The 15 Best Tours in Crete

From Kissamos Port: Boat Cruise to Balos Lagoon & Gramvousa - The crossing from Kissamos Port

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 6,755 reviews · 7 hours · from $47Our pick

Sail from Kissamos Port to Gramvousa and Balos Lagoon on a large, comfortable ferry. Swim in clear water, hike to a Venetian castle, see a shipwreck and cave, and buy food aboard. The route may reverse, and Balos landing conditions can vary.

“Fantastic, very well organised and the team on board worked hard to keep everything clean and tidy which given the size of the vessel and the number of passengers is a big task. We had a great trip. The food was delicious and it was great value. Balos and Gramvousa are incredibly beautiful. There are pros and cons to being on whats essentially a cruise ship vs a smaller boat. In this case I think they did it very well and I would recommend it. The only thing I would change is the music haha but hey some people like euro pop so fair enough.”

Check availability →Read our full review

1-Day Tours, Agios Nikolaos Tours, Spinalonga Island Tours, Spinalonga Island Tours in Agios Nikolaos, Tour Reviews

Crete: Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island

2.Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 4,416 reviews · 8 - 11 hours · from $44

Spend 8 to 11 hours exploring northeastern Crete with guides such as Manos, Helena, Alexandra, or Alkistis. Visit Agios Nikolaos and Elounda, cruise to Spinalonga, walk its former leper settlement, and swim from the boat on the return. Transport and boat tickets are included, but the €20 island entry fee is extra.

“Lovely day communication from travel company very good re pick up. Guide informative, again clear communication re timings and where to meet. Ample time at each stop. Very warm at Spinalonga, enjoyable swim in sea on the way back. Good value, well organised enjoyable day”

Check availability →Read our full review

Chania Tours, Crete Gorge Hikes, Full-Day, Gorge Hikes in Chania, Guided, Hiking & Trekking, Samaria Gorge Hikes, Samaria Gorge Hikes in Chania, Tour Reviews, Tours

From Chania: Full-Day Samaria Gorge Trek Excursion & Guide

3.Full-Day Samaria Gorge Trek Excursion & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3,191 reviews · 9 - 12 hours · from $41

You’ll hike 17 rocky kilometers through Samaria Gorge with an English-speaking guide, then rest, swim, or eat in Agia Roumeli before a coastal ferry and bus return. Guides such as Sara and Christina help with pacing and safety, but you need strong shoes and good fitness.

“The tour guide and transportation were great! The gorge itself has too many people. Often, the foot path is only wide enough for one person. With so many people on the paths, some fast, some slow, it kind of sucks. Also, the bathrooms suck. For the amount of money the gorge park takes in, improve the lousy bathrooms.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Agios Nikolaos Tours, Cruises & Boat Tours, Spinalonga Island Tours, Spinalonga Island Tours in Agios Nikolaos, Tour Reviews

Agios Nikolaos: Boat Trip to Spinalonga with Swim Stop

4.Boat Trip to Spinalonga with Swim Stop

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,031 reviews · 4h 30m · from $29

Join Nostos Cruises at Agios Nikolaos for a guided afternoon to Spinalonga. Cruise Mirabello Bay, swim from the boat in Kolokitha Bay, hear about Barbarosa’s cave and Olous, then explore the Venetian fortress with an English or Dutch guide, or audio guides in French and German.

“A really well equipped sail trip, caters for all generations from food, drinks and languages.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Crete Sailing Trips, Cruises & Boat Tours, Dia Island Cruises, Heraklion Tours, Sailing, Sailing Trips in Heraklion, Tour Reviews

Heraklion: Dia Island Sailboat Cruise with Swimming and Meal

5.Dia Island Sailboat Cruise with Swimming and Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,579 reviews · 5.5 hours · from $95

Sail from Heraklion’s Old Venetian Harbour to protected Dia Island aboard a small yacht for up to 14 people. Captain Petros and crew members such as Sofia, Giannis, Mariana, and Manos may host your trip, with swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, a Mediterranean meal, unlimited drinks, and sunset options.

