Small Group: Knossos Palace, Olive Oil, Winery & Raki with Lunch at "Elia" Village
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours
Instant confirmation
Mobile ticket
Modify your booking anytime
No extra fees
Best price guarantee
No hidden fees
Explore Knossos Palace and discover ancient Minoan civilization
Visit olive grove and taste premium extra virgin olive oil
Learn traditional and modern olive oil production techniques
Tour winery and raki distillery with tastings and meze
Crete Cultural Tour Blends Ancient History, Olive Oil Traditions, and Local Wine
A full-day cultural tour across the Heraklion region is offering visitors an immersive journey through Crete’s ancient heritage, agricultural traditions, and culinary culture. The experience combines archaeological exploration with hands-on tastings and village hospitality, providing a broad overview of the island’s identity in a single itinerary.
The tour begins at the legendary Knossos Palace, where guests explore the heart of the ancient Minoan civilization. Visitors move independently through key areas such as the throne room, fresco-adorned walls, and royal quarters, gaining insight into one of Europe’s oldest recorded societies while a local guide provides historical context throughout the journey.
The itinerary continues to a family-run olive grove near Skalani village, where participants learn about both traditional and modern olive oil production methods. Surrounded by centuries-old olive trees, guests take part in guided tastings featuring extra virgin olive oil, tapenade, sundried tomatoes, olives, and fresh village bread, highlighting Crete’s deep agricultural roots.
The final stops include a visit to a winery and raki distillery in Kounavoi village, followed by a traditional lunch in Archanes. Guests sample local wines, including Vilana, Vidiano, and Mandilari, along with tsikoudia and meze, before enjoying a slow-cooked meal with seasonal dishes and homemade desserts. With its mix of archaeology, food, and wine culture, the tour offers a comprehensive introduction to Crete’s living traditions, though moderate walking and uneven terrain are required.
Crete Cultural Tour Blends Ancient History, Olive Oil Traditions, and Local Wine
A full-day cultural tour across the Heraklion region is offering visitors an immersive journey through Crete’s ancient heritage, agricultural traditions, and culinary culture. The experience combines archaeological exploration with hands-on tastings and village hospitality, providing a broad overview of the island’s identity in a single itinerary.
The tour begins at the legendary Knossos Palace, where guests explore the heart of the ancient Minoan civilization. Visitors move independently through key areas such as the throne room, fresco-adorned walls, and royal quarters, gaining insight into one of Europe’s oldest recorded societies while a local guide provides historical context throughout the journey.
The itinerary continues to a family-run olive grove near Skalani village, where participants learn about both traditional and modern olive oil production methods. Surrounded by centuries-old olive trees, guests take part in guided tastings featuring extra virgin olive oil, tapenade, sundried tomatoes, olives, and fresh village bread, highlighting Crete’s deep agricultural roots.
The final stops include a visit to a winery and raki distillery in Kounavoi village, followed by a traditional lunch in Archanes. Guests sample local wines, including Vilana, Vidiano, and Mandilari, along with tsikoudia and meze, before enjoying a slow-cooked meal with seasonal dishes and homemade desserts. With its mix of archaeology, food, and wine culture, the tour offers a comprehensive introduction to Crete’s living traditions, though moderate walking and uneven terrain are required.
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Local driver guide
- Knossos Palace visit self guided
- Olive grove tour and olive oil tasting
- Winery and raki distillery tour with tastings
- Full traditional Cretan lunch with drinks
- Bottled water
- Air conditioned vehicle
- All tasting fees and taxes
- Knossos Palace entrance ticket
- Optional licensed guide at Knossos
- Additional alcoholic drinks
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities
$ 122.01
Contact us 24x7
Select participants and date
Reserve with peace of mind —
Enjoy unlimited changes and full refund options.
Pickup location
Address will appear once location is loaded.
Timeslots: 08:30AM, 09:00AM, 09:30AM
Click "Show Pickups on Map" to open the interactive map and search for your hotel or nearby location.
Click any purple pickup marker to view its connection to your searched location and find the best pickup point.
Activity Provider: Luxury Services Crete
Customer Reviews
Great experience visiting Knossos Palace with a very knowledgeable guide. The process to reserve a guided tour online was very easy, although you could also get the cheaper audio guide or go unguided but if you did I think you would miss out on a lot of the deeper historical information and of course could ask no questions. Parking is about 25 yards up the street in the next lot. There's plenty of it and it's free. There's is a snack bar/juice bar at the staging area for the tours too, right across from the box office. I am really happy I booked and took the tour. It was fascinating, the grounds are beautiful and I learned a lot despite being a Bronze Age and Minoan fanatic already!
WeGuide took care of everything from start to finish! From transport to greeters to guides, we had a great experience. At Knossos George brought the Minoan culture to life as he showed us the important sites and shared the history of this amazing culture. After that we had a delightful time with Ary, walking to sites and local spots and sampling food in the city of Heraklion. We especially enjoyed Ary’s open and engaging manner. It was so nice to have that time with her!
Great tour of Knosis! Extremely knowledgeable guide. Spoke English very well and was easy to hear. Got us through the most crowded areas easily. Well worth the cost! Would do again!
Related Activities
From
€ 475
From
€ 170
