The 4 Best Knossos Palace Tours in Rethymno

1.Knossos Palace and Heraklion Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 240 reviews · 10 hours · from $35Our pick

Travel from Rethymno to Knossos Palace and Heraklion by air-conditioned coach. Guide Anastasia adds stories about Minoan Crete, myths, and local life along the way. You’ll tour Knossos, then have about four hours for the Archaeological Museum, old town, lunch, and shopping.

“Exactly or even better than advertised on the ‘box’. Great driver and guide, Costa and Anastasia, they were knowledgeable and personable in equal measure. Thank you for a great day.”

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2.Knossos Palace & Heraklion Full-Day Tour from Rethymno Areas

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 197 reviews · 5 - 10 hours · from $25Best value

Travel by air-conditioned coach from Rethymno to Knossos and Heraklion. Choose a guided visit with multilingual guides such as George, Sofia, or Anastasia, or explore independently. Allow extra money for the €20 Knossos and €12 museum tickets, payable in cash.

“Everything was really well organized. The museum in Herakleion was great. Knossos was amazing and we had a great guide. The only negative thing was that we ran out of time in Knossos and didn't have enough time to listen to all of the guide's stories about mythology.”

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3.Knossos Palace & Heraklion City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 152 reviews · 8 hours · from $29

Ride from Chania or Rethymno to Knossos and Heraklion by coach, with about two hours at the palace and time for the museum and city center. Guides such as Manos, Adonis, and Caterina have led past departures, but site guiding can vary, so budget €20 for entry tickets.

“The advertised 8-hour trip from Rethymno ended up being far longer at 11 hours. This was due to a significant amount of stops at different hotels on the way there and back. I expected it would be a little longer than advertised, but 3 hours longer is a little much! additionally, while we were also the first on the coach, we were not notified of our pickup time and location being moved, we got a call 15 minutes before the advertised time asking where we were. Fortunately, we were already ready at the original location, but we did have to march down the marina to the bus. Finally, there was…”

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4.Knossos Palace, Museum & Rethymno city Private Tour from Chania

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) Top rated

Travel from Chania to Knossos, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, and Rethymno in a private van for up to six people. Christine and Thanos share Cretan customs on the road, while an optional specialist guide brings the palace to life. Lunch, snacks, drinks, WiFi, and hotel pickup are included.

“From the moment Christine and Sotiris met us at the port gate holding a sign with our name, we knew we were in good hands. The vehicle was clean, comfortable, and even had a video screen playing helpful clips about Crete and Knossos as we drove—such a thoughtful touch that added context to the day. What really made this tour outstanding was the depth of knowledge shared by both Christine, our guide for the day, and Thalia, our licensed guide at Knossos Palace. Thalia’s vivid and detailed explanations brought the ruins to life—she helped us see what the palace might have looked like, how it was used, and why it…”

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