Rethymno Shopping – Shops, Stores, Best Buys & Inside Tips

Rethymno Shopping

This Greek town has stunning views everywhere you look and a million reasons to return, here are some shopping tips for your trip.

Hydria Ceramics Workshop

Rethymno has many souvenir shops, but I thought this ceramics studio was a cut above. The pottery is made in the workshop in the back of the shop, and you can see pieces at different stages of production. What I liked best was the simplicity of the designs – there are just a couple of color schemes, with bright blue, green and red glazes for the most part. Items run from decorative pieces, including candle holders of all dimensions and bright red ceramic pomegranates to everyday jugs, salt and pepper sets and tumblers. You could buy a whole crockery set if you wished.The prices are a steal – I bought a large pomegranate-shaped candle holder (in the lovely turquoise blue shown in my main photo) for just six Euros. And couldn’t resist going back for a larger wall-mounted candle lantern in the same color (nine Euros for the lantern, four for the wall bracket). I can’t recommend this place enough for anyone who likes classic ceramics.

Handmade Stories

New shop in the old town with lovely handmade ceramic and silver jewelry by the owners, neatly arranged. Not a usual souvenir shop stuffed full with trash. Pleasant atmosphere also given by the friendly owners Emmanuela and Gerasimos Mikelatos.

The Streets of the Old Town

You can find here little shops from gifts to very expensive label products. Shops are open from morning to late night but may close in the middle of day for siesta.

Rethymno Paradise to Discover

The fertile soil of Crete is very nutritious for the sheep and goats of Rethymno and thus accounts, inter alia, for their excellent meat. Various wonderful products are made from their milk. Cretan gruyere (“graviera”) is known worldwide. Moreover, the “feta” and “myzithra” cheese varieties of Rethymno taste wonderful and enjoy high quality status. At Rethymno, you can find “staka” – fresh cream skimmed off the top of milk and cooked with a little flour and salt – “stakovoutyro” – butter cream made by cooking staka – and of course the wonderful dishes that contain these ingredients, such as “stakopilafo” – the rice pilaf flavored with “staka”. The region of Mt Kedros in the district of Amari is famous for its gruyere (“graviera”) cheese, while the village of Gerakari boasts wonderful fruit production (cherries, apples, etc.). The mountain zone of Abadia produces excellent big olives. Amari is known for its black wine. Its abundant springs and cool climate account for the delicious products of this region.

Farmer’s Market

Getting up early is worth it. All the tourists were off course asleep after long nights of drinking and eating, but the streets were full of life – a local, Cretan life. First I came across an open shutters ( no sign or logo on the building) where the baker was baking fresh bread and selling it to the local people on little scooters. Then I came across another open shutters where butcher was cutting a lamb hanging down the ceiling. Then I walked till found myself at a vibrant farmer’s market.

Editor’s Note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about shopping in Rethymno.