Top Crete Classes & Workshops

Be the soapmaker — not just a visitor. Step into Helleo, a small family-run soap lab, founded by Manos and Stelios, and discover their world of olive oil, botanicals, handmade craft and creative experimentation. Just 7 km from Heraklion, 5 km from Knossos and 5 km from Archanes, Helleo is an easy addition to your day in Crete. Meet the people behind the brand, discover how their family’s fresh extra-virgin olive oil, herbs, fruits, clays and fragrances become handmade soaps. In this private, hands-on soapmaking workshop, choose the ingredients, textures and scent you love and create your own blend. Give your soap its own identity, make it with your own hands and take it home together with your personal Soapmaker’s Card. And the journey can continue after you leave: share your creation and its story with Helleo, and it may become part of the Helleo Soapmakers’ Collection — giving your creation the chance to go further. Come as a visitor. Leave as a soapmaker!

Farms are at the heart of the Cretan way of life and food alike. Enjoy an up-close encounter with a local family on their organic farm when you book this small-group cooking class. Get hands-on with activities such as goat milking and cheese making and tour an olive grove and a vineyard. Then prepare a typical Cretan lunch and enjoy it with wine, raki liquor, traditional music—and great conversation.

Sample some of Crete’s finest produce on a small-group honey and extra-virgin olive oil-tasting tour. Visit a local manufacturer and see where and how these fine ingredients are made, from start to finish. Then, get a chance to sample some honey and olive oil for yourself. This is a great way to learn more about local culture through its cuisine.

Explore the rugged and wild side of Crete on the off-road adventure tour. Travel comfortably in a Land Rover high up into the Dikti mountain range. By going on an organized tour, you won’t have to worry about getting lost in unmarked rural areas and an experienced driver drives with confidence on the mountain roads. When you’ve worked up an appetite, a delicious local Cretan lunch in a taverna is provided.

Get more than just a cooking class, and book a private Cretan cuisine experience that serves up island culture, too. Led by a mother-and-daughter team, the experience takes place outside at their farm, using their own organic produce and treasured family recipes. A meal made with your own hands and homemade refreshments are among the highlights.

Skip the resort buffet and get hands-on with the flavors that define Cretan cooking in this small-group sourdough making class in Chania. Try your hand at the sourdough process from mixing to baking and customize your loaf with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or seeds. Visit the on-site olive grove and farm to gather ingredients for a hearty lunch with wine and enjoy a sweet dessert to finish.

Creating each pot is a unique moment. The ability that clay gives you from a piece of amorphous matter to create objects that will make everyday life more beautiful give it invaluable value. The hours I go to the atelier are for me a source of energy and relaxation, and that’s what I’m looking for those who visit my atelier. The workshop is located 16 kilometres from Heraklion ( acces only with car ), in a unique location in the nature, with a spectacular view of Cretan mountains. The area around offers many opportunities for walking and visiting the nearby villages.

Check out one of the oldest olive trees in the world, plus do some wine and olive tasting at traditional wineries and an olive oil factory on this private day-tour in Crete. You can go at your own pace, since you won’t be sharing your tour with strangers. There is also a local lunch stop at a winery at Kissavos Mountain, which is an additional fee.

With the guidance of our local chef, guests immerse themselves in the world of Cretan Cooking while expanding their knowledge and learning about traditional ways of life. Our main goal of this activity is creating memorable moments for our guests in such ways as becoming familiar with traditional ways of cooking Cretan Food and having a sense of our way of life before tourism and modernity. This activity is handful to all food lovers and people who are interested in diving deep into culture and the past while embracing local products that can be found in our area.

Visit the family home of a local Cretan for an evening of cooking, eating, and cultural exchange. Begin your visit in the vegetable gardens, where you harvest ingredients to use in your recipes. Learn traditional dishes from your hosts, hear the stories behind each, and taste local cheeses. Enjoy views of the Aegean Sea and the mountains, then sit down to a meal you helped prepare, paired with local wine.

Many visitors to Crete stick to the coast and miss out on its stunning mountains and vineyards. Explore the island's hidden heartlands on this immersive culinary tour. Visit an olive mill to learn the ancient craft of olive oil extraction and take a tour of a winery and raki distillery complete with tasting, so you'll leave feeling like a pro. Plus, enjoy a meal of local specialities for an authentic Cretan dining experience.

