Crete roundtrip

During this tour you will be taken back 4.000 years to the time of the oldest civilization in Europe. The Minoan Palace of Knossos,center of the Minoan Civilization, will leave you breathless as you wonder over the technology and facilities of that period. After this fascinating tour, you will board the coach onto Heraklion for the Museum visit also. You will have a guided tour through the Archaeological Museum, viewing the unique items from the Minoan culture. Guided visit in the Saint Catherine church nowadays a museum with a large icon collection. Heraklion, the capital and business center of Crete is a colorful and lively place in the pedestrian quarter you find the Byzantine Saint Titus church and the Lions Square with the Morosini fountain.

Starting our tour with the first visit to Spinalong next We visit an industry with perfumes and is a vertically integrated unit around the area of herbs, with its own organic crops, a distillery for the production of essential oils, workshop 100% handmade herbal cosmetics with a museum and botanical garden. Further on to Elounda, a quiet fishing village sheltered within the Gulf of Mirabello. From here by boat (20 min.) to the island of Spinalonga, a former leper colony. The Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman Empires have all left their mark on Elounda's heritage. In a walking tour of approximately 1-hour through the narrow main street you will get an insight about the difficult situation in former times. Spinalonga inspired the author Victoria Hislop to write the bestseller 'The island'. When coming back in Elounda there is free time to make a stroll along the shops and harbour side, and/or to have a lunch in a tavern. Enjoy the panoramic views over the coastline and the Mirabello Bay when driving by coach to Saint Nicholas. The small lake in the center is the landmark of this picturesque harbour town. Walk around and take delight in the panoramic view on the lake and the harbour, and make as well a stroll in the narrow streets with a lot of shops and stores offering a large assortment of typical goods and fine jewelry. And next we will pass Sitia that small town far from the main cities and by the end we see the famous Palm trees at Vai.Return to our hotel late in the afternoon

A scenery drive along olive groves brings us to Southern Crete. We visit Gortys, the old Greek-Roman town with its famous law stones, Roman amphitheater and the ruins of the Saint Titus Church - the first Christian Church on the island. From Gortys is not far to a modern winery to see the procedure of making wines, and taste if you do like. Continuing your journey on to the village of Matala, a former hippie village surrounded by rocks and caves. Here, you can enjoy a refreshing swim in the Libyan Sea leaving you time to enjoy a leisurely Cretan lunch at a beach tavern. (If clients do have interest and there is time available we may stop as well at the archaeological site of Phaestos.)

We drive along the north highway of Crete and arriving the Souda Bay  for a short visit at the Allied Cemetery, but before we will stop to visit the famous monastery og Arcadi, Going up the peninsula Akrotiri we stop at the Profitis Ilias Hill with the graves of Venizelos. From here we have a beautiful view over the bay and the town. Chania has seen and survived many invaders, but has also tasted civilizations that left their marks on building faces, castles, walls, antiquities, monasteries and churches. Enjoy a guided walk along the monuments of ancient and modern ages, the Venetian Harbour, the Old Town, and the picturesque neighborhoods' with their traditional life. Free time to browse the shops and famous indoor market which is built in a holy cross shape. A large variety of Cretan goods such as, leather, honey, cheese, yoghurt, olives, oil etc. are offered at the shops. Very surprising is the village Argiroupolis, which is surrounded with unexpected green forests, and abundant in water with small springs and waterfalls. Argiroupolis is built on the ruins of the ancient city of Lapa. We see here still an old mosaic, and enjoy the village life.And our last visit for today is the visit of city of Rethymno.

With our coach we travel to Dicti Mountain and the Lassithi Plateau (850 m). On your way to theLassithi Plateau (850m) visit the Kera Kardiotissa Nunnery, a 14th century Monastery housing late Byzantine frescoes. At Seli, the gateway to the Lassithi Plateau, stands a significant group of windmills and from here you will enjoy a fantastic view over the plateau. In the chalet style restaurant, viewing the plain, you can taste delicious local specialties. Continue by coach as you travel through the fourteen-(14) small villages located around the plain. Visit Psychro, were a path is leading to the Dicti Cave. Going up a steep cobble path it is fifteen minutes on foot or by mule to the entrance of the cave, which is at an altitude of 1025m. The cave has several chambers with fine stalactites and stalagmites, and is also associated with the birth of Zeus (Jupiter). On the return journey travel via Mochos you can revel in the wonderful view over the Bay of Mallia.

Free morning to city of Heraklion for your memory byus and later we will go to the airport for our flight back