Top Crete Food & Drink

Visit the family mountain home of a local Cretan for a completely authentic evening of cooking, eating, and cultural exchange. Begin your visit with a walk through the vegetable gardens, where you harvest ingredients to use in your recipes. Learn traditional dishes from your hosts, and hear the stories behind each dish. Enjoy a walk through the mountain paths with views of the Aegean Sea. Sit down to a meal you helped prepare, including local wine and a sweet dessert.

Getting to know the real Chania is difficult without a guide to show you behind the tourist sights. This small-group tour delivers: introducing you to its foods, customs, people, and wines in ways only a local can. Stroll around Chania’s lanes, churches, and monuments; meet townsfolk, visit authentic spots, and sample staples such as sesame bread, cheese, and Cretan honey before a wine-tasting. Hotel pickup and drop-off is included.

Immerse yourself in Crete’s culture and cuisine on this full-day 4WD safari from Chania. Sample fine Cretan wines at a local vineyard, watch a demonstration of traditional knife making, then peek into an olive mill and learn about the island’s famous extra-virgin olive oil. Finally, indulge in a delicious lunch at a local tavern and taste typical Cretan specialties like seafood, feta cheese and savory pies.

The island of Crete has been an active winemaking region for centuries – men and women have been growing grapes on the island and turning it into wine since the times of ancient Greece. On this easygoing afternoon tour, visit wineries carrying on that tradition today in a small and intimate tour group. Enjoy exclusive behind the scenes walks through these wineries, sample their wines and learn how to taste them like the professionals on the island.

We believe in experiencing and feeling the authentic vibes of every place. One of the "must do" things you should do coming to Crete is to taste some of local foods. It is a common truth that Cretan gastronomy is the main body of Mediterranean diet (proven by many studies such as "The Seven Countries Study"). So, we offer you the opportunity not only to taste the Cretan cuisine but also to learn & cook authentic Cretan recipes by your own! We have been born and bred in Crete for more than three generations. So, the Cretan lifestyle & diet runs in our veins. Along with my mother, we would love to share with you all the secrets of traditional Cretan cuisine, cook authentic Cretan recipes and learn cooking techniques that we follow for more than 3 generations. All in all, we want to make you feel like a local Cretan. We want to immerse you in Cretan culture & spirit. Smell, taste & feel our tradition, through a unique hands-on cooking experience!

Discover the cultural heart of Crete on this full-day tour of Apokoronas from Chania. Learn more about Cretan life, traditions, and handicrafts at the Apokoronas Museum; enjoy wine tasting at the wineries of the White Mountains; and sample local specialties such as rusks, raki, and cheeses; then tuck into a typical Cretan lunch.

Get a hands-on experience of Cretan cooking that goes far beyond simply eating in a Greek restaurant. You’ll be invited into your chef guide’s home to try making some Cretan specialities, including tzatziki, homemade cheese, moussaka, Greek salad, and others. Learn alongside a small group of just 10 fellow food lovers, which makes for an intimate atmosphere and plenty of time to ask questions.

Prepare for the ultimate Cretan foodie experience on this private gastronomy tour. Take the risk out of choosing a good place to eat by having a guide to take you to Heraklion’s most delicious eateries. You’ll save time researching where to eat and learn about Cretan cuisine as you explore and taste your way around town. Highlights include cream pies, Greek donuts, cheese, visiting an old-fashioned herb shop, and trying fresh seafood.

Rethymno’s many artisan food producers present the perfect opportunity to explore the fresh, seasonal and often plant-based cuisine of Crete. Although poor quality fare is uncommon in Rethymno, if your time on Crete is limited you’ll want to focus in on the best Cretan food in town. This tour combines Rethymno’s culinary and historic heritage to provide you with an introduction as relaxed and simple as life here.

Get under the skin of Old Rethymnon on a 4-hour morning walking tour, including a food and wine tasting. Join your informative guide and hear about the city’s Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman and even piratical conquerors through the ages. Trace the steps of warriors, sultans and nobles around the cobbled Old Town; view churches, mosques, markets and fountains, and gaze at the Venetian Fortezza. On route, get insider tips on local foodie hotspots, and stop to sample Cretan wine and snacks such as delicious ‘koulouri’ sesame-sprinkled bread, juicy olives and cheese.

We believe in experiencing and feeling the authentic vibes of every place. We have been born and bred in the South Crete (in Messara Plain) for more than three generations. So, the Cretan lifestyle & diet runs in our veins. Along with my grandmother & my mother, we would love to immerse you in Cretan culture and spirit! We would love to do that by showing you how we used to cultivate olive groves and how we do now, how you can see if an olive oil is extra virgin or not, how we harvest olive oils. Moreover we will guide you in our family's greenhouses and show you how we cultivate them. And the best part come in the end...We will have a traditional picnic under a big olive tree, where my grandma will show you how we make cheese, you will have the chance to taste warm mizithra (kind of cheese) and a variety of local meze and raki! All in all, we want to make you feel like a local Cretan. Smell, taste & feel our tradition, through a unique food tour experience!

