PRIVATE-Knossos Palace-Zeus Cave-Olive Oil Tasting-Old Villages

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Crete, Greece

7 to 8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See a side of Crete that many tourists miss with this private full-day tour to places off the tourist map. Head away from the island’s busy beaches to discover the real Crete, visiting an olive oil producer, traditional wind mills, and sleepy inland villages. The Cave of Zeus is open except on Tuesdays. You have the option to enjoy a local lunch.

Explore Crete at your own pace on a private tour
Learn about local culture and traditions from your driver-guide
Opt for a shared tour for a more cost-effective experience
Stay refreshed with complimentary coffee and water

What's Included

Transportation with comfortable air conditioned vehicles .
Coffee, water ,
Liability Insurance
Knowledgeable local driver guide
Olive oil , and Raki tasting.

Lunch

Lunch is OPTIONAL
Admission Fee - Knossos Palace entrance fee ( OPTIONAL )

€20.00 per person
Entrance fee - There is a 15 minutes walking uphill hill to get to the cave .

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We can pick you up from Heraklion Port and Heraklion Region, Hersonisos, Malia , Analipsi, Gouves , Agia Pelagia . ONLY if you book the PRIVATE TOUR OPTION we can pick you up from Agios Nikolaous Port and Region , Rethimno city and Region ,Elounda or if you are more than 5 people. We don’t pick up from Chania Region ,Souda Port , Ierapetra or Sitia .

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

Type to search

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Omalia Olive Press

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Heraklion

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Gouves (Pass By)

Mochos

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Windmills Of Lasithi Plateau

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Malia (Pass By)

Platanus Tree

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Aposelemis Dam

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dikteon Cave

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Analipsi (Pass By)

Hersonissos (Pass By)

Lasithi Mesa

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Stalis (Pass By)

Knossos Archaeological Site

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Barbara_W

Our tour with Ed was fantastic.. He was entertaining and provided wonderful information about Crete, its history past and present. We appreciated learning about the life in the villages, and how beautiful they were. Seeing the major historical sites was great, but we enjoyed learning about the customs and culture of Crete. I would definitely recommend this tour if you’re interested in the culture past and present of Crete.

Reviews

5.0

based on 92 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Fantastic tour of Crete!

Michael_H, Jul 2026

We had a fantastic tour of Crete with our guide Stavros. He was born in Crete and knows the island, its history, and local villages well. He showed us the key areas and several spots that we would have never seen without him. He took my wife and me to a family farm where we picked strawberries and enjoyed them with a wonderful glass of wine. Don’t hesitate to book this tour - you won’t regret it!

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Thank you so much Tony and Katherine for taking the time to write a super great review, it’s so lovely to hear that you had a wonderful time with us and hopefully you will make it in Crete again in the future so we can show you another part of our home island and create new memories while showing. Explore Real Crete Tours

Fun day in Crete

Gina_G, Feb 2026

our driver Stavås was very knowledgeable about the history of creek. He was very entertaining and we had a great time. I would recommend this to everyone.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you very much Gina and the ladies for your lovely review. We are happy to hear that you really enjoyed the day despite the distance. Keep enjoying life . Explore Real Crete Tours

Crete past and present

Barbara_W, Sep 2024

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Thank you so much Barbara for taking the time to write this great review. We are happy to hear that you really enjoyed the tour with us and hopefully we will meet again for more adventures and exploring. Explore Real Crete

The guide made all the difference!!! Completely Amazing tour.

Kristine_M, Feb 2024

Phenomenal tour, can't express how excellent the guide was. The guide, Ed, couldn't be more fun. He was incredibly friendly and more than kind. His attitude made the day fantastic. Great pre-communication. We started with a clean, comfortable van. We went to the Olive Oil factory which was interesting and something I have never seen before. We then took an amazing dive to Zeus Cave. Once completing the crazy hike, we then needed a restroom. With it being off season, many shops were closed. Ed was able to convince a shop owner to open up. We were able to use the rest room and visit the cute shop. Throughout the entire experience, Ed was just amazing. On the way back from the cave, we shopped at an amazing view point. At the viewpoint, Ed brought out a bottle of wine for us. We then went to Windmills, then Knossos Palace. At this time, we were hungry but didn't want to spend too much time on lunch. Ed took us to a local restaurant that was quick and inexpensive. He at lunch with us and we really felt like we had a new friend. We still had time left and he took us into town. He dropped us at a perfect spot, parked then met us in town to show us around. Absolutely fantastic day and amazing guide. 100% recommended!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you so much Kristine for taking the time to write this great review. We are happy to hear that you really enjoyed the tour with us and we will be happy to see you again in Crete to show you another part of Crete this time until then though stay healthy and enjoy life .

A great option with a great tour company

Adam_G, Jul 2023

We were extremely happy with our choice. The communication from the tour operator via whats app was excellent and helpful leading up to the tour. Our guide Nikos was so nice, friendly, informative, he offered us snacks, waters, towels.., we were happy we did the tour with the plateau, windmills and cave in addition to the palace. It was much cooler up there during the hot summer. Be sure to get a guide for the palace (additional charge). It was worth it. Other folks on our cruise had mixed experiences with the tours they chose, we were extreme happy with our tour via “explore real Crete”

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you so much Adam for your super great review, We are glad to hear that you really enjoyed the tour with us and we hope to meet again in the future here in Crete for more exploring and new adventures until then though stay healthy and make the most of life . Explore Real Crete - Tour Agency

One of the best tours I have ever done. Traditional Crete at its best.

Steven_A, May 2023

What a magnificent tour!!! Mike our driver and Ed our guide were like a couple of comedians that showed us the real Crete. From the largest plateau on the island to village life, olive oil making, strawberry picking and the usual tourist sites, it made for a memorable day. Highlight of the day was the superb lunch we had where we tasted the best of Italian home cooking and the famous distilled wine Zaki! If you are thinking of booking this your do not hesitate!!

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you so much Steven for your great review, we are glad to hear that you really loved the tour with us exploring Crete and we hope to meet again for new adventures and fun times. Explore Real Crete

Amazing tour!!

Kathleen_F, Sep 2022

This was an outstanding tour! We have been cruising the Med for 10 days - private tours in each port - and this was the very best! Eddie spoke perfect English, was very knowledgeable and informative, and kept us in stitches for 6 hours! We experienced so much of the real Crete - not just the tourist guides must sees, and ,we were able to customize our day with any special requests. I cannot recommend this tour with Eddie enough!!