Best things to do in Adelianos Kampos in 2024: Activities and Attractions
Adelianos Kampos is a seaside suburb of Rethymno on the north coast of Crete, 6 km east of the city on a flat coastal plain. Adelianos Kampos grew out of farmland that residents of the neighbouring village of Adele once used for vegetable crops, and a century of building has since joined it to Rethymno itself. The beach carries both names locally, so Adelianos Kambos and Adele Beach describe the same shoreline.
What the resort offers is a long sandy front with the city close enough to walk off a late dinner, plus two gorge walks in the hills behind. Chania airport lies about 40 km west, and Rethymno’s bus station and old town sit roughly 6 km along the coast road.
Things to do in Adelianos Kampos
Five activities sit within a short drive, listed below from the shortest outing to the longest.
- Swim at the resort beach. The sand runs directly in front of the hotels, and the section covered further down this page explains what each stretch offers.
- Spend a morning in Rethymno old town. The city lies 6 km west and is the most completely preserved Renaissance town in Crete, where Ottoman and Cretan building styles stand side by side.
- Walk the Mili Gorge. The ravine begins about 7 km south of Rethymno and follows a shaded stream that runs all year past the abandoned mill village of Mili. Water reaches it from the northern slopes of Mount Vrysinas, and the range of plants and trees along the path reads closer to a botanic garden than a dry Cretan riverbed.
- Hike the Prassano Gorge. Also called the Gorge of Prasses, it starts south of Prasses village 10 km south-east of Rethymno and takes around three hours through large boulders and some demanding passages, which makes it a harder day out than Mili.
- Eat your way along the strip. Bakeries, grill houses, tavernas and beach bars cluster within 500 m of the centre, several of them directly on the sand.
The beach at Adelianos Kampos
Adelianos Kampos beach is a sandy stretch on Rethymno Bay, forming one part of the near-continuous beach that runs east from the city. The plain behind it is flat, so access from the coast road is level and short, and the hotel frontage means much of the sand is organised with sunbeds in season.
One practical consequence of that continuous shoreline is that walking a few hundred metres along the sand moves you between neighbouring beaches without leaving the water’s edge. Our full description of this stretch sits on the Adelianos Kambos beach page.
Beaches in and around Adelianos Kampos
Four more beaches lie within 3 km, all on the same bay and all reachable in under ten minutes by car.
- Platanes lies 1.1 km away, a long organised beach with shallow, light-blue water, sunbeds and lifeguards in season, and part of a protected nesting shore for loggerhead sea turtles.
- Misiria sits 2.2 km away in one of three former villages, with Pervolia and Platanias, that the growth of Rethymno absorbed into its urban district.
- Pigianos Kambos stands 2.2 km away and is also called Pigi beach, sitting 8 km east of Rethymno at the middle of the bay. The name means “plain of Pigi”, after the fertile fields worked by the nearby village of Pigi.
- Pervolia follows 2.9 km away at the city end of the same sandy run, closest of the four to Rethymno itself.
Where to eat in Adelianos Kampos
Eating options concentrate within about 500 m of the resort centre, and the range runs from morning bakery food to late grills rather than to formal dining.
- Giampous Bakery sells bread and pastries in the centre.
- Mythos Taverna (Kargas Garden) does taverna cooking, 200 m out.
- Beach Bar Roulis and Blue Lagoon serve drinks and food on the sand, 200 m from the centre.
- White Lady Taverna stands 400 m from the middle of the resort.
- History Coffee Lab and Yolo Coffee Bar pour coffee, within 400 m.
- Mr Gyros and Pizza Mafioso cover grills and pizza, 500 m out.
Getting to Adelianos Kampos
Drive east out of Rethymno along the old coast road and the resort begins after about 6 km, or take a city bus along the same route. The national road runs just inland, which makes the transfer from either airport straightforward: Chania is roughly 40 km west and Heraklion about 55 km east.
Anyone basing themselves here for a week has the whole Rethymno region within reach. The city itself, 6 km away, holds the Venetian harbour, the Fortezza and the region’s main bus connections, and Rethymno is the third largest city in Crete as well as its regional capital.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Adelianos Kampos?
Adelianos Kampos sits 6 km east of Rethymno on the north coast of Crete, on the flat plain that runs behind Rethymno Bay. The resort belongs to the Rethymno region and has effectively become a seaside suburb of the city.
Is Adelianos Kampos the same as Adele Beach?
Yes, both names refer to the same beach. The shoreline takes its second name from Adele, the village just inland whose residents farmed this plain before the resort was built.
How far is Adelianos Kampos from the airport?
Chania airport is about 40 km west and Heraklion airport about 55 km east, so Chania is usually the shorter transfer. Both run along the north-coast national road that passes just behind the resort.
Can you walk to Rethymno from Adelianos Kampos?
The 6 km along the coast is walkable but long for an evening out, and most visitors use the city bus or a taxi. The beach itself is continuous most of the way, so the walk works better as a morning outing than a route into town for dinner.
Which gorges are near Adelianos Kampos?
Mili Gorge and the Prassano Gorge both lie within about 10 km inland. Mili follows a year-round stream past a deserted mill village and suits a gentle half day, while the Prassano needs roughly three hours and crosses large boulders and harder ground.
Where Adelianos Kampos is
Best things to do in Adelianos Kampos in 2024 is located at Adelianos Kampos. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
