Things to do in Spili and the Patsos gorge

Spili is a mountain village on the inland road through Rethymno, best known for the row of Venetian-era lion-head fountains along its main street, fed by a spring that keeps running through summer. It works as a stop of 30-45 minutes, not a base: there is a handful of rooms and tavernas, no Venetian old town to compare with Rethymno, and no beach within walking distance.

Ten minutes away by car, the Patsos gorge (also called Agios Antonios) offers a shorter, easier walk than Samaria, roughly 2 km down to a chapel and a spring, with no boat exit required. The gorge is open May to October, like the rest of the island's gorges.

There is no KTEL coach here; the north-coast network does not reach this interior route, so a rental car is the only practical way to link Spili and Patsos.