Join a guided tour of Knossos, a complex of more than 1500 interlocking rooms, once an astonishing palace built for a mighty king of the Bronze Age. Knossos is considered Europe’s oldest city. As you wander through the labyrinthine ruins, get the chance to see the original throne of ‘’Minos”, the mystifying sanctuaries, the luxurious domestic quarters of the royal family, Crete’s treasures pantries, and the water-management systems. The first palace of Knossos was erected soon after 2000 BC. In 1700 BC, a catastrophic earthquake destroyed the Palace. A new palace was built immediately, the most monumental of all, and for over 300 years it represented the pre-eminent center of power in Bronze Age Crete. The new palace was an imposing complex with important architectural innovations, splendid frescoes adorning the walls, hundreds of rooms distributed in four storeys, impressive storage areas, specialized workshops, and spacious courts hosting ceremonies and feasts. Learn how during the last decades of the 14th century BC, a series of earthquakes led to the final destruction of the palace. 

Settlements in Knossos date as far back as the Neolithic period. Neolithic remains from around 7000 BC are found throughout Crete. Explore the ruins of the ancient Minoan civilization and enjoy a skip-the-line tour of the Knossos Palace. The Knossos Palace was built from 1700 to 1400 BC. Advanced architectural techniques were used in its construction, and sections of the palace stood up to 5 stories high. It featured 1,300 rooms connected by corridors, and a theater and extensive storerooms, which held large clay containers of oil, grains, dried fish, beans and olives – often with gold hidden beneath.

Get an introduction to the best food that Heraklion has to offer by treating your palate to traditional Cretan dishes and exceptional local wines! Go on an unforgettable tasty journey through Heraklion’s local neighbourhoods. After meeting your local guide, start off with a traditional Greek coffee also known as ellinikós kafés. Learn why Greeks love coffee and see it brewed the traditional way in sand and be taught “cup reading”, a centuries-old tradition that reads your future. Enjoy Heraklion’s well-known bougatsa in a family-owned business that has mastered its bougatsa technique since 1922. Consisting of semolina custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo, bougatsa is a must-taste pastry that you shouldn’t miss while being in the city. Continue to a local market where you’ll meet the local vendors and learn about their products. Sample some of the basic elements of Cretan cuisine such as olives, rusks, and cheese. Become a cheese-tasting expert by receiving local hints and learn how to spot the best local cheeses. Taste the island’s famous olive oil and find out why organic Cretan olive oil is one of the best oils in the world. Sit down for a local organic meat dish or if you want to show yourself how brave you are, sample a dish that is loved by most Cretans: fried snails. Move on to your last stop and taste some local Cretan wines in a family-run shop. Keep in mind that winemaking in Crete has a long history that dates back to the Bronze Age. Before you go, don’t forget to ask your local guide for more tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay.

Discover Chania's Old Town on a private or shared group guided tour with a local. Learn about local history, and taste delicious Cretan street food as you explore. Meet your guide in Chania’s bustling market, then set off into the historic Old Town. Unravel the history of Chania as you stroll around the streets and admire the impressively well-preserved architecture. Stroll along the cobbled narrow paths of the city, and learn about Chania’s Venetian past, renaissance heritage, and Ottoman influences. Pass by famous landmarks and soak up the charming atmosphere as you mingle with the locals. As you explore, discover the flavors of Cretan cuisine, stop at colorful food shops and taverns, selling wine, olive-oil, cheese, herbs, spices, and more, and enjoy street food samples along the way.  

Let us introduce you to authentic Crete and our local traditions and customs by experiencing Chania like a local. Follow us on this late afternoon sunset tour through the old medieval town of Chania and the old port and discover all the hidden gems the city has to offer! Begin your amazing tour by meeting your local guide in front of the Municipal Market, the locals’ main meeting point for hanging out. Being built more than a century ago, the also-known as Dimotiki Agora was established to celebrate Crete’s unification with Greece. Through the windy cobblestone back streets, you’ll explore the lesser-known parts of the Venetial Old Port while hearing tales and myths about unique old buildings, famous locals, and rebellions, and keep in mind that although these stories sound like fiction, they are so real! On your way, we’ll show you funky, alternative bars where you can hang out later, and visit favourite-local stores such as a cooperative that is dedicated to the preservation of locally produced crafts and edibles and supports local producers and artisans directly. Then, you’ll head to a perfect vantage point from where you can enjoy the most captivating sunset with the old port in the foreground. Watch the sun slowly make its descent and post some of your once-in-life Instagram stories from here! As you capture the last rays of light, we’ll roam through Chania’s labyrinth streets to a secret garden of a historic building for a local wine and food appreciation feast. Participate in an exclusive wine tasting session of exceptional local wines with international awards, presented by a qualified sommelier, while pairing it with a three-course organic gourmet dinner. Here is the right place to learn everything about the Cretan wine varieties, and the Cretan cuisine, one of the healthiest worldwide. For sweet lovers, you’ll be glad to know that after the wine tasting there is something more sinful on this tour: ice cream! We’ll introduce you to the most delicious ice cream ever, made from fresh local sheep milk, nuts, fruits, and other ingredients. Your Chania by night tour wouldn’t be completed without drinking a nightcap in a local-favorite venue by sipping plenty of “raki” shots, our local spirit based on grapes, and mingling with locals. Before you go, don’t forget to ask your local guide for more hints and tips on how to get the best out of your trip to Crete.

