7 Day Unique Private Tour and Culinary Vacation in Crete, Greece
Olive Oil Tasting and Culinary Vacation in Greece
This package will be a unique private experience in Crete. You will visit four famous towns of Crete, Heraklio, Chania, Rethymno, and Agios Nikolaos. The tour also includes Spinaloga Island. Along with the private tour experiences, you will enjoy a cooking class, wine tasting, walking food tour in Heraklio, cheese making, olive oil tasting, and visit a tavern with real Cretan traditional food. You will also have the opportunity to admire Knossos Palace and the archaeological museum.
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Highlights
- Visit Chania’s town market dating back to the 1900s
- Cooking class, wine tasting, walking food tour, cheesemaking
- Visit Rethymnon, which bears traces of the many different periods of its long history
- Visit Heraklio city and admire castle Koule with old port and archaeological museum
- Visit Agios Nikolaos with its beautiful lake and port
- Visit the Palace of Knossos, Spinalonga Island
- 6 nights accommodation
Skill level
- Beginner
Accommodation
During this trip, you will be staying in various accommodations in Heraklion and Chania.
Capsis Astoria Hotel
At the city’s main square, in the historic center of Crete’s capital city and right next to one of Europe’s most important museums, the renowned Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Capsis Astoria Hotel offers upgraded and sophisticated services to both corporate and leisure travelers.
Capsis Astoria is the most centrally located hotel in Heraklion and a popular meeting point for both locals and travelers. It is the ideal accommodation choice, due to its nodal location and its fully renovated facilities. The hotel features stylish and modernly decorated rooms, state-of-the-art conference facilities, restaurants, a gym, and an outdoor swimming pool in the Roof Garden. With an experience of over 50 years in hospitality, we deliver upscale services that generate an ambiance of warmth and intimacy, the “trademark” of all Capsis properties.
Kriti Hotel
Kriti Hotel is perfect if you want to stay in the city center with immediate proximity to the town's most popular attractions including the Venetian harbor, with beautiful views of both the sea and the town. Rest and relax in one of our 84 modern designed rooms which were renovated in 2014 and enjoy the Cretan hospitality at its best. The friendly and well-educated team will offer you comfort and make sure that your stay at Kriti Hotel will be as pleasant as possible.
You can enjoy free high-speed wireless Internet in your room and throughout the hotel. A good night’s sleep is assured by comfortable beds and a special pillow menu. Coffee and tea facilities in each room, and all rooms are non-smoking. In addition, the hotel offers accessible rooms and amenities upon request, ensuring a comfortable stay for all of the guests.
Program
Day 1: Arrival in Heraklion
Arrival and reception at Heraklion Airport. Check in to your room, relax, and explore your surroundings before dinner. Overnight in Heraklio.
- Meals included: Dinner
Day 2: Heraklio Knossos - Archeological Museum - City.food tour - Cooking class
Today you will visit the Palace of Knossos. The Palace of Knossos is a monument you must see in Crete. It was built 3500 years ago! After you drive in Heraklio, you have the chance to admire Minoan culture at the archaeological museum.
After visiting the museum, you will start the walking food tour. You will walk on the streets of the city and taste unique flavors that will elevate your palate to heaven! In the evening, you will do the cooking class. After you have a cooking class, overnight in Heraklio.
- Meals included: Breakfast, dinner
Day 3: Agios Nikolaos - Elounda - Spinaloga
You will drive along the north coast of the island and get an amazing view of the Selinari gorge on the way to Elounda. Elounda's harbor, known as the Gulf of Korfos, is a natural, beautiful lagoon which is bordered by rugged peninsulas, and with the island of Spinalonga. Let's head to the fascinating Spinalonga Island or just "The Island" according to Viktoria's Hislop book.
For decades from 1913, it was a leper colony serving the whole of Greece. Its small inner network of run-down streets and houses, abandoned by Turkish occupants at the end of the previous century, became home to the so-called "living dead". After walking to the Spinaloga, you drive to Ag. Nikolaos. Agios Nikolaos is different from other towns in Crete. The town's graphic and has a beautiful lake and port. Its unique features, start with the lake ("Voulismeni"), a folklore-inspiringly deep body of water that is connected to the sea by a narrow inlet. Overnight in Heraklio.