Feast your senses on the best of Cretan cuisine—and get a more intimate glimpse into the culture than you would in a restaurant—during a cooking class in Rethymno. As well learning how to prepare traditional Cretan dishes, you’ll enjoy an olive oil tasting session and a walk through a local village.

The whole family will enjoy this fun snorkeling activity, which is both relaxing and adventurous. With a small group of no more than ten travelers you'll be taken on a boat ride to two different snorkeling spots. Experience the difference at the open ocean and sheltered spots, both with an abundance of sea life. Snorkeling gear will be provided so you don't need to bring your own.

Discover the rugged landscapes of Crete's northern coast on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV or quad bike) adventure with transfers from Rethymno hotels. Splash through streams, wind along ancient gorges, and look for island wildlife from behind the wheel of a personal solo or tandem quad that can access tucked-away mountain reaches. You’ll need to be at least 18 and have held a license for one year to drive the quad.

A fresh and tasty journey into the world of Beer! Explore with us the magic of craft beer! A 1 hour tasting experience of beers of our production! 5 international labels with a Mediterranean perspective are going to refresh you! The only Beer Tasting experience taking place in the heart of the city center of Heraklion!

Immerse yourself in Cretan cuisine with a small-group cooking class at a farmhouse near Chania. Stroll through the gardens and learn about olive oil and the Cretan diet, then make several traditional Cretan dishes, including starters, mains, and desserts, which you enjoy together afterwards. Includes alcoholic beverages and hotel pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle.

Although Crete is full of olive wood trees there are only a few olive wood working workshops in the whole area. In our workshop you will experience how a piece of firewood is turned into a toy, a utilitarian object or a piece of art.

Olive oil is at the heart of Greek cuisine. Enhance your understanding of Greek food and Cretan culture—and perhaps stock up on goodies to bring home—when you book this guided tour of an olive farm just outside Heraklion. See the olive groves and the mill, discover the flavors and aromas of extra virgin olive oil, and taste oils with artisanal bread, local cheeses, and more.

Getting to know the real Chania isn't always easy—but on this private, half-day tour, your guide will help you discover its local charms. Enjoy a cafe visit with a view; next, head to a winery for a sommelier-led indigenous wine tasting. Then it's on to Old Town Chania, where you'll go for a walking tour, visit a local restaurant, and enjoy a range of Cretan delicacies, from breads and cheeses to pastries and beyond.

Learn about olive oil growing customs and traditions of Crete's Papadomanolakis family, producers of “Pallada” extra virgin olive oil. Take a guided tour of the olive oil production facilities at the family mill: walk through olive groves check out the production equipment, learn about all phases of olive oil production, and taste three extra virgin olive oils.

Immerse yourself in the Aegean Sea with this 3-hour guided snorkeling trip from Chania. All equipment is provided. Swim in the crystal blue waters in Almyrida Chania and explore reefs, caves and see the Elephant Cave of Crete.

This is not just a tasting — it's a full olive oil seminar led by a certified sommelier who fell in love with olive oil after moving to Crete and marrying into an olive oil producing family. You'll learn everything: production methods, olive oil categories, how to taste professionally, and how to recognize premium quality from poor quality. You'll taste oils from multiple small Cretan producers, exploring different traditional Cretan varieties — including some of the oldest olive varieties in the entire Mediterranean. You'll also get hands-on, making your own traditional Cretan dakos using fresh local ingredients and premium olive oil. Hidden in a cozy tasting room in Rethymno's Old Town, this intimate experience offers authentic knowledge and personal passion that no group tour can match. Small groups only, ensuring a personal and unforgettable experience. You'll leave with skills and insights about olive oil that will stay with you for life.

Experience a wine tasting in Crete, the island with more than 3500 years of tradition in wine. We are professionals in the field of wine since 1998 and we truly love what we do. Our team consists of a sommelier, chef & wine maker. Visit our 600 year old stone wine cellar, a unique space that was part of an old 15th century Dominican Monastery. With this experience you will taste some of the finest wines form Greek vineyards, combined with local cheeses and delicacies. Each participant will receive a personalized folder with general information on Greek wines (with a focus on the history of Greek wine). The wines will be presented with detail by our Sommelier, with an emphasis on their individual characteristics. You will taste a variety of wines, accompanied by snacks , and you will get to visit our 15th – century stone build cellar. Snacks include: viriety of rusks & breadsticks, green apple, tomato, viriety of local cheeses & Apaki (smocked pork slices cooked with vinsanto wine)