Rethymno’s mountainous hinterland offers lots of options for interesting routes and detours. In a single day, you could easily combine a visit to the historic Moni Arkadiou with a poke around the pottery village of Margarites, while also taking in the ruins of Ancient Eleftherna. Further east, the foothills of Mt Psiloritis beckon with a couple of charismatic caves and traditional villages like Axos and Anogia; the latter is also the launch pad for the precipitous drive up to the Nida Plateau.