These images are powered by
Kamari Beach is situated roughly 7km west of Rethymnon, close to Gerani village, at the entrance of Vederi Gorge. The coastal highway linking Chania and Rethymnon runs adjacent to the beach and over the Gerani bridge.
The beach is relatively compact, featuring pebbles and rocks in certain areas, making it a favourite among snorkelers. Despite being exposed to frequent northerly winds, it offers some amenities such as a few umbrellas, taverns, and rooms. Additionally, a quaint harbour and the charming Panagia Kamariani church can be found nearby.
A short distance south of the beach, one can find the sealed entrance to the Gerani cave, a significant archaeological site in central Crete, discovered unexpectedly during the construction of the main road. Moreover, visitors can explore the scenic narrow streets of Gerani village and visit the St George church along with several smaller churches.
Get directions to Kamari beach
There are various activities you can do at Kamari beach such as swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, windsurfing, and jet skiing.
Yes, Kamari beach is suitable for families with children as the water is shallow and calm, and there are lifeguards on duty during the day.
Yes, there are many restaurants and cafes near Kamari beach where you can enjoy local cuisine and drinks.
Yes, you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas at Kamari beach for a reasonable price.
The best time to visit Kamari beach is during the summer months from June to September when the weather is warm and sunny.
Yes, Kamari beach is accessible for people with disabilities as there are ramps and special facilities available.
Yes, there are several water sports schools at Kamari beach where you can take lessons and rent equipment.
Yes, it is safe to swim at Kamari beach as the water is clean and monitored by lifeguards. However, it is always important to follow safety guidelines and be aware of any warning signs.
The water colour of the Kamari beach is blue.
The Kamari beach has sand, with rocks in some places.
The water depth of the Kamari beach is normal.
The surface of the sea at the Kamari beach is usually calm.
The Kamari beach usually has normal crowds.
The Kamari beach has accommodation options and food/water nearby.
The Kamari beach can be accessed by bus services and a paved road.
The Kamari beach is ideal for snorkeling and spearfishing.
Find below list of things to do near Kamari beach:
Discover a secluded culinary & wine tasting journey in a restaurant hanging from the side of a Cretan gorge. Indulge in the finest Greek wines, traditional Cretan dishes, and explore the history of this enchanting land. Reservations only.
Discover one of the most beautiful beaches in the world on this day trip from Rethymno to Elafonissi. Experience a heaven on earth, with soft white and pink sand, exotic crystal-clear water, and cedar trees that extend down to the coastline. Visit traditional villages like Elos and Kaloudiana.
Get picked up from your hotel area in the morning, then stop for a short break in the traditional village of Elos. Time permitting, enjoy time to have breakfast or a coffee (cost not included). Afterward, depart for Elafonissi.
On the way, see small traditional villages combined with typical Mediterranean scenery. Admire the rugged landscape around the Topolia Gorge. At Elafonissi, get 4 hours of free time to soak in the sun and enjoy the spectrum of shades of blue that this beach has to offer.
At the end of your tour, stop at the village Kaloudiana, where you can explore the village and have refreshments or food (not included). Later, get driven back to your accommodation in Rethymno.
Discover the enchanting town of Rethymnon, hailed as one of Greece’s most beautiful destinations. Meander through the town’s winding alleys and colorful streets in the old town, where you can find an array of delicious restaurants and cafes. Take a walk through Rethymnon’s storied history by visiting its well-preserved Venetian and Ottoman-era landmarks. You can’t miss the Venetian Fortezza, a fortress built in the 16th century to defend against the Turks. Check out the Rimondi Fountain, built in 1626 by the Venetian governor Rimondi to provide drinking water. Take your time exploring the city’s charms, and unwind with a refreshing swim at the beach. Rethymnon is a city that’s just waiting to be discovered!
You will enjoy postcards pictures while you are traveling with the bikes in the old town of Rethymno. Have fun while discovering majestic Venetian buildings and the imposing Fortezza castle in just 90 minutes!
Description
Starting from the square of the Unknown Soldier you cross the coastal road and meet in front of you the Venetian harbor with its magnificent Egyptian lighthouse.
You then drive through the historic city center where we see the Rimondi Fountain, the Neratze Mosque (today’s Conservatory), which is characterized by the city’s tallest minaret, the Catholic Church of St. Francis and the Guora Gate.
