Full-Day West Crete Tour: Chania & Rethymnon Old Town and Kournas Lake
Heraklion, Greece
- 11 to 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
This group tour takes you to two beautiful old towns-Chania and Rethymnon- plus a visit to Kournas Lake. You’ll keep costs down by booking this group tour, but you’ll still cover lots of ground and have time to explore the towns and Kournas Lake at your own pace. Make sure your cameras are ready to capture the Cretan landscape along the way.
- Hotel pickup from several places provided for ease
- Let your guide and driver arrange all the logistics
- Optional pedal boats are available at Kournas Lake to try
- Keep costs down by booking this group tour
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Tour Guide
- Professional Driver
- All Fees and Taxes
- Liability Insurance Coverage by ALLIANZ for our tour participants
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Pedal Boat Hire (at Kournas Lake)
- Museum Entrances
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We pick up travellers from specific points in the areas of Sisi, Malia, Stalis, Hersonissos, Anissaras, Agkisaras, Gouves, Gournes, Kokkini Hani, Karteros, Amoudara, Agia Pelagia and from two centrally located points in Heraklion town. As soon as you make the booking we will contact you in order to let you know the exact place and time of the Pick-up which is closer to your place of hotel, please check your email.
Itinerary
1
Heraklion
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Chania Town
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Lake Kournas
2 hours 20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Rethymnon Old Town
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
5
Heraklion
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 44 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Overall, this was a very enjoyable full-day trip and I would recommend it. The places we visited were beautiful, and the guide was very friendly, helpful, and well-organized throughout the day.
Be prepared to spend a significant amount of time traveling on the bus between destinations, as the journey itself makes up a large portion of the day. Also, the time at each stop can feel a bit short, so it's worth planning ahead.
The stop in Chania takes place around lunchtime, but the time there is limited and restaurant prices can be quite high. The guide actually recommends having lunch at the next stop instead, so bringing some snacks can help you make the most of your time exploring Chania without feeling rushed.
If you're planning to buy souvenirs, it's worth waiting until the last stop. There is plenty of time there and a large selection of shops, making it the best and most relaxed place to do your shopping.
Overall, it was a great way to see several beautiful locations in Crete in a single day, and the experience was definitely worthwhile.
Our tour guide Maria was amazing, fun and knowledgeable. She told us about the history of the island, gave us insights on the the different stops we were going to visit during the tour and gave us pointers on where to go. She spoke various languages and made sure that everyone was alright and knew where to go, what to do, answered all questions, and even gave us her number in case we needed her while we were wondering around. The places we visited we beautiful and I didn’t feel like I was on a tour, I felt like I was out with my relative or a sister exploring a new place and experiencing a new adventure. She took the time with everyone so that we had a great time. She is with the Cretan Odyssey Company. She is a true gem who loves her job and meeting new people and showing us her beautiful country. I wish I could have met her sooner and spent my entire week touring with her. Thank you so much for making me feel like a family member, the laughs, the stories about Greece and giving me the opportunity for everlasting memories. You have to book this tour. You won’t be disappointed. Thank you Maria for a fabulous experience and tour.
It was disappointing because I expected a small group tour and it was a double decker bus with at least 50 people. So little guidance by the tour guide. Glad to get to see the places we did but would have like a more personal experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Ms Rose,
Thank you for participating in our tour. If you have a look again in our descritions, you will see that it is clearly mentioned that the group size is is 50-55 pax. We do not sell it as a small group tour, so i think your review is not fair. Any way i hope you enjoy the rest of holidays on Crete. Thank you
It’s a good way to experience the west side of Crete. The tour guide gave us good information about the cities we visited.
A great day out. It was a rainy day for us which ruined the vibe a little bit but the tour was still well run, organised and kept us going all day. You get to see three different sites across a wide area!
The tour guide was great . Very interesting, informative and knowledgeable. Just a little difficult following the directions to go to certain sites. Overall it was a great experience. Lovely towns with architecture and shops.
We done this tour on 2nd October with Cretan Odyssey. Picked up near hotel at 7:30am then a long but pleasant drive to Chania with a short WC pit stop on route. Our Guide Elizabeth was fantastic and so informative of all the places we were passing and the history of the Island. We stopped for just over 2 hours in Chania and were free to explore the main harbour, Old Town and fort. A truly special City with clear Venetian heritage. We then moved on to Lake Kournas for some lunch and a swim (for those prepared). Our final stop in late afternoon was the smaller port city of Rethymon. Again we walked the harbour and seen the fort but didn't have time for the castle too. A long day around 12 hours pickup to drop off but really great value.
