Crete · CRETAN VILLAGE DAY TRIPS
The mountain villages are where the island still cooks, weaves and distils for itself. These 15 days go up into them — usually with an olive mill, a taverna table and a raki you did not ask for — priced, timed and clear on how much driving is involved.
Crete quad safari with Agia Pelagia views, olive mill tasting, Achlada ghost village, and Fodele orange village.
“Mr Stan was amazing, truly a great host and made the experience so enjoyable!”
Elafonissi day trip from Chania with pink sand, lagoons, and an Elos Village stop for optional Cretan lunch, no driving stress.
“Very good, we had enough time for the beach and the lunch in Elos was delicious”
A small-group Crete day from Heraklion with olive oil tastings, village walks, Lasithi windmills, Zeus cave, and optional Knossos.
“One of the best tours we have had on this trip. Stavros had an incredible knowledge of Crete and was extremely welcoming to all of us on the tour. We especially enjoyed seeing the non-touristy parts of the island, including visiting olive oil presses and local farms. Would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Crete.”
Hands-on Cretan cooking near Chania with kleftiko lamb, dolmades, dakos, kalitsounia, and wine. Pickup optional, 4-5 hours.
“This was one of our favorite things we did in Crete! HIGHLY recommend to do this if you are traveling to Crete. The entire family is so nice and welcoming. Alex picked us up from our hotel (they do offer transfer services) and he was a pleasure to get to know. Verna was an absolute gem. She was friendly, welcoming, funny, and she gave great instruction for the class. We loved meeting the other couples in the class and overall this was an amazing experience. A MUST DO for sure. 10/10!!”
Heraklion day trip to Lasithi Plateau, the Zeus Cave area, olive oil tastings, villages, and Knossos, with door-to-door Wi-Fi transport.
“Had a great time with Marinos. Not a second was wasted and the tour was flexible to our needs and interests. Would highly recommend to anyone.”
Explore Apokoronas villages from Chania with coffee and bakery tastings, a gentle nature walk, and lunch in a local cafeneio.
“Gyannis was our guide for our first tour, what a pleasure he was to spend the day with. He had tremendous knowledge of the local area. This trip ended up being more than we expected. Walking through a farming area enjoying the melody of a rushing river. Eating a freshly picked orange and admiring the many different types of fruit growing here. The snow capped White Mountains were beautiful in the background. We had Greek coffee and a cheese fried pie our second stop, a local Cafe. A cheese store where we sampled different cheeses that they made there. A village bakery where we sampled bread, snacks, olive oil and…”
A small group morning tour from Chania to Apokoronas villages, with coffee, cheese and olive oil tastings, and a village lunch.
“Really excellent excursion to the 7 villages of Crete.Our guide Janis was extremely knowledgeable and nice and told us a lot about the local rural area, about the local crops and plants and took us to a cheese factory,which was very interesting.We also had a very enjoyable lunch at a taverna with some interesting and nice people on the same excursion,including quite a few Australian ladies and gent.”
Spend the day from Chania on an A/C bus to Elafonissi pink-sand beach, with a stop at Elos chestnut village and optional Agia Sofia Cave.
“Our guide was excellent and the driver was skilled. The restaurant we stopped at was good and our guide was hands down knowledgeable and well spoken. The only downfall (and why Thai trip did not get 5 stars) was that we were expecting a pink beach but were surprised when there was not any pink. Apparently it would have been if we went in May but since we were there after the touristy time, the coral from the south that influences the “pink” of the sand was not longer. Overall, we are happy we did not rent a car and took the tour”
Ride an e-bike through Aposelemis Canyon and Cretan villages, visit Skotino cave, and learn olive cultivation with coffee and local tasting.
“Great tour. Very friendly guide who showed us the Cave of St. Paraskevi, in use since Neolithic times, and many nice spots in the Cretan environment. The quality bikes made it also pleasant.”
Guided 9 km hike in Imbros Gorge from Chania, then Sfakia beach swim and lunch, plus Venetian fortress ruins for about $35.
“We all really enjoyed our trip to imbros gorge. We were collected on time. Carolina our guide gave us lots of information on the way and gave clear information on where we would meet at the end and what to do if any problems. Unfortunately the listing doesnt make it clear you have to use cash for the gorge. we had limited with us and left on the bus so had to walk back. would be useful to have this on the to bring lost. the beachstop was not great, but we saw it as a bonus, not the main part of the trip. there was a tiny beach and…”
Small-group Crete day from Heraklion with an olive oil factory, village walks, Lasithii Plateau, optional Zeus Cave and Knossos.
“Effortlessly switching between informational and personal flair, the guide Stavros is a welcoming and friendly chap. He communicates well and listens to what the group wants. It's like getting a tour from distant uncle.”
Rethymno Old Town food tour: raki, Cretan plates, baklava making in a Venetian mansion, and lokma donuts, 3 hours.
“Everything was great. I absolutly recommend doing this if you want great food and a guide who knows every street and tells little facts that make the trip both fun and interesting.”
Open-top Jeep road and off-road in East Crete with village visits, the Afentis summit view, and a 3-course taverna lunch.
“Der Ausflug war top…und ich würde ihn uneingeschränkt weiter empfehlen! Man sieht was von der Insel, bekommt viel Hintergrundwissen erklärt und kann wenn mal will selber mit den Jeep‘s fahren! Alles super organisiert und umgesetzt…Danke nochmal für den tollen Tag.”
Olive oil, Lasithi windmills, Zeus Cave, and Knossos in one small-group day from Heraklion, with tastings and optional guides.
“Stavros was a fantastic guide; he was engaging and so knowledgeable, and really seemed to love showing us these special parts of Crete.”
Knossos Palace, the Zeus cave area, Lasithi Plateau, and olive oil tastings, with villages and door-to-door pickup from Heraklion.
“Amazing family-like experience! Marinos was up to and above expected standard, providing us with a unique local touch. Home-made cookies and freshly picked strawberries were a nice surprise. Higly recomendeded for those that wanna see Crete through locals eyes, without rush or crowded tour. P.S. Restaurant, or rather food in it was amazing too )”
Every kind of day on the island, and the best of each.
