Top Crete Day Trips

Amazing trip, highly recommend to anyone interested in hiking the Samaria Gorge! The views were fantastic and you get to hike the trail on your own pace. After all the hiking you get to relax on the beach and eat at the local restaurants. Our guide Nikos was great and very helpful too.

A fantastic day from start to finish. We learnt so much from our brilliant guide Michael and enjoyed every minute. Highlights were feeding the goats and the delicious lunch but everything was great. The cave of Zeus was very atmospheric and it was wonderful to be able to get up so high off road in the mountains.

This experience was wonderful for our family and George was a very informative guide. I learned so much about Crete from him. We started at a small bakery outside of Rethymno (our pick up location) which was absolutely delicious. Then, we drove about 20-30 mins to the gorge. The gorge was beautiful. One thing to note is that in the gorge, there was two pools. The second pool inside the gorge, you have to “swim” (water is about chest/armpit level) to get to. However, for us, the water very cold so it would be good to bring a wet suit (the water so cold that even in the first pool where it’s only calf deep, our legs felt like they were locking up). With that being said, even just seeing the gorge from the first pool, was beautiful and worth it for those that really enjoy nature’s magnificent creations. We then chose Kalypso beach which was probably one of my favorite beaches. It is more of a fjord than the long beaches you are used to in Greece, but the water temp was wonderful and there were cliffs that the kids could jump from. Lastly, we stopped at a small taverna with more traditional Cretan food where they show you the specials of the day inside of the pots they are being cooked in, in the kitchen. Food was delicious and staff was so kind. Highly recommend this tour.

This is so much more than just a cooking class—it's a genuine cultural experience filled with incredible food, warm hospitality, and memories we'll never forget. We couldn't recommend it more highly. Thank you to Kosta, Maria, and the whole family for such a wonderful day!

Kostas was a great tour guide. We took his private tour of East Crete. He was friendly, talkative and very knowledgeable. He took us to an olive oil factory, Zeus Cave, Knossos Palace and many other sites. The tour seems to be customizable, so let him know if there are specific sites that you wish to see. The tour included lunch at a traditional Cretan restaurant and was amazing. Kostas also had traditional Cretan treats for us to try at each stop. I would definitely recommend this tour.

1. Our guide, Michelangelo (Mikel) had a great sense of humor and knowledge of Cretan history. The guides are integral to the entertainment of the tour, as they narrate and demonstrate each stop on the way. 10/10 for our guide. 2. The stops include views of beautiful mountain, lake, and ocean vistas for photos. Because there were only 8 people in the Land Rover, we had time to take a lot of photos. Our guide also took photos for us. Most of the vistas were isolated. We don’t have to compete with other tourists for the best spot. 3. First stop was to a traditional farm house to sample homemade raki, goat cheese, bread and olive oil. We got to grind wheat in a grindstone and milk a female goat. 4. The best stop of all was to see Zeus’ Cave. The entrance fee of €15 is not included in the tour price. The line to pay at the window took about 5 minutes. One had to hike 15 minutes uphill to the to the entrance. Once inside, there are well-constructed steps (200 down, 200 back up) and railing for the large cave. The visit takes about 10 minutes. Outside of the hills are also nice cafes and souvenir shops selling local crafts. 5. Lunch at a taverna in the mountains was simple but very tasty. I elected for a baked 1/4 chicken with lemony potatoes, Greek salad, green beans, bread with olive oil, and local red and white wine. The off-road experience in an old Land Rover jeep was a lot of fun, but the car did not have air-conditioning. We were picked up at our hotel at 8 AM, and picked up two other groups before starting the journey. We were home by 4 PM. One other annoyance was that as I tried to book this tour, I was unable to use my Viator credits. Viator also did not respond to my email or text inquiries.

What a wonderful day on the water! The captains were delightful, very kind and attentive, warm and friendly. There were 12 passengers which seemed too many at first but we were then aloud to spread out and sit on the front deck of the boat which was PERFECT! The blue water was beautiful and the lunch was superb! Dia Island wasn’t much to see, a place to drop anchor and be protected from the wind. We had a blast swimming, snorkeling and SUPing around. Thank you Alex and Vascili for a wonderful day!

Was a full day with 3 main stops. There is plenty time at each place to enjoy the areas and have quick drink if you want. The towns are very pretty and Spinalonga very interesting. It is €20 extra to get into Spinolonga but you can just sit and enjoy view of port or paddle if you don't want to walk round. If you want to jump of boat into water for swim on way back ensure you already have swim wear on. Transfers were great and local. All staff were friendly and helpful. Thoroughly enjoyed our day. Totally recommended