It was absolutely amazing tour. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore old western towns of Crete. Obviously it would be great to have more time in each town but everything was timed well, just enough to get an idea. Each town would need more than a day to explore . Just a tip for Rethymnon , as there is a very very limited time : if you want to see a castle , just download the map in advance so you know where to go, it’s easy to get lost there. Lunch at the lake was nice , but not enough time to swim. This part could be skipped to allow more time at Rethymnon maybe.
We were extremely lucky to have an amazing guide Elizabeth . She was very professional . She has wealth of knowledge of Cretan history and culture. I have learned a lot from her. It was very interesting to listen to her as she spoke from her heart . She was very nice and helpful . I think she is one of the best guides in the world.
We loved Chania but Lake Kournas was a waste of time. Also, the food served at the taverna in Lake Kournas was below par.
The towns of Chania and Rethymnon were interesting themselves, good old architecture and picturesque streets to explore. We had lunch at Chania instead of the scheduled lunch stop at the lake, due to the length of stop in Chania.
The lake I wouldn't have been bothered not going all together. Didn't really add much and the time allocated for it's stop wasn't enough to see the lake and have lunch at the cafe. (which was haphazard during the rush)
Tour guide was good at explaining the history of crete and it was most insightful.
We got picked up in Hersonissos and all in all it was a 13 hour day, most of which spent on a double decker bus with asthmatic aircon!
In reflection it would have been better to have hired a car and gone at our own pace instead. As it was practically straight along the motorway and plenty of parking options (which put us off originally driving as we didn't know the deal with parking)
It was 4 hours from pickup in Hersonissos until we got to Chania. I felt a bit sorry for other guests who were the first pick ups / last drop offs.
It would have made sense for the operator to have a few minibuses in each area collecting people then all boarding the bus at a central location.
Our tour guide gave us some information on the bus as we drove these long distances. However, once at the destination, all there really was to do is shop and eat. You are dropped off in a marketplace. There is no real historic sites to visit or sites to see outside of the port. The 2 hours in Chania and Rethymnon went by very fast. You get an hour at the Lake. I don't think I truly got to see any of these cities. But just to get out to the other part of the island, it was good. And it was also really hot during this time.
Good tour, but the time in each place was so short to really enjoy each place Tanya tour guide was great!
The drive along the beautiful Med Coast with the blue water set against white rocks and little villages was excellent. Without doubt Chania is one of the most picturesque Greek towns with Rethymno not far behind. Our guide Tania was one of the most informative and professional guides we have ever travelled with. Thoroughly recommend.
Cancelled are trip which as the following day at 9:30 pm Too late to book anything else lost the whole day
Response from Host, May 2023
Dear Susan,
thank you for taking the time to write your feedback.
Kindly note that the tour was not cancelled. On that day you have booked the tour was available in Russian language. We inform you that it was an outdated online listing that let you booked in another language, that is why we asked you to move the reservation for another day.
Please note that we have also sent the email to you at 7:20pm, we also tried to reach you on the mobile phone you provided and through WhatsApp but again it was not possible.
At the end, we called your hotel and then the reception transfer our call to your room as this was the only way to find you and inform you about the trip. On that call we informed you about the options we could offer in order to make another tour or make the same tour you have booked on Saturday (the next available date).
We understood you did not wanted to participate and that is acceptable of course but from our side we express our apologies as we have to handle a lot of reservations and we always do our best for travelers.
We value our participants and we never cancel tours, this was an outdates listing that let you booked the tour which was only available in Russian language and not the one you have chosen. We value people who choose to make our tours all these years and we believe we did our best to accomodate you and also reach you earlier but this was not possible in any way we tried.
We hope you have a great time in Crete for the rest of your holidays and we express once again our apologies on this matter.
Kind Regards,
Cretan Odyssey - Customer Support
Enjoyed the trip but could've skipped the trip to the lake. Restaurant there that was recommended wasn't the best. Our guide was great though!
Our group was the very last one to be picked up. I felt sorry for those who traveled from Heraklion, knowing we still had a very long way to go to reach Destination 1. The bus was comfortable, and our tour guide Elizabeth did her best to share information in both French and English to the passengers. However, while one language was being spoken, the other audience was left in the dark. Since there were monitors on the bus, it would help to give video support to her presentation, allowing each person to follow along in his/her own language. Visuals definitely would help.
After 1.5 hours, we arrived in Chania, which turned out to be a welcome visit. Plenty of options for passengers to see during our time period there.
The trip to the lake was blah at best. Well off the beaten path, the restaurant recommended was very disappointing in service and food. The lake itself was just okay, although some did enjoy the paddle boat opportunity.
