994 buoys sat at 100, 20 and 10 m.
- Design wave: Engineers rate the annual north wave at 2.19 m.
From the northwest, the same study rates the equivalent annual wave at 1.86 metres.
When is the best season for a Rethymno catamaran cruise?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise has a high season from 16 June to 14 September in one marina listing. That snorkelling cruise then sails only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Sunset departure times shift with the sunset. September gives about 10 hours of sun a day.
That equals about 77% of possible sunshine. The maximum UV index at Rethymno reaches 7 in September. April sea temperature averages 16.8°C, a month rated cold for swimming.
For a Rethymno catamaran cruise in November, the sea averages 20.7°C, between 19.1°C and 22.2°C. That month counts as cool for swimming. Chania airport traffic fell from 359,974 passengers in October 2023 to 73,661 in November.
Chania airport is a gateway for western catamaran cruises on Crete. Its busiest month of 2023 was July, with 672,278 passengers. February was the quietest, with 54,475.
- Storm season: Extreme storms struck only between October and March.
- UV: The peak index drops to 5 in October.
- Forecast: Pregnant or less mobile guests check the forecast first.
Chania airport handled 554,940 passengers in September 2023, more than June’s 544,124.
What do travelers ask about a Rethymno catamaran cruise?
A Rethymno catamaran cruise raises questions on getting there, papers, banned items and who can join. Guests bring a passport or ID for port check-in. One sunset listing also asks for sunglasses. A municipal parking lot sits at the marina.
How do guests reach a Rethymno catamaran cruise?
Rethymno’s intercity bus station lies just west of the town centre. It sits a 15-minute walk or 5-minute taxi ride from the marina’s ferry terminal. A local line runs from Tsesmes through Platanias and Perivolia into town. Riders buy tickets at a shop first.
What papers does a Rethymno catamaran cruise need?
Listings ask for each guest’s full name, birth date, passport or ID number and nationality. Port authorities need these details for cruise permission. The Coast Guard maps the Rethymno port authority office at about 35.367°N, 24.484°E. Late guests cannot hold up a departure under port rules.
What is banned on a Rethymno catamaran cruise?
One catamaran bans shoes indoors, glass objects and red wine. Another listing bans high-heeled shoes and fireworks on board. A small-group sailing trip allows no luggage or large bags. One catamaran carries life jackets, plus a box of children’s toys on request.
Who cannot join a Rethymno catamaran cruise?
A small-group sailing trip does not suit wheelchair users or babies under one, and refuses mobility scooters. One catamaran does not suit pregnant women or people over 95. It also bans unaccompanied minors. Articulated town buses carry bars that help wheelchair users board.