Wandering around this leafy cemetery created by the Minoans between 1600 and 1150 BC, you can practically sense the presence of uncounted souls once buried in the more than 200 rock-cut tombs. Today, the tombs' dromos (long, sunken corridors) leading to damp chambers are open for exploration – tombs 159 and 200 are especially impressive. Some of the grave offerings unearthed at Armeni, including pottery, bronze ornaments, weapons, jewellery and a boar's-tusk helmet, are now at Rethymno’s Archaeological Museum.
The ticket office is rarely attended, so you can often just walk in. The site is a 15-minute drive south of Rethymno.