Photo: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credit
Arkadi: walls that held through a siege
Your local guide
Eleftheria Sfakianaki
View profile
Highlights
- A monastery built to be defended
- An 1866 siege, explained calmly
- A courtyard that sheltered villagers
- A family history passed down
- A fortified monastery outside town
About this tour
This session walks the approach and courtyard of Arkadi Monastery, a fortified building outside Rethymno that became a symbol of Cretan resistance after an 1866 siege. You hear the story from someone whose family comes from a village nearby and grew up with it firsthand. It stays on the public approach and courtyard throughout.
I walk the grounds at a measured pace, explaining the walls and the courtyard before reaching the old powder room, and keep my tone steady rather than dramatic. Questions are welcome at every stop.
This suits anyone interested in nineteenth-century history told with a personal connection. It also works well as a longer session for those wanting the fuller story.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
-
Welcome and sound check 7 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Rethymno before heading out.
-
Monastery approach 21 min
You see the fortified walls of Arkadi Monastery from the approach road, and I explain why a monastery needed defences at all.
-
Monastery courtyard 21 min
The camera moves into the courtyard, and I describe how villagers took shelter here during the 1866 siege that made the monastery a symbol of resistance.
-
Old powder room 21 min
From outside the old powder room I explain what happened here at the siege's end, a story my own family has passed down for generations.
-
Your questions 14 min
Time to ask anything about Rethymno: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
-
A short list to keep 6 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Antikristo (lamb roasted upright by the fire) and Old Town, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Athens time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Rethymno, showing you Monastery approach and Monastery courtyard live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet and the link comes with your booking. I keep my voice steady rather than dramatic while I tell the story.
Times shown in Athens time (EET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Reviews appear here after travellers have completed this tour.
How reviews work
Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Tue 27 Oct · 10 seats left From 32,00 €
Book