Offering a sobering account of the Battle of Crete – one of WWII's most infamous battles, which was waged in 1941 in this very area – is this small war museum in the village of Chromonastiri, 10km south of Rethymno. It provides a day-by-day account of the conflict, mixed with graphic imagery and displays of the belongings of Allied and German soldiers. There's also video footage of the dramatic German paratrooper invasion.
It's run by the Greek military, so soldiers in uniform double as tour guides. The museum also covers the 1821 Hellenic revolution, and the building itself is of interest as the 17th-century residence of a Venetian nobleman.
To get here, take a public bus from Rethymno (€1.50, 30 minutes, every two hours from 8.15am); otherwise, Rethymno's hop-on, hop-off tourist bus passes by. A taxi costs €10 one way. Most visitors combine it with a trip to nearby Mili Gorge, 3km north of the museum.