“Fantastic few hours in the Greek sea, lovely crew DELICIOUS food and gorgeous sunset! Love love love”

Check availability →Read our full review

Audio Tours, Guided, Knossos Palace Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Crete: Knossos Palace Entry Ticket with Optional Audio Guide

6.Knossos Palace Entry Ticket with Optional Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 2,251 reviews · 1 day · from $30

Explore Knossos Palace at your own pace with a timed entry ticket sent to your phone. See the throne room, storerooms, living quarters, restored murals, and Arthur Evans’s bold reconstructions. Add a self-guided audio tour in English, Italian, French, or Spanish, and use your own headphones.

“It was wonderful experience to see a part of very old civilisation, well maintained. We had a lovely day!”

Check availability →Read our full review

Heraklion Tours, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Heraklion Area: CRETAquarium Admission Ticket

7.CRETAquarium Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 2,055 reviews · 1 day · from $9Best value

Spend a flexible day at CRETAquarium, part of the THALASSOKOSMOS marine research complex near Heraklion. Follow a clear route through 60 habitats holding more than 2,000 sea creatures, including sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, tropical fish, and protected species. Plan about one hour, or longer with the €3 audio guide.

“what a beautiful aquarium. loads of beautiful fish and marine life to see. great for all the family”

Check availability →Read our full review

1-Day Tours, Chania Tours, Elafonisi Beach Trips, Elafonisi Beach Trips in Chania, Tour Reviews

From Chania: Day Trip to Elafonisi Island Pink Sand Beach

8.Day Trip to Elafonisi Island Pink Sand Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,014 reviews · 450 minutes - 12 hours · from $38

Travel from Chania to Elafonisi with an English, German, or Danish-speaking guide, stopping in Topolia Gorge and Elos before four hours on the beach. Guides such as Simona and Joanne add local stories, while hotel pickup, a modern coach, and a village lunch stop keep the long day simple.

“It was very good trip to a one of the best beaches in the world🏖️ A road to Elafonisi was with excited views and intresting stories about Crete from our guide👍”

Check availability →Read our full review

1-Day Tours, Chania Tours, Lake Kournas Trips, Rethymno Tours, Tour Reviews

Crete: Rethimno, Chania, and Kournas Lake Day Trip

9.Rethimno, Chania, and Kournas Lake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,694 reviews · 10 - 14 hours · from $45

Travel from Crete’s east to its handsome west coast with a multilingual guide such as Michael or Elena. You get free time in Rethymno and Chania, then a relaxed stop at freshwater Lake Kournas. Hotel pickup, transport, and guiding are included, but food and drinks are not.

“I thought this was excellent. A great opportunity to see more of Crete (especially if, like myself, you were based in Malia to the east, and don’t have a license to be able to hire a car!) Everything was prompt; the guide was friendly and approachable and all instructions (like timings) were made clear to us. I’m a bit of a budding photographer and both of these towns were so photogenic (a bonus if you’re a bit cat obsessed, like me, for there are plenty of stray cats to snap!) I’ve heard people mention that it would be possible to remove the lake from the visit but I actually enjoyed…”

Check availability →Read our full review

Crete Gorge Hikes, Full-Day, Gorge Hikes in Rethymno, Guided, Hiking & Trekking, Rethymno Tours, Samaria Gorge Hikes, Samaria Gorge Hikes in Rethymno, Tour Reviews

From Rethymno: Samaria Gorge Full-Day Trek, Pickup & Guide

10.Samaria Gorge Full-Day Trek, Pickup & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,610 reviews · 9 - 12 hours · from $37

Travel from Rethymno to Omalos, then walk Samaria Gorge at your own pace with a multilingual mountain escort. Expect rocky downhill paths, ancient trees, springs, wild goats, and a ferry from Agia Roumeli. Guides such as Pia, George, and Alexandra have been praised for clear instructions and personal care.

