Top Crete Full-day Tours

Take a day out from Crete to visit Santorini on this day trip. Board a boat to this famous volcanic island, known for its sea-filled caldera (crater) and black cliffs. On arrival, enjoy a caldera cruise to admire the whitewashed houses perched high on the cliffs, and take an island tour to stroll along the clifftops and visit Thira and Oia. Boat transfers, transport on Santorini, and pickup and drop-off at selected Crete hotels included.

Explore Crete’s rugged interior on a full-day off-road buggy trip from Hersonissos. Drive or ride a 4-wheeler and travel through picturesque villages and countryside up to the Lasithi Plateau, framed by the Dikti Mountains. Follow black-topped roads and off-road trails, traverse olive groves and mountain slopes, and stop for photos and to visit the Kera Kardiotissa monastery (own expense). Traditional taverna lunch, driving instructions, and port and hotel drop-off in the Hersonissos area included.

Boat trip to Dia Island. Sailing ⛵ on catamaran Lagoon 380. Departure from Hersonissos port. All inclusive yachting tour: Mediterranean meal with grilled fish, local and import beverages, entertainment (SUP, snorkeling masks and fins, floating flamingo and unicorn, four-meters water carpet, fishing rods). 7 hours of sailing fun. Great option for everyone, even for families with small children.

Although Heraklion is the perfect base to see Crete’s cultural and architectural heritage, it’s not the only part of Crete that is worthy of a visit. On this full-day tour, discover two of the prettiest cities in Western Crete, Chania and Rethymno. Learn all about the diversity of Heraklion’s heritage, including its Venetian, Ottoman, Byzantine and ancient Greek influences.

Explore Crete on an all-day off-road tour with a personal driver. After a convenient pickup from select hotels, hop in a 4x4 and get off the beaten path with an informative private guide. Visit otherwise inaccessible parts of the island, take a refreshing swim at the famed Preveli Beach, and enjoy a delicious lunch included in the tour price.

Escape the tourist trail and spend a day exploring off the beaten track beauty near Georgioupolis. By traveling in a Land Rover, you’ll be able to access off-road sites that you wouldn’t discover otherwise. Visit incredible archaeological sites, traditional villages, and secluded beaches. If you work up an appetite, you won’t have to research where to eat as a delicious lunch in a family tavern is included. The tour will also take you to a winery, an olive oil factory, a castle, and multiple historical sites.

Our safari style excursion includes all the different aspects of rural Crete. Green valleys, small villages, impressive canyons, beautiful isolated beaches, warm-hearted people... and of course fun and safe off-road tracks that offer unique, breathtaking views. Safari4U brings our visitors away from the touristic "action" and into an authentic Cretan experience.

With traditional villages and plenty of warm Mediterranean sunshine, the Samaria Gorge is the longest of its kind in Europe—but it’s also a challenging and rewarding hike, considered by many to be among the toughest in Crete. This adventurous full-day combination bus and hiking tour from Chania takes you deep into the gorge itself, where large boulders lie beneath soaring limestone cliffs. Follow a 10-mile (16-km) route though the Samaria Gorge and experience the best of the Crete countryside with a guide.

The best way to explore Crete is by boat and this half-day cruise from Hersonissos visits St. George's Bay and the small towns of Sissi, Malia, and Stalis. Set sail aboard a traditional pirate ship; stop to swim and snorkel at the island’s beaches and bays; spot dolphins and sea turtles along the coast; and tuck into a delicious BBQ lunch on-board.

We sail by Fortezza, with its cannon ports still intact to keep the pirates ships out of the bay. So close you can almost touch it! With the view of the Aptera fort, the fort of the Idjedin prison just below it, past the beaches of Kalyves and Almyrides, the isle of Karga we reach for the lighthouse of Drapano. With the White Mountains as a backdrop and always depended on wind direction we may sail northeast to a very small cove with beautiful sandy waters or we sail northwest around another small island to a beautiful lagoon, we drop anchor where you can swim/snorkel and play in crystal clear turquoise waters. While you swim I prepare you a freshly cooked Cretan/Spartan lunch with Greek specialties, local pasta, sauteed vegetables, fresh salad, mama’s olives, goat cheese, fresh bread, wine/beer/soda/water and finally fresh yogurt with sweet fruit and Greek sweets. You enjoy, eat, relax and then we raise anchor to sail back to port, usually as the sun starts to set in front of us.

Walk one of Europe’s longest canyons on this full-day hiking experience through the Samaria Gorge from Chania. With an experienced guide, hike the 10 miles (16 kilometers) through this breathtaking gorge, part of the Samaria national park in Crete’s White Mountains. Walk between towering cliffs, pass abandoned villages and absorb the awe-inspiring natural scenery and tranquility. Keep a steady pace during the 6-hour hike, sometimes over rocky terrain, and finish with time for a swim and lunch at Aghia Roumeli village. Numbers are limited for a more personalized, small-group experience.

Discover the Cretan landscape in style aboard this private jeep safari from Chania. Learn about the culture of Crete from your dedicated tour guide as you traverse the ‘White Mountains’ in your air-conditioned vehicle. Sample local delicacies such as olive oil, tea, and wine at a local winery, take in the views from the Samaria Gorge, and enjoy a delicious Cretan lunch over the course of the day.