Then you climb into the Fortezza castle, which rises over the Cretan Sea and completes the unrivaled image of beauty and charm in the city of Rethymnon. You take the regional road alongside the sea and the beautiful taverns with seafood.
Then you find on our right the Loggia, a brilliant 16th-century building and you enter Arkadiou Street, where from the period of the Venetian occupation until today, one of the most commercial streets of the city. At the end of the road you find the mosque Kara Musa Pasha.
Visit the famous pottery village of Margarites in western Crete. This important center of regional pottery invites you to explore its narrow streets and hidden cafes. Enjoy the wonderful view and the harmonious coexistence of old and new.
Visit the fascinating city of Rethymnon, which has maintained its unique flair. The Venetian fortress is particularly impressive as well as the so-called “Fortezza” at the city harbor, and the minarets from the Turkish era. Stroll through the city center and soak up the special atmosphere.
Finally, visit Argyroupoli with its beautiful waterfalls. Enjoy a coffee in the shade of the imposing sycamore trees and learn more about the former ancient city of Lappa, which, according to myth, was created by Agamemnon. Admire a mosaic from the Roman period and see an existing Venetian portal with the inscription “All things of this world are smoke and shadows”.
Explore two of the most picture-perfect destinations on Crete during this half-day private tour that visits Rethymno and the Lake of Kournas. Take off directly from your accommodation in Chania via an air-conditioned vehicle fully equipped with Wi-Fi and USB ports.
After pickup, start your journey in Rethymno, a romantic city with a variety of picturesque routes to follow and numerous historical monuments to visit.
Marvel at the large Venetian castle Fortezza, the old lighthouse, and countless churches, mosques, and arches. Walk along cobbled paths leading to other hidden spots of the old city.
The next stop is the famous Lake of Kournas, the only freshwater lake in Crete. This place is ideal for relaxation and walking.
Take in the one-of-a-kind view of the White Mountains reflected in the waters while drinking a cup of traditional Greek coffee. Choose to rent a pedal boat to spend some time in the water looking for the turtles that live in the lake.
Find below the list of hotels near Kamari beach:
Boasting air-conditioned accommodation with a private pool, Villa Ellovos with Private Pool is set in Rethymno Town. This beachfront property offers access to free WiFi and free private parking.
The villa is fitted with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, bed linen, towels, a TV with satellite channels, a fully equipped kitchen, and a balcony with sea views.
Guests can relax in the garden at the property.
Archaeological Museum of Rethymno is 8 km from the villa, while Museum of Ancient Eleftherna is 32 km from the property. The nearest airport is Chania International Airport, 62 km from Villa Ellovos with Private Pool.
from
€276
/night
Featuring air-conditioned accommodation with a private pool, pool view and a balcony, Kiki’s Seaview Villa is located in Gerani. This property offers access to a patio and free private parking.
The villa is equipped with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, bed linen, towels, a flat-screen TV, a dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a terrace with sea views.
The villa offers a barbecue.
Archaeological Museum of Rethymno is 8 km from Kiki’s Seaview Villa, while Museum of Ancient Eleftherna is 32 km away. The nearest airport is Chania International Airport, 62 km from the accommodation.
from
€264
/night
Featuring air-conditioned accommodation with a private pool, Karena seaview villa is located in Gerani. This beachfront property offers access to a balcony, free private parking and free WiFi.
The villa features 2 bedrooms, a TV, an equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and an oven, a washing machine, and 1 bathroom with a bath. Towels and bed linen are provided in the villa.
Guests can also relax in the garden.
Archaeological Museum of Rethymno is 8 km from the villa, while Museum of Ancient Eleftherna is 32 km away. The nearest airport is Chania International Airport, 62 km from Karena seaview villa.
from
€161
/night
Featuring air-conditioned accommodation with a private pool, mountain view and a patio, Rethymnian Gem Luxury Villa is located in Gerani. This property offers access to a balcony, ping-pong, free private parking and free WiFi.
The villa comes with 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, bed linen, towels, a flat-screen TV with streaming services, a dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a terrace with sea views.
The villa offers a hot tub. A kids pool is also available at Rethymnian Gem Luxury Villa, while guests can also relax in the garden.
