Maravel Garden

Rethymno Province


On the western outskirts of town are these botanical gardens filled with an aromatic variety of plant species from Crete and across the globe. You're free to wander and check out the herbs and medicinal plants staff use to distil essential oils and produce the organic products sold in the shop. The cafe has a deck overlooking the gardens and does a menu of light meals, homemade ice cream, herbal teas and superfood smoothies.

Call in advance for tours (€5), but usually they're for groups only. The garden's Maravel Shop in town has a larger stock of its products.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Rethymno Province attractions

1. Monastery

0.26 MILES

Spili is a bishop’s see (seat of a bishop), based at the massive modern monastery on the main road at the western end of town. You’re free to walk around…

2. Folk Museum of Spili

0.51 MILES

Up a footpath at the northern end of town, this place is a treasure trove of local vintage artefacts. The giant loom or the coffee-bean roaster might…

3. Venetian Fountain

0.57 MILES

The main local attraction is this restored fountain that spurts water from 19 stone lion heads into a long trough. Fill up your own bottle with some of…

4. Preveli Beach

5.53 MILES

Also known as Palm Beach, dazzling Preveli is one of Crete’s most celebrated strands. At the mouth of the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, where the river…

5. Moni Preveli

5.6 MILES

Historic Moni Preveli cuts an imposing silhouette high above the Libyan Sea. Like most Cretan monasteries, it was a centre of resistance during the…

6. Triopetra

7.13 MILES

Separated by a headland, Triopetra is divided into two beaches: ‘Big Triopetra’ and ‘Little Triopetra’. The former is the main attraction and features a…

7. Military Museum of Chromonastiri

7.33 MILES

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…

8. Plakias Beach

7.56 MILES

Though Plakias features 1.5km of beachfront, keep your expectations in check. For the best patch, head 200m south of the main drag, where you'll find a…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "greece/spili/attractions/maravel-garden/a/poi-sig/1623941/1003331",
      "destination": "Rethymno-Province",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Greece",
      "region": "Rethymno-Province",
      "position": "superzone"
    }