Explore with a guided group, the monastery of Kera Kardiotissa and the Dikteon Cave followed by a visit to Psychro village to meet a potter in action. Enjoy the panoramic views from Seli Ambelou Lasithi Plateau and complete your tour to the Minoan Palace of Knossos where civilization history began 4000 years ago.

Our bus will pick you up early in the morning! We will have a short stop to see a cave. Our second stop will be at Elafonisi beach (4 hours) where you will have the chance to swim! On the way back we will have an 1 hour stop at Elos village for lunch! We will be back around 18:00.

Immerse yourself in Crete’s culture and cuisine on this full-day 4WD safari from Chania. Sample fine Cretan wines at a local vineyard, watch a demonstration of traditional knife making, then peek into an olive mill and learn about the island’s famous extra-virgin olive oil. Finally, indulge in a delicious lunch at a local tavern and taste typical Cretan specialties like seafood, feta cheese and savory pies.

Relax on the waters of Mirabello Bay on this full-day sailing trip from Agios Nikolaos. Settle aboard a classic wooden sailboat and cruise across the scenic bay to Pseira Island. After a swim stop here, drop anchor off remote Agriomantra beach to admire and swim in the cliff-framed bay. Then, enjoy a final swim stop before sailing back to dock. Ideal for families, couples, and anyone keen to enjoy Crete’s coastal waters and scenery.

Immerse yourself in the romantic island of Santorini for the day without having to rely on out-of-date guidebooks or patchy internet research. Take a speedy catamaran from Rethymno to the island and join your guide for a tour that runs from the docks to the northernmost village of Oia. Enjoy plenty of free time in the island’s capital of Fira, full of recommendations from your guide: there’s no need to fight for their attention on this small-group tour.

Balos Beach and Gramvousa Island are considered among Crete’s top attractions, but organizing transportation to visit independently cuts into valuable sightseeing and sunbathing time. On this tour, reach both sites with ease by air-conditioned coach in a day and discover the natural beauty of Crete. Follow winding walking routes at your leisure, soak up the rays by the lagoon, and upgrade to enjoy pickup and drop-off at your Chania hotel.

Escape the hum of bustling Crete and get into nature on this full-day tour of pristine Elafonisi, a small island famed for its beautiful pink sands. Soak up the Grecian sun as you explore this protected wildlife sanctuary, enjoying a walk on the sand, or swim in the clear, azure waters of Elafonisi's paradise-like beach just a stone’s throw from the southwest corner of Crete.

Enjoy some of Crete’s most beautiful beaches without the self-drive hassles on this guided small-group tour. Travel direct from your door to Kissamos, where you board a boat for Balos Beach and Lagoon, then savor the soft white sands. Next, ride a boat to Gramvousa Island (own expense), swim in the clear waters, and opt to hike to the 16th-century fortress. Your guide will drop you directly to your door.

Grab your proper shoes and get ready for the 16km hike! Get ready for a lifetime experience and be ready to have your breath taken away by the astonishing view. The descent of the gorge will start early in the morning and it will last about 5-6 hours (depending on the visitor). Along the length of the gorge you will cross a wonderful landscape with little lakes, huge rocks discovered by the bed of the torrent. All together we will get on the boat with destination the city of Sfakia the CHECKINCRETA’s bus will waiting for us to take us back to the hotel. It’s necessary to have with you a hat, sunscreen, a bottle of water and some fruits. All along the way of the Gorge, you could find water spot as well as toilets. The guide of our agency CHECKINCRETA, will follow you all along the day and will stay with the last persons of the group. Pregnant women as well as persons with health problems are not allowed to do this excursion.

Make your dream come true in one of the most amazing destinations worldwide! Santorini is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from Greece's mainland. It is the most active volcanic center in the Aegean Arc, though what remains today is largely a caldera. The name Santorini was given to it by the Venetians in the 13th century and is a reference to Saint Irene. Before then it was called Kallisti, Strongili or Thera. Today, Santorini is the only inhabited Caldera (volcano cauldron) in the world. Unlike other islands in Greece, the towns and villages sit densely on top of the massive cliffs of the Caldera and from a distance appear like snow capping the towering mountain tops. The colored strata of the volcanic rock of these cliffs are spectacular in themselves: chocolate brown, rust red, yellow ochre, white and cream will never let you forget.

Explore Santorini’s top attractions on this guided excursion. After setting sail from the port of Athinios aboard a speedy catamaran, enjoy activities that include touring the volcanic island by bus, exploring the picturesque village of Oia, strolling through the alleys and streets of Fira, and taking a refreshing swim at a black sand beach or traveling by boat to a crater lake.

There still exists a purity of experiences in this world, and you can find it here in East Crete. Have the inside track from our top local insider unearthing gateways to an unseen world by the comfort of luxury chauffeured vehicle at your disposal. Venture from village to village to see the island through the eyes of a local. Get off the beaten track & follow archaic trails across the Minoan mountains embraced by ancient forests. From a perfect mountainside peak take in the bird’s eye panoramas of the Libyan & Aegean Seas. Then lose yourself in the deep veins of magnificent gorges that host wild beauty with a soft heart. Somewhere between heaven & earth, discover a secret paradise of our forefathers nestled within an oasis of towering-aged trees & perennially flowing waters. Revel in genuine tastes of Cretan cuisine with local cooking techniques on a wood oven or open fire. Looking for stories that define people & culture, we want to give you access to Crete’s best-kept secrets.