Top Chania Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises

Explore the diverse palm forests, gorges, and beaches of Crete on a full-day Land Rover safari. Rumble along remote roads in the gorgeous Rethymno region, passing landmarks like Prasses Gorge and Potamon Dam and stopping to swim in the Libyan Sea. Get a taste of Cretan country life when you visit traditional villages like Spili, and try local cuisine with included lunch at a tavern. Skip the hassle of a rental car and let a sturdy 4x4 and guide show you the best of the island’s scenery and culture.

This day trip from Crete packs a lot into one tour. Visit an Ottoman fortress, a local folklore museum, a cheese factory and more. Learn about and taste raki, an aperitif flavored with anise. Have lunch in a kafeneio (traditional Greek coffeehouse) where you can hang with the locals and experience the real Crete.

Skip the self-drive hassles and spend a relaxing day at one of Crete’s most beautiful beaches, Elafonisi Beach, on this convenient day tour. Enjoy pickup and drop-off from hotels in Panormo, Scaleta, Adele, Platanias, Missiria, Rethymno town, Atsipopoulo, Kavros, and Georgioupoli, plus guide assistance throughout. Food and drink are available on the beach, while your driver will break the journey for breakfast (own expense).

Relax on the paradise-like island of Elafonisi on this family-friendly day trip. Admire western Crete’s hills and traditional villages on a drive to the southwest coast, and stop for coffee at the Cave of Agia Sofia. Then, spend the afternoon on the idyllic protected islet of Elafonisi, enjoying its pink sands and clear seas. Includes round-trip transport plus select hotel pickup and drop-off.

Heading into rural Crete alone to discover its villages and lifestyles means either self-driving a rental car or relying on public buses. With this full-day tour, save yourself the hassle and effort, and explore Crete’s mountainous interior in a convoy of chauffeured 4x4s. En route, stop at Venizelos Gorge, stone villages, a cheese-making shepherd’s hut, museums, viewpoints, and more—all of them easy to miss if exploring independently.

After we pick you up from various locations around Chania we will drive through West Crete until we reach the Kissamos port. After approximately 1 hour, the boat arrives at the port of Gramvousa. On top of a steep rock on the highest point of the island, lays the Venetian castle built during the late 16th century. You will have plenty of time to explore the island and swim in its coast before we board the boat that will take us to the Balos lagoon. Fantastic azure waters fill the lagoon creating an rare amalgamation of serenity and ild natural beauty. At around 16:30 we will board the boat back to the port of Kissamos and eventually return by bus to the designated spots you were picked up from.

Discover Crete’s beautiful landscapes and heritage on this full-day 4x4 safari. Sitting inside an all-terrain vehicle with a professional driver-guide at the wheel, you'll coast along dusty pathways, passing pretty villages and olive fields. Learn about life on the island and Crete's agriculture, then head off-road for an exhilarating ride up the mountains. Your tour concludes with a meal at a traditional family Cretan tavern.

Visit Heraklion and Knossos Palace on this affordable, family-friendly guided day trip. Take a convenient all-day outing from Rethimno to learn about Greece’s fascinating history and view its ruins, murals, fountains, and monuments. Experience the Minoan temple and palace of Knosses, wander the ancient streets of the capital of Crete, stop into a local museum, and enjoy free time for a traditional Cretan lunch at your own expense.

Get an introduction to some of the best beaches on the south coast of Crete on a guided day trip to Plakias and Preveli Beach. Venture through some of the island's amazing palm forests and then relax at the beach!As we go to these beaches, crossing with our bus the wild Kourtaliotis Gorge, we stop to see the magnificent waterfalls and the springs of the little river Preveli. Then we head to the sandy beach of Damnoni where a ship will take us in approximately thirty minutes to the famous Palm Beach Preveli.Leaving the Palm Beach Preveli we go for traditional lunch and if you want for one more swim in the picturesque village of Plakias.

Treat your senses to the ancient flavors of Crete on a full-day wine tour from Chania. Travel through the mountains of the Kisamos region and traditional Cretan villages to reach two family-run wineries, where you’ll taste award-winning regional wines and stroll through the vineyards. Sample another prized Cretan product at an olive oil factory, and stand before one of the world’s oldest olive trees on this relaxed culinary tour of northwestern Crete.

Balos Beach and Lagoon and Gramvousa Island hold some of Crete’s most dazzling beaches. But they can be fiddly to reach independently. Skip the self-drive hassles and relax on this small-group day trip, which includes door-to-door transfers from select hotels. Enjoy a couple of hours on the soft white sands at Balos then a slightly shorter stop on Gramvousa Island. Please note, the boat to Gramvousa is at your expense.

The Gorge of Imbros is the second most popular gorge for walkers in Crete after the gorge of Samaria.The main reasons for this is that it is much easier to walk than Samaria. Secondly, the gorge of Imbros is easier to access and despite being much smaller in size than Samaria, there are some many spectacular sections.

Without a rental car, visiting Crete’s Palace of Knossos and capital of Heraklion in a day from Rethymnon means using cabs or local buses. This tour eliminates the hassles, with air-conditioned transport and an option to include a Knossos guide to ensure you cover the highlights and Minoan Crete’s history and legends. Plus, you get free time in Heraklion to visit its Archaeological Museum or shop and eat at leisure.