Another 45 minutes took us to Rethymnon, almost anti-climactic, since it was a step down from Chania. Some shopping, but nobody was hungry, while others just meandered or sat at a taverna.
We were the first ones off as well, so again that was a very, very long day for the folks in Heraklion.
This was a great trip - a long day but well paced. We had plenty of time at each stop to look around in Chania and Rethymnon. Both places are pleasant to visit and the sights are picturesque. In May there were not too many people so nowhere was very crowded. Our guide Elizabeth was fun and told many interesting stories about the history of Crete and the places we visited. She spoke in both French and English. The middle stop at Kournas lake was just a lunch stop by the lake, and it would probably have been better to skip that and go straight to Rethymnon and eat there. But, the stop was good and the food was excellent and not expensive so we enjoyed that too. We left at 08:30 and got home about 7pm. The bus was comfortable and everything went to plan. We felt this tour was excellent and very reasonably priced.
Response from Host, May 2022
Dear Elaine,
We are incredibly grateful that you took the time out to leave us a 5-Star review as well as the detailed explanation regarding our services!
We take pride in knowing our customers are happy with their experience. Thanks for your support, we really appreciate it!
Cretan Odyssey team
The experience was really excellent. Visits to the different villages and the lake were very interesting, but what made the difference was Elisabeth. Throughout the journey, which was quite long, he was sharing cultural and historical explanations, as well as very useful recommendations. Their dedication and enthusiasm made the tour much more enriching and enjoyable. It was definitely a very nice experience that I would recommend.
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The super nice guide. She was stopped by a traveler (2 meters tall - 130 kg style tree feller) we think he is American. He was accompanied by his wife. He was grumbling about the guide because she spoke too much in French what it takes and then he turned around on me and in English he told me it's my wife in a car because there are 50 people obviously I don't see very well or so have to close his eyes so I invite viator to check with the economic operator and guide the identity of this client because he disturbed strongly all my day
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Chania, Lake Kournas are interesting sites and Rethymnon, a small architectural gem. The quality of the support of our French-speaking guide and our driver contributed greatly to the success of this excursion. One downside: the time spent in Chania and Rethymnon was too limited. A big THANK YOU and happy summer to all.
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Sehr nette Reiseführererin mit viel Information und Anekdoten zur Kretischen Geschichte. Der Bus hat immer sehr dicht am Ziel gehalten. Es gab ausreichend Zeit die beiden Städte zu besichtigen. Es gab immer einen kleinen gemeinsamen Rundgang (15-20 min) und anschließend Zeit die Stadt auf eigene Faust zu Erkunden. Persönlich hätten wir am See etwas mehr Zeit benötigt. Wir haben es sehr genossen uns keine Sorgen um den Transport zu machen. In allem ein gelungener Ausflug, aber auch wirklich ein langer Tag. Von einer Teilnahme mit sehr jungen Kindern würde ich eher abraten.
On a pas pu allé en pédalo sur le lac car pas assez de temps. On a plus roulé dans un car pas bon qu'autre chose. Le resto proposé par la guide , il a fallu une heure 20 pour être servi . Je ne suis pas content de cette excursion
Il faut absolument faire cette excursion. C'est une journée très bien remplie. La ville de La Canée est une ville à voir à tout prix avec ses petites rues pleines de boutiques et restaurants. Il ne faut pas oublier le ville Réthymnon et son port. Après un bon repas une petite baigande dans le Lac de Kournas, un lac naturel. Notre guide était fantastique, elle était drôle et connaissait très bien l'histoire et pleins anecdotes. Merci
Une journée très agréable, on a pas vu passer le temps. Je tiens à remercier notre guide qui est au top pour ces explications, son histoire et pour sa ponctualité.
Cette excursion permet de découvrir Ouest de la Crète sans s’embêter à louer une voiture.
Die Ausflugsziele sind sehr schön. Unser Guide Nektarios hat während der längern Fahrtzeil viel erzählt. Leider wurden die Corana Maßnahmen nicht von allen Teilnehmern eingehalten und auch offensichtlich heftig erkältete Personen wurden trotz Hinweis nicht zum korrekten Tragen der Maske verpflichtet. Es gibt offenlichtliche Gesetzesverstöße.
Response from Host, Apr 2022
Dear Marcus,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback which is always valuable for our services. So great to see you liked the places visited as well as our guides information provided!
Owing to the Covid19, we have enforced certain measures in all our busses. Our tour leaders are there to assist and serve all our participants and I am delighted Nektarios met your expectations. Although they try to advice politely people to wear the masks properly, they do not have the authority to enforce them to follow these restrictions. Safety is the responsibility of everyone, everywhere and we are sorry on behalf of the other participants for the inconvenience caused to you.
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