The first references of wine and olive oil in Crete date back to 5000BC during the Minoan civilization. 7000 years later, Cretans produce wine, beer and olive oil on the same land, with the only changes the enhancement of production through technology and the optimization of crops. In this tour we will visit a winery, a beer and an olive oil factory. All three have high standards of production, marrying the old traditions with modern technology and processing. In each location we will spend around one hour touring the facilities and tasting. We can be flexible and eat in a local restaurant, visit a 5000 year old olive tree, nearby monastery, Maleme airfield and the WW2 military cemetery. Tour times in each location can be modified depending on the travelers' starting time and the date. Before confirming each tour, I have to double check that the tours will be available. Each location has 3-4 time slots available.

Have the opportunity to visit the only fresh water natural lake in the island of Crete, where you will relax and have a coffee break in a local taverna. You will admire the beauty of nature by riding a pedalo and for the brave ones by swimming into the lake with the ducks and the turtles. Next is the main destination the winery, where you will have a tour in the courtyard, the botanical garden and then to the production and storage area of the wines, to learn all the secrets of production and bottling. Then you will taste the delicacies of Crete in a light lunch with local wine.

From the tree to the bottle, you will find out everything about extra virgin olive oil. How are the olives harvested? How is the olive oil produced? What is the difference between First Cold Pressed and Cold Extraction? What should an extra virgin olive oil taste like? Discover our naturally flavoured oils with fruits and herbs from our Estate.

The best way to explore Crete is by boat and this half-day cruise from Hersonissos visits St. George's Bay and the small towns of Sissi, Malia, and Stalis. Set sail aboard a traditional pirate ship; stop to swim and snorkel at the island’s beaches and bays; spot dolphins and sea turtles along the coast; and tuck into a delicious BBQ lunch on-board.

Discover the Cretan landscape in style aboard this private jeep safari from Chania. Learn about the culture of Crete from your dedicated tour guide as you traverse the ‘White Mountains’ in your air-conditioned vehicle. Sample local delicacies such as olive oil, tea, and wine at a local winery, take in the views from the Samaria Gorge, and enjoy a delicious Cretan lunch over the course of the day.

Wine Adventure Tour by Chania Wine Tours  Spend a full day swirling, sipping, and tasting through western Crete with wine professionals. Perfect for honeymoons, birthdays, or other special occasions. Vasili and Anna Maria, the owners of Chania Wine Tours, are Greek-Americans that returned to their ancestral home of Crete. They are passionate wine people- Vasili owns vineyards and Anna Maria is a Certified Sommelier.  The first half of the day is dedicated to olive oil. Take in the endless olive trees at the Cave of Saint John the Hermit, learn all about olive oil production at Biolea Estate olive mill, and visit the oldest olive tree in the world! The second half of the day is for wine! Visit the vineyards and tasting room at Karavitakis Winery. Learn how to taste wine properly and how grapes are grown. Enjoy 6 wines. Then to Manousakis Winery for a tour of the winery to learn how wine is made before enjoy 5 more wines. Full lunch with unlimited wine is served on their terrace.

Enjoy a fun introduction to Cretan culture on this evening tour. Tuck into a delicious dinner of typical island cuisine, sip fine Greek wine and be entertained by a thrilling Cretan Folklore show, including live music and traditional dance. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

Learn more about the culture of Crete through this hands-on cooking class in a local home. Try your hand at recipes that have been passed down through generations, and learn the tips and techniques necessary to reproduce these delicious dishes at home. Get a glimpse into ordinary life in Crete, as this cooking class is held in a traditional village near Rethymno.

Starting the journey we will discover the process of production of Cretan virgin olive oil in the modern Kanakis Olive Oil Mill through some secret knowledge as well as through the tasting of true local olive oil. Wander through the vineyards, the wooden cellars of the winery, and feel the culture and history of the winery through the wonderful aromas of the different grape varieties. Complete your excursion with a light meal next to the running waters of the village of Vryses enjoying the dew and shade of the tree leaves.

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. There is an optional wine tasting for 30 minutes, 12 euro per person.

Explore Chania's Old Town on this walking tour with a local guide. See the city’s impressive 14th-century harbor and 16th-century lighthouse. Learn about Crete’s Venetian, Egyptian and Ottoman influences as you stroll through narrow streets filled with vendors and markets. You’ll also visit historical landmarks and sample local coffee and food along the way.

Feast your senses on the best of Cretan cuisine—and get a more intimate glimpse into the culture than you would in a restaurant—during a cooking class in Rethymno. As well learning how to prepare traditional Cretan dishes, you’ll enjoy an olive oil tasting session and a walk through a local village.

Get straight to the heart of Cretan cooking on this private culinary class in Heraklion. Enter the authentic world of the island’s diet and food with a local cook to introduce you to its favored ingredients and flavors; enjoy an olive oil tasting, and get guidance on making a traditional lunch. Then, sit down to enjoy your finished dishes as you chat more about Crete’s food and culinary traditions.