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!

We chose this tour because we specifically wanted to see Balos Lagoon from the top. Arriving by boat is undoubtedly beautiful, but it doesn't provide the same breathtaking "wow" moment as seeing the lagoon from above before hiking down. We had a rental car and were surprised to learn when picking up the car that rental agreements in Crete typically prohibit driving the rough road to Balos, with penalties of €250-300 for doing so. This is not always made very clear by rental agencies. Choosing this tour turned out to be an excellent decision. The pickup location was easy to find, with free parking just a couple of minutes away. We received a warm welcome, interesting local stories, and useful tips before heading to the start of the hike. The views of Balos from the top were absolutely spectacular, and we had plenty of time to enjoy the turquoise shallow waters of the lagoon. A nice touch was the bottle of ice-cold water waiting for us after the hike back. My advice: don't attempt the off-road drive in a rental car. Apart from potential penalties, the road conditions are quite rough. Also, make sure to wear proper footwear for the hike. Overall, this was a well-organized experience and, in our opinion, the best way to visit Balos Lagoon. Highly recommended!

We absolutely loved this luxury catamaran trip from start to finish. The ambiance on board was fantastic — relaxed yet elegant, perfect for the occasion. The food was excellent and beautifully varied, with something to suit everyone. The staff were incredibly friendly and attentive, and their storytelling really added a special touch to the whole experience, giving us a real feel for the area. Comfort was top notch throughout. Highly recommend — a wonderful day out on the water exploring these wonderful Balos

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 was one of the highlights of our stay in Crete. Loved the cooking, wine and honey tasting and very generous with a variety of different foods and wine. Made more special by a smaller group and lovely conversations with our guide Kostas and Maria, with some gems of knowledge and history. We were made to feel so welcome in beautiful surroundings. We all had a great time, very interactive and really full at the end! Opportunity to purchase some products if you wished and also received a gift each as well as a prize for winning the quiz!

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!