“Long day, but great. Well managed and organised. Pia was a fantastic guide with incredible language skills. She managed the group really well.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Audio Tours, Guided, Heraklion Tours, Knossos Palace Tours, Knossos Palace Tours in Heraklion, Self-Guided Tours, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Crete: Palace of Knossos E-Ticket and Audio Guide

11.Palace of Knossos E-Ticket and Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 1,540 reviews · 1 - 5 hours · from $34

Visit Knossos Palace at your own pace with a pre-booked entry ticket, site map, and downloadable audio guide in five languages. Learn about Minoan art, trade, fashion, rituals, and daily life as you pass the South Propylaeum, West Magazines, Queen’s Megaron, and Mount Juktas viewpoint.

“It was a great experience, the audio really brought life to the site and the whole process is very easy. Would definitely recommend!”

Check availability →Read our full review

Crete Quad Safaris, Half-Day, Quad Bikes, Quad Safaris in Rethymno, Rethymno Tours, Safari, Tour Reviews

From Rethymno: Half-Day Quad Bike Safari

12.Half-Day Quad Bike Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,444 reviews · 4 hours · from $70

From Rethymno, share an automatic quad or pay extra for your own, then follow guides such as Nikolas and Jorgos into the Maroulas mountains. Expect mountain roads, gravel tracks, shallow water, tight turns, dust, a traditional café, Lake Potami views, Prassies, water, and sandwiches.

“What an amazing experience! We had such a fantastic time, neither of us had used a quad bike before. The friendly instructor gave us a brief introduction to the quads and off we went. The terrain ranged from roads to gravel tracks and even some water! Very highly recommended, it's great fun. :)”

Check availability →Read our full review

Crete Snorkeling Trips, Cruises & Boat Tours, Hersonissos Tours, Snorkeling, Tour Reviews, Tours

Hersonissos: Jet Boat Tour with Snorkeling

13.Jet Boat Tour with Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,385 reviews · 1 hour · from $53

From Hersonissos Port, Captain Kostas or another experienced skipper takes you on a fast, family-friendly jet boat ride with optional 360-degree turns. After about 30 minutes, stop at Saint George’s Bay for swimming, snorkeling, and a look inside its cave-like shore setting.

“It was a really nice ride, and the captain was really friendly”

Check availability →Read our full review

Guided, Knossos Palace Tours, Skip the Line, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Knossos: Knossos Palace Skip-the-Line Guided Walking Tour

14.Knossos Palace Skip-the-Line Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,380 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $104

Explore Knossos Palace with a licensed English-speaking guide, priority entry, and a small group when available. Guides such as Akrivi, Katerina, Georgios, and Yorgos bring Minoan myths, archaeology, frescoes, and palace life together. Arrive 20 minutes early, and consider the cooler 9:00 AM or 5:00 PM slots.

“Super knowledgeable guide, funny, and able to put things in terms everyone could understand. Wish I'd had her on a couple of my other excursions.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Crete Jeep Safaris, Full-Day, Heraklion Tours, Jeep Safaris in Heraklion, Lunch Experiences, Safari, Tour Reviews

Full-Day Land Rover Safari from Heraklion with Lunch

15.Full-Day Land Rover Safari from Heraklion with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,351 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $113Top rated

Spend eight hours with a small group in a Land Rover, traveling from Heraklion into Crete’s mountains. Guides such as Kostas, Yiannis, Chris, and Darryl explain local history, shepherd life, and Minoan stories. The day includes village stops, a three-course lunch with wine, and time near Dikteon Cave.

“We booked this trip for October 9, 2024. We learned shortly before arriving in Greece the Cave of Zeus tour was closed, however, our guide Kosta more than made up for it! We were picked up first, so from the very beginning he regaled us with his knowledge and history of his home; little nuggets of information that gave us a better understanding of Crete's rich history. The island has so many hidden gems. We loved the random stops to see nuts, fruit, vegetables, even seasoning growing along the road. Feed the goats! We thoroughly enjoyed the fresh food and drinks served at lunch. They waste NOTHING, even leftover lunch…”

Check availability →Read our full review