Find what makes Crete’s cultural capital so marvelous. Explore some of the Old Town’s best sights, while discovering the lesser-known Ottoman and Jewish quarters. Get ready to experience Chania with all your senses! Begin at the Dimotiki Agora (Municipal Market), which denotes the old and new town boundary. Sample local delicacies while exploring the market and find out why Crete is home to one of the healthiest diets in the world. After fulfilling your taste buds, stroll around the old town district by passing through its maze of hidden back streets and narrow laneways, visiting Venetian and Ottoman monuments, and discovering doors to secret gardens. Hear stories, myths, and legends about kings, sailors, merchants, heroes, lovers, and artists. Figure out how this city has been a crossroad between the West and East for centuries. Next, you’ll have the unique chance to see local craftsmen producing their handmade products. Hear their stories, and possibly test your skills. Meander through the old Jewish and Ottoman neighborhoods and learn how multiculturalism has changed locals’ life through the centuries. Finally, after walking along the historic harbors' promenade, relax your muscles in a local-favorite spot where you’ll enjoy an enticing table with Cretan Mezedes (local tapas). End the tour here and continue your own exploration through the city or head back to the starting point. Before parting ways, don’t forget to ask your local guide for more hints and tips on how to get the best of your trip in Chania.

Take your taste buds on a journey on this guided walking tour of Rethymno's Old Town. Eat like a local as you step into a local café for breakfast. Learn how to taste honey, olive oil and raki like a Cretan. Uncover the secrets to making paper-thin phyllo. Have a feast under a lemon tree.  Start you tour at a Greek style kafeneio café in the heart of the city. Sit down in a square next to a running fountain and orange trees. Indulge in an authentic Cretan breakfast of a traditional Greek coffee or fresh juice and a handmade sfakianopita cheese pie coated with a layer of handmade jam. During breakfast, discuss the historical sites on your tour, the local traditions and customs, and how all these are connected to Cretan gastronomy. Learn how to distinguishing between high and low quality honey, olive oil, and raki with a tasting experience. Make your way to a 17th-century Venetian mansion house of Yorgos Hatziparaschos who has been making phyllo dough by hand for over 63 years. Be memorized by how the simple ingredients of flour, water, and salt are masterfully worked into the thin dough used in Greek desserts like baklava. Continue to a restaurant hidden in an Ottoman-style inner garden. Feast on Cretan meal under the lemon trees. Savor traditional dishes, cooked with fresh local ingredients and served in a stylish, modern way. Reflect on how the past connects with modern Cretan life with your host. End your tour at your meeting point.

Create lasting memories in Crete as you enjoy an olive oil tasting experience under the shade of olive trees. This entire experience will be enjoyed in the middle of a 2,000-year-old monumental olive grove. Discover the history, culture, and Cretan civilization of olive oil throughout the centuries. During your walk around the peaceful olive groves such as the holy Gethsemane Garden, you will discover the beauty of the Cretan landscape as well as the myths, flavors, and aromas of olive oil. The activity includes an olive oil tasting of 4 different olive oils at a tasting table in the shade of some olive trees. During the tasting you will be pairing food with more types of olive oil, and you will receive tips on how taste, preserve, choose, cook, and fry olive oil. You'll also receive more information about harvesting and olive oil extraction.

On this 1-hour tour you’ll enjoy a total olive oil experience at Terra Creta, located in the heart of the Kolymvari region. Visit the innovative, state-of-the-art facility and learn about the process from harvesting to production. The mill operates only from October to February. Information and tips about best use and storage are provided by the highly skilled personnel. Enjoy a guided tasting of 3 different olive oils and sample a variety of appetizers. Afterwards, browse the store and purchase high-quality Terra Creta olive oils of different labels, as well as balsamic vinegar and Greek olives in travel-safe packaging.

Sample native varieties of Cretan wine at the Cretan House of Wine. Discover delicious flavor and delicate aromas within every glass. Get to know different grape varieties by tasting various vintages. Learn about the characteristics of the region and the personal touches of the winemakers. First, experience the uniqueness of Cretan wines with a tasting of 11 different wines (each of 75ml per glass): White Wines: Vilana, Vidiano, Thrapsathiri, Plito, Dafni, Moschato Spinas, Malavazia Di Candia Aromatica Red Wines: Liatiko, Kotsifali, Mantilari Sweet Wine: Naturally sweet wine of biological agriculture from Liatiko Then, savor a pairing of traditional food with wine, including dishes such as: Apaki: Pieces of smoked pork Dakos: Rusk with tomato and white cheese Tigania: Pork with Cretan herbs fried to olive oil Dolmadakia: Vine leaves stuffed with rice Kalitsounakia: Traditional herb pie Graviera: Aged yellow cheese At the end, play a blind wine tasting game with a bottle of wine as a reward to the winner of the competition.