Come with us to explore Samaria Gorge, the most majestic gorge in Europe and get ready to live a unique experience! We start in the heart of the White Mountains, from the plain of Omalos and will arrive after 6 hrs and 11 miles at the libyan Sea! One should always keep in mind, however, that though the trail as a whole is not tricky, one should be more careful during some parts of the trek. The hike is not suggested for people facing health problems, or suffering from conditions affecting their lower extremities the elderly pregnant women.

Go off-roading in the rugged landscapes of Crete's northern coast on a ATV adventure from Rethymno. Splash through streams, wind along ancient gorges, and look for island wildlife from behind the wheel of a personal quad vehicle that can access tucked-away reaches surrounding Maroulas Mountain. Get a taste of Cretan history and culture during several stops along the way, including a traditional Greek coffeehouse and medieval villages that date to the 11th century.

Chania’s Old Town is being inhabited since the ancient ages of the Minoan Civilization from 5000BC. Since then it has always been a vivid place of prosperity and growth, influenced through the ages by the various cultures, Romans, Arabs, Jews, due to its geopolitical place in the Mediterranean Sea and those who invaded it particularly in the late years, such us the Venetians and the Ottoman Turks. We will stroll through the historic alleys and pinpoint the Byzantine and the Venetian/Ottoman Walls and Fortifications, then walk through the main streets and see the emergence of history from the Ancient Ages from the archeological excavations inside the Old Town to the Medieval and Recent Ages through the old buildings, the churches, the synagogues and the mosques. Also we will visit the Orthodox, the Muslim and the Jewish Quarter and how people lived together through times with peace or turbulence.

On this excursion you have the opportunity to visit the excavation sites of the Palace of Knossos, built in 2000 BC. Knossos was the prosperous Minoan Capital and the residence of King Minos. Some believe, that the intricate Palace with its many rooms was the mythical labyrinth. By discovering the site not too long ago, archaeologists found the first of all advanced civilizations in Europe. The tour is followed by a visit to the Museum of Heraklion, where you can see the largest collection of Minoan findings from Crete.

Do you want to swim to one of the most beautiful beaches of Europe? Welcome to paradise, to the beach with the exotic beauty, the pink sand and he clear water. The Elafonisi (“deer island”) is characterized by many visitors as an exotic scenery and light blue paradise, whereas it’s a little island 200 meters from the coast and between them there is a shallow lagoon. Now, you have the chance thanks to CHECKINCRETA’s bus to make a comfortable and safe itinerary (3 hours duration) enjoying most of the time on the beach and not on the road. During that trip we will have a 40 minutes stop in a wonderful location with natural beauty. Enjoy it!

During this day trip, we explore the oldest civilization of Europe, the Minoan palace of Knossos, which is connected with thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth with the Minotaur and the story of Daidalos and Ikaros. Our next stop is the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, one of Europe’s most important museums, where we admire more than 15000 artefacts. Afterwards, we have the chance to wander around Heraklion and discover a Venetian fortress at the entrance of the harbor, gorgeous neoclassical buildings, Byzantine churches and many fountains.

The island of Imeri Gramvousa is located 20km northwest of Kissamos, opposite the imposing Cape of Gramvousa and 2 miles northwest of the famous lagoon of Balos. Gramvousa is famous for its historical Venetian fortress, which still stands at a height of 137m, over the beach. The fort had also been used by pirates; one legend tells that there is a great treasure buried in the island. Also, the old wreck that was abandoned many years ago near the beach, has become an characteristic part of the landscape. A great trip for any Chania visitor is the mini-cruise to Gamvousa and Balos! On board and throughout the journey, you can enjoy your meal in the self-service restaurants of the ship, where traditional Cretan dishes are being offered, or at the ship’s bar.

Explore Crete’s mountains and countryside by Polaris ATV (all-terrain vehicle) on a 4-hour buggy expedition from Rethymno. Traveling on- and off-road, rumble up mountains and through gorges and shallow rivers to experience the island’s wild side. Pause for photos, visit medieval villages, look for wildlife, and stop for snacks, including coffee at a lakeside coffee house. Choose a morning or afternoon departure, with equipment, instructions, and central Rethymno or Rethymno hotel pickup included.

Hop in a 4WD vehicle for a nature tour through the countryside of Western Crete to the Milia mountain retreat and eco-resort. This convenient full-day tour takes you to an altitude of 2,800 feet (850 meters) with frequent stops for admiring the scenery, snapping photographs, and learning about the culture, history, and traditions of this storied Mediterranean island. Top off the experience with a traditional Cretan lunch with wine.

Crete has a long tradition of fine wine-making, dating back to its ancient Minoan roots. Let a Certified Sommelier or a Local Grape Grower be at your service for a full day, guiding your semi-private group to two premier vineyards and tasting rooms in Western Crete, as well as the world’s oldest olive tree and Biolea Olive Oil Mill. Your designated driver does the navigating for you as you discover new wines, learn about wine making in this region, and enjoy a full lunch with unlimited wine.

By far one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, Elafonissi is situated on the south west coast. A tropical effect is created by its white and pink coral sands. Head to the right for shallow water in a small enclosed lagoon ideal for the children. A walk through the lagoon to the islet is most worthwhile as you will discover this unique coastline.