- Meals included: Breakfast, dinner
Day 4: Rethymno city tour - Geni Gave - Lunch / Cheese-making class
Your first break is the city of Rethymnon, the capital city of the region. It bears traces of the many different periods of its long history. A beautiful fine, sandy beach surrounds the city. During the Venetian occupation, the city was considered to be the commercial and cultural center of Crete. Byzantine churches stand alongside the Turkish minaret and characteristic stone Venetian buildings show the traditional character of the city.
You can visit the castle of Fortezza, built on the hilltop that overlooks the city, Lotzia which is an archaeological museum, the Rimondi Fountain, the remains of the Venetian fortifications, and several residences characteristic to the Venetian architectural style. Walk the narrow streets with hundreds of small tourist shops. After you drive in the maintenance of the Rethymno area, you will have lunch in one of the famous taverns in Crete with real Cretan food. Here also you have the opportunity to learn about the cheese production process! Overnight in Heraklio.
- Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5: Wine tour and olive oil tasting - Olive oil and tree museum
Drive through the beautiful Cretan mainland scenery to Kydonia Mountain. You will visit a traditional winery. You will sit in a beautiful olive grove and sample a fleet of local wines including Vidiano and Muscat of Spinas as well as some international wines such as Grenache Rouge, Syrah, and Mourvedre. You will visit the Olive Tree Museum. You will see the oldest olive tree in the world, one of 14 classified as Monumental Olive Trees in Crete, aged an estimated 3,000 years.
You will drive to a different winery in Kissavos Mountain, where your Cretan wine-tasting experience continues. You will taste a new fleet of wines consisting of local varieties including Vilana, Vidiano, and Assyrtiko, accompanied by food comprising local products. Then you will visit an olive oil factory owned by the same family, where you will learn about extra virgin olive oil production. Overnight in Chania.
Meals included: Breakfast, dinner
Day 6: Chania city free day
You have a free day to spend in Chania. Chania is a scenic city that combines the strong traditional color of living history with the virtues of a modern city. The traces of all cultures and nations that dominated the city in the past are more than obvious as the city is a living museum where architectural styles and cultural attitudes have been harmonically blended.
Visit the Chania town market dating from the 1900s - it is a cross-shaped gallery that houses over 65 food stores, presenting fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, bread, legumes, and anything else you may like, such as cafés, restaurants, and shopping, to the old town of Chania. Overnight on a ferry.
- Meals included: Breakfast - dinner or lunch
Day 7: Chania - Departure
Transportation to the airport by taxi for the flight back home. Kalo taxid!
- Meals included: Breakfast
Instructors
Rallou Portokalaki
Rallou Portokalakis was born and raised in Heraklion, Crete and like many generations of Greeks before he, she grew to love the great history and culture of her country. Her father has been involved in tourism for the past 40 years and he has shared his passion for providing wonderful travel adventures in Greece - with her. This has inspired her to study tourism herself. Her experiences and knowledge, combined with her love of her country and the desire to share it with others have led her to follow in her father's footsteps and create Porto Planet.
Location
This culinary vacation takes place in Crete, Greece.
Food
Included in the package are 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 6 dinners (4 at the hotel and 2 at the taverna) with Cretan and Greek flavors to satisfy your gastronomic desires.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Things to do (optional)
- Extra cooking classes
- Cheese making
- Olive oil tasting
What's included
- 6 nights accommodation
- Transportation to and from airport / hotel on the day of arrival and hotel / airport on the day of departure
- Vehicle / minivan or car with English expert guide-driver
- Meals: 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 6 dinners (4 at the hotel and 2 at the taverna) with Cretan and Greek flavors to satisfy your gastronomic desires
- All private tours
- All excursions transfers
- All entrance fees
What's not included
- Airfare
- Guiding at the Knossos Palace and Archaeological Museum
- Overnight tax
- Tips
- Anything not mentioned in what's included
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Heraklion International Airport (Nikos Kazantzakis Airport)
3 km
Transfer included
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Heraklion International Airport (Nikos Kazantzakis Airport) (HER). Airport transfers are included in the price.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.