Archaeological Museum of Rethymno is 8.2 km from the accommodation, while Museum of Ancient Eleftherna is 32 km away. The nearest airport is Chania International Airport, 62 km from Rethymnian Gem Luxury Villa.
from
€738
/night
Featuring a garden, an outdoor pool and garden views, Maison d’Olivier is set in Gerani. The air-conditioned accommodation is 34 km from Loutro, and guests benefit from private parking available on site and free WiFi.
The villa is fitted with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, bed linen, towels, a TV, a dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a balcony with pool views.
The villa offers a barbecue. A car rental service is available at Maison d’Olivier.
Chania Town is 47.5 km from the accommodation, while Rethymno Town is 7 km away. The nearest airport is Chania International, 54.9 km from Maison d’Olivier, and the property offers a paid airport shuttle service.
Valerios & Maria, a property with a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, is located in Gerani, 32 km from Museum of Ancient Eleftherna, 7.2 km from Municipal Garden, as well as 7.4 km from Centre of Byzantine Art. The air-conditioned accommodation is 8 km from Archaeological Museum of Rethymno, and guests benefit from private parking available on site and free WiFi.
The 3-bedroom villa comes with a living room with a flat-screen TV, a fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher and oven, and 2 bathrooms with a hair dryer. Towels and bed linen are featured in the villa.
The villa has both a sun terrace and garden for your convenience, along with a private beach area.
Historical and Folklore Museum is 7.5 km from Valerios & Maria, while Venetian Fortress is 7.9 km away. The nearest airport is Chania International Airport, 62 km from the accommodation.
Find below list of beaches near Kamari beach:
Situated at the eastern edge of the expansive Episkopi beachfront, Petres beach, or Stones beach, is a 46km journey east from Chania and 13km west from Rethymnon. The beach owes its name to the majestic Petres Gorge that concludes at this point. The area is dotted with facilities such as accommodations, eateries, and even a diving school. The Vythos cove, positioned north of the other areas, offers umbrellas and a less sandy terrain. The rocky underwater landscape makes it a hotspot for fishing and snorkelling. However, the frequent northern winds can cause the sea to become wavy.
Koumbes, situated 2km west of Rethymnon’s center, is the only beach on the city’s western side. The beach offers stunning vistas of the impressive Fortezza fortress, located several hundred meters to the east. Koumbes derives its name from the Turkish word ‘Kubbe,’ which translates to ‘dome.’ This expansive beach, adorned with sand and fine pebbles, has seen significant growth in recent years, and its development has become a top priority for the Rethymno Municipality. This growth has led to numerous improvements, including the addition of walkways and similar enhancements along the coast.
At Koumbes, visitors can avail themselves of all necessary tourist amenities, such as lifeguard services, umbrellas, showers, changing rooms, and water sports. The area also boasts numerous hotels, accommodations, restaurants, taverns, snack bars, and cafes. Access to Koumbes from the city center is convenient, either by bus or on foot. Walking takes no more than 20 minutes.
Episkopi beach is a 3.5 km sandy beach on the north coast of Crete, 14 km west of Rethymno and 45 km east of Chania. Episkopi beach sits in a fertile valley between the Mouselas river and the river that runs out of the Petres gorge. The water is shallow and usually a little wavy, like most beaches on Crete’s north coast, and it takes its name from the village of Episkopi, 2 km inland to the south.
At a glance:
The sand is soft, with a short pebbly strip at the waterline that turns sandy underfoot as you walk in. Mornings are usually calm and clear enough to see the bottom, while an afternoon breeze can raise small waves. The shallow, gently shelving water suits families with children and makes the beach a good spot for a slow swim or a snorkel.
The western part of the beach is well organized. There you find lifeguards, showers, changing rooms, umbrellas and sunbeds, snack bars, and water sports. Tavernas and bars line the shore, several renting sunbeds under thatched umbrellas. Because the beach runs for about 3.5 km, you can still find a quieter, less developed stretch toward the eastern end near the Petres bridge.
The main coastal road between Rethymno and Chania runs parallel to the beach, so access by car is easy. Frequent KTEL public buses connect Chania and Rethymno and stop on the highway beside the beach, and parking is available at the shore. The simplest way to reach Episkopi and explore the rest of the north coast is to rent a car.
Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nest along this coast between May and September, and Episkopi is a recorded nesting point. If you visit in those months, keep clear of any marked nests and take your litter home with you.
Episkopi sits within a short drive of these stops:
The name Episkopi means “Diocese”: the village was the seat of the local diocese in the Byzantine period, and the old Episcopal church of St Nicholas nearby now stands in ruins. Almost unknown to travelers, the area is also the ancestral home of the Vardinoyannis family.
Episkopi beach is on the north coast of Crete in the Rethymno area, 14 km west of Rethymno and 45 km east of Chania. It lies below the village of Episkopi, between the Mouselas and Petres rivers.
Yes. The water is shallow and the sand is soft, and the organized western section has a lifeguard, so it suits children and less confident swimmers.
The western part is organized, with lifeguards, showers, changing rooms, umbrellas and sunbeds, snack bars, and water sports. The eastern end near the Petres bridge is quieter and less developed.
Yes, water sports are offered in the organized western section, alongside the lifeguard, showers, umbrellas, and snack bars.
The coastal Rethymno to Chania road runs next to the beach, so you can drive or take a KTEL public bus that stops on the highway. Parking is available at the beach.
The main season is June to September, when the weather is warm and dry. Late May, June, and September are usually quieter than midsummer.
Yes. The water is clear and shallow, and the rockier seabed near Petres beach to the east is a favorite for snorkeling and fishing.
Rethymno beach is the organised town beach of Rethymno, a strip of golden sand and shallow, clear water on the city’s seafront about 500 metres east of the old town and next to the Venetian port. Rethymno beach forms the westernmost edge of Rethymno Bay’s long beachfront, which runs east from the harbour toward Skaleta. The beach stays busy through the day yet rarely feels packed, and the seafront road, Eleftheriou Venizelou, runs right alongside it for an evening walk.
Rethymno beach sits on the north coast of Crete, at the edge of Rethymno town. Rethymno beach is a short walk east along the seafront from the old town and the Venetian port. You can keep walking east past the town beach toward the suburbs of Perivolia and Platanes and on to Skaleta, since the town beach is the western end of the bay’s continuous sandy beachfront.
Rethymno beach is well organised, with amenities lined up along the sand and the promenade behind it:
The beach is wheelchair accessible, sits on a paved road, and is served by local buses, so you can reach it without a car.
The water is shallow and clear, which makes the beach suitable for swimming and a safe choice for families with children. The sea surface can turn choppy when the wind picks up, so calmer mornings are the easiest time to swim. In peak season the beach fills quickly, and arriving early is the surest way to get a spot with shade.
Rethymno beach is a nesting site for the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta. Rethymno Gulf is one of Greece’s three most important nesting areas for the species, with more than 400 nests recorded here each year. During nesting season you may see roped-off patches of sand where eggs have been found and protected, so keep clear of the marked areas and leave them undisturbed.
Reaching Rethymno beach is simple. Walk east from the old town and the Venetian port along the seafront, take a local bus, or drive in on the paved road that runs beside the sand. A car makes it easy to reach the quieter beaches further east along the bay and the villages inland; you can arrange one through car rental in Crete.
Rethymno beach is on the north-coast seafront of Rethymno town in Crete, about 500 metres east of the old town and next to the Venetian port. It is the westernmost part of Rethymno Bay’s long beachfront.
Yes. The water is shallow and clear, which suits both swimmers and children. The surface can get choppy on windy days, so mornings are usually the calmest time to swim.
Yes. The shallow, clear water, the lifeguard service and the cafes and facilities along the promenade make it a practical choice for families with young children.
The beach is organised with sunbeds and umbrellas for hire, a seasonal lifeguard, showers, changing rooms, water sports, and beach bars, cafes and restaurants along the seafront. It also holds Blue Flag status.
You can walk east from the old town and Venetian port along the seafront, take a local bus, or drive in on the paved road beside the beach. The beach is also wheelchair accessible.
Rethymno beach is a nesting site for the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta. Roped-off patches of sand mark protected nests where eggs have been found, so swimmers are asked to keep clear of them.
The beach is busiest in peak summer, when it fills quickly during the day. Arriving early in the morning is the surest way to find shade and a quieter spot, and mornings also tend to have the calmest water.
© All rights reserved. Crete Locals
