The Open-air Museum Lychnostatis was founded in 1992 by the doctor and collector George Makrakis. The buildings themselves are some of the main exhibits as they were built thoroughly with the prevalent raw materials (stone-wood-clay).
The museum of the painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) is located opposite the Byzantine Church of Panagia at position Theotokiana, by Fodele.
The museum was founded in 1968 and was officially opened in September 1993. It is housed in a building that is a typical sample of the local architecture and is housed on two floors: the ground floor with a balcony, internal yard, an arched house with auxiliary rooms and a mezzanine.
The museum of Acritans of Europe is housed in the center of Paleochora town, in the old boarding house. It was established on July 2006 and funded by the program "Culture 2000».
The Historical and Folklore Museum of Rethymnon was founded in 1974 and is housed in a Venetian building (17th century) that is a wonderful example of urban residence of the last phase of the Venetian occupation of Crete, in Renaissance.
In the old city center there is the private Folk Museum "Cretan House" which was founded by the passion of two women, Aspasia Bikaki and Irini Koumandraki.
The Museum of Maritime Heritage and Tradition of Fishing (Fisheries Museum) started as an idea in 2000 and the work was completed in 2001. It started its journey as a permanent exhibition in August 2005.