Best things to do in Elefterna in 2024: Activities and Attractions
Elefterna is an inland village in the Mylopotamos country of the Rethymno region, 2 km from the pottery village of Margarites and about 10 km south of the north coast. Elefterna gives its name to the ancient town beside it, whose site lies 1 km from the modern village and whose finds fill a museum 600 m from the centre. The village sits among a run of small parallel gorges that drain north towards the Geropotamos river.
Heraklion is the nearest airport to Elefterna. The village is a place for archaeology, pottery and short walks rather than for beaches, and the coast at Panormo and Skaleta needs a drive over the hills.
Things to do in and around Elefterna
Things to do around Elefterna sit within 5 km of the village, and the 6 below run from nearest to furthest.
- Visit the Eleutherna Archaeological Museum. The museum stands 600 m from the centre of the village, the closest attraction to it.
- Walk the site of ancient Eleftherna. The ancient town lies 1 km from the modern village, and it is the landmark that neighbouring Margarites is described by.
- Follow the Margarites Gorge. Margarites, Orthe and Eleftherna stand among a sequence of small parallel gorges, the nearest 1.9 km from the village. Watercourses such as the Margaritianos run north into the Geropotamos, and the ravines are cut into white-yellow marly limestone laid down 8 to 10 million years ago in the Upper Miocene.
- Browse the pottery at Margarites. The village lies 2 km from Elefterna and 27 kilometres from Rethymno, and its ceramic tradition began under Ottoman rule and made it a working pottery town through the nineteenth century. Margarites keeps Venetian roots from the sixteenth century and preserved architecture.
- See the Christ Saviour and Saint Gedeon monastery. The monastery stands at Margarites, 2.1 km from Elefterna, close enough to pair with the pottery workshops in one outing.
- Hike the Arkadi Gorge. The route is a moderate 4.5 km walk of about 2 hours along the eastern bank of a green, rocky ravine, starting 4.7 km from Elefterna just north of Arkadi Monastery. The trail ends near Pikris and has no fee and no facilities, so walkers carry their own water.
About the village and its setting
Elefterna is a small inland village rather than a resort, and its draw is the archaeology on its doorstep. The village keeps a kafeneio 100 m from the centre and tavernas within 2 km, so eating happens locally rather than at a seafront strip.
The setting is the marly limestone country of Mylopotamos, uplifted and then eroded by water into narrow parallel ravines. Those gorges carry abundant flora and stands of horizontally branched cypress, and their streams feed the Geropotamos, which reaches the sea at Geropotamos beach. Margarites, 2 km away, is the district’s pottery village, and Arkadi Monastery stands 4.6 km off.
Beaches in and around Elefterna
Elefterna has no beach of its own, and the 5 nearest lie on the north coast, around 10 km away in a straight line and further by the roads that cross the hills. They run east from the end of Rethymno bay to the coves beyond Panormo.
- Skaleta is a 3 km beachfront that starts 11 km east of Rethymno and closes the Bay of Rethymno. Sfakaki comes first and is carefully arranged, Stavromenos follows 1 km on, and the sand narrows eastwards until it gives out at Skaleta itself.
- Spilies sits in a small sheltered pebble cove 15 km east of Rethymno between Skaleta and Geropotamos, also known as “Tou Maliou to Riaki”. Clear deep water, high cliffs and sea caves that shelter endangered wildlife mark it out, and the north-facing bay is often wavy.
- Geropotamos lies at the mouth of the Geropotamos river, a small sandy beach 18 kilometres east of Rethymno and 3 kilometres west of Panormo, under the highway bridge. It stays uncrowded, and the water is clear but cold and deep.
- Panormo covers the beaches of a coastal village about 20 km east of Rethymno, with 2 main beaches and several smaller ones. Limanaki, the sandy beach at the natural harbour, serves as the port and has clear water.
- Skepasti holds pebbly beaches with deep water about 27 km east of Rethymno and 2 km east of Skepasti village, reached on poor dirt roads. They are exposed to northern winds and entirely unorganised, with the nearest hotels and eateries at Panormo. Koukistres is the cove local people favour.
Where to eat in Elefterna
Eating at Elefterna means a kafeneio in the village and tavernas within about 2 km.
- Kafenio Filio is the village kafeneio, 100 m from the centre.
- Panorama Tavern serves taverna cooking, 500 m out.
- Velanidia Tavern runs a taverna with rooms, 1.3 km out.
- Taverna Giannousakis cooks taverna food, 1.9 km out.
- Taverna Veranda offers taverna cooking, 2.1 km out.
Getting to Elefterna
Getting to Elefterna means driving inland from the north coast into the hills of Mylopotamos. Heraklion is the nearest airport. A car is the practical way to use the village, because the beaches lie about 10 km north over the hills.
Margarites is the neighbouring village, 2 km off and 27 kilometres from Rethymno. Panormo, on the coast about 22 km east of Rethymno, has direct access from the coastal national road.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Elefterna in Crete?
Elefterna lies inland in the Mylopotamos country of the Rethymno region, 2 km from Margarites and about 10 km south of the north coast. Margarites sits 27 kilometres from Rethymno city, and Arkadi Monastery is 4.6 km from the village.
What is Elefterna known for?
Elefterna is known for the ancient town of the same name beside it. The site lies 1 km from the modern village, an archaeological museum stands 600 m from the centre, and neighbouring Margarites is itself described by its position near ancient Eleftherna.
Does Elefterna have a beach?
Elefterna is inland and has no beach of its own, and the nearest coast is about 10 km north. Skaleta, Spilies, Geropotamos, Panormo and Skepasti follow each other eastwards along that shore.
Are there gorges near Elefterna?
Elefterna stands among a sequence of small parallel gorges, the nearest 1.9 km away. Those ravines drain north into the Geropotamos, and the Arkadi Gorge, a moderate 4.5 km walk, starts 4.7 km from the village.
Which airport is closest to Elefterna?
Heraklion is the closest airport to Elefterna. The village sits on the eastern side of the Rethymno region, so Heraklion is the nearer of the 2 airports that serve this coast.
Where Elefterna is
Best things to do in Elefterna in 2024 is located at Elefterna. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
