Top Crete Day Trips

Our Private Full-Day East Crete Tour from Heraklion was one of the highlights of our trip to Crete! My husband, our friends, and I had such an incredible day exploring East Crete, and the experience was even better than we could have imagined. From the very beginning, everything was seamless and well organized. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and attentive. They made sure we were comfortable throughout the entire day and took the time to share the history, culture, and stories behind each place we visited. It truly felt like we were experiencing Crete with someone who genuinely loved the island and wanted us to fall in love with it too. Having a private tour made the experience so much more personal. We never felt rushed, and there was plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, take pictures, ask questions, and simply take in everything around us. Traveling with our friends made it even more fun, and we came away with so many wonderful memories and plenty of laughs. What stood out the most was how well we were taken care of. The attention to detail, hospitality, and genuine care throughout the day made us feel comfortable and welcomed from start to finish. If you’re visiting Crete, I highly recommend this tour! It was an unforgettable day filled with beautiful places, fascinating history, great company, and memories that my husband, our friends, and I will talk about for years to come. We are so grateful for such a wonderful experience!

Our guide was Nikos and he made this a very seamless experience. Started off with a shuttle to the top, stopped at a nice cafe/tavern, and hiked for about 10-11miles before reaching the beach. We took our time and had plenty of time to relax and have fun by the beach. Would recommend wearing at least a thick sole shoe as it is really rocky and unstable grounds.

This was one of the best boat excursions we have ever taken. The boat was beautiful. We purchased the VIP ticket so we had access to the top deck and our own sun lounger. Worth every penny. The chef was great and food was amazing. The whole team onboard was so friendly and fun. We loved being able to paddleboard in the Mediterranean. It was the best and most beautiful experience!

This tour was fantastic and greatly exceeded our expectations. Kostas was friendly, knowledgeable, and humorous which is what made the trip so great. We learned so much about Cretan culture, mythology, and the food! Kostas took us to the best restaurant we visited in our 11 days in Greece (which included Athens and Santorini). We 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!

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.

Can’t say enough good things about Maria and this tour. Go read all the five star reviews and believe them. She was our favorite guide of the vacation, and took us to a cafe, cultural museum, monastery, ottoman fortress, olive oil factory and winery. Maria effortlessly blended facts, legends, and modern observations about Crete, its people, the food, and culture. The day was about eight hours long, and despite everything we did, never felt rushed, and certainly never bored. Miss you already Crete, and Maria! Would give more than five stars if allowed.

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!