Lasithi Plateau Tour: Explore Knossos Palace and Villages

Embark on a private tour to discover the wonders of Lasithi Plateau, including the famous Knossos Palace and the breathtaking Zeus Cave. Immerse yourself in nature, history, and tradition on this unforgettable journey.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Omalia Olive Press - The journey begins with a visit to a fourth-generation olive oil factory.
    Experience firsthand the blend of modern technology and traditional methods that have been passed down through generations.
    While exploring the factory, there is an opportunity to taste the rich, golden olive oil freshly pressed from the harvest. Each…
What's Included
  • Private transportation in Mercedes Benz Van
  • Professional English speaking Driver Guide
  • Pick up and drop off from your accommodation hotel/port/airport
  • Cretan Wines, Greek Coffee, Raki and Refreshments
  • Bottled water
  • All fees and/or taxes
  • Liability Insurance
What's Not Included
  • Knossos Palace entrance (15 euro per person)
  • Lunch in traditional Taverna (optional)
  • Official Licensed Tourist Guide at Knossos Palace(100 euro per group optional)
Additional Information

This private guided tour offers a unique opportunity to discover the natural beauty, history, and traditions of the Lasithi Plateau region, featuring 15 charming villages and the ancient Knossos Palace of the Minoan civilization.
Participants will visit Old Windmills, traditional villages of the Lasithi Plateau, Aposelemis Dam, a 2400-year-old plane tree…

Location
Omalia Olive Press
Agias Marinas
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(44 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Jennifer
Oct 26, 2024
The tour to take in Crete if you want an authentic experience with beautiful sites and delicious food! - Tour was spectacular! Spyros did an excellent job! Can’t say enough about his professionalism, knowledge, and good humor. Everything was wonderful. The sites were interesting and beautiful and the food was authentic and really delicious! This was our favorite tour of our Mediterranean trip so far.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeaulamie_w
Oct 14, 2024
Informative Tour with Beautiful Sights and Wonderful Food - This tour was wonderful. Spyros was an amazing guide and made the tour feel so personal. We saw so many beautiful sites and the restaurant we stopped at had DELICIOUS fresh food. I love this tour because we really got a true taste of Cretan culture from a local perspective!
Review provided by Viator
Sandyp84
Oct 11, 2024
Unique and fabulous excursion! - This was surely the most interesting and unique excursion we did in Crete! Spyros was an amazing driver and guide, showing us off-the-beaten path scenery in the Lasithi Plateau and nearby small mountain towns. We picked and enjoyed fresh strawberries, drank delicious wine and so much more, in addition to visiting the Palace of Knossos. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jiminn58
Oct 9, 2024
tour of the Island with History and an excellent tour guide - we left the cruise ship at the port and rented a private hire TAXI the driver was called MICHAEL this man was excellent gave us a fantastic tour was extremely knowledgeable did not hang around when we went shopping i can not praise this man anymore thank you Michael you were fantastic thank you from James and Lorna from Scotland
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_d
Oct 4, 2024
Great way to experience Crete with f you time is limited. - We only have two days on Crete and we spent one of them on a wine tasting tour (well worth it) so we only had one day to discover Crete. This tour was excellent. Nicolas was a great guide, entertaining and engaging and knowledgeable. It is an all day experience so be prepared, but the stops along the way are well worth it. Highly highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Amy_l
Oct 3, 2024
One of my favorite days of our 3 week trip! - Is was the absolute perfect tour. From our guide, Spyro. Pick at the hotel, recommendations with a guided tour of Palace of Knosses and arranging that on the fly. First the tour. Spyros picked us up at our hotel, driving to a coastal tourist town for some greek coffee to get us up and going. Also a chance for us to get to know each other. We were 3 couples traveling together, neighborhood friends from the US. Off the highway on to our way through the twisting roads leading into a mountainous area. Stopping by the olive oil factory of the O'Malias, 5 generations of olive oil making. From modern day processes to how they did it years ago. A chance to sample the oil and local honey with some time to shop in the unique gift shop. Spyro brought some treats from the car he picked up from his favorite bakery. A light cookie made around Easter, but so good they make it year round. We enjoyed this before getting back in the comfortable Mercedes van to continue on. Through hills, olive oil, goats, and monestaries. He picked wild herbs off the side of the road, letting us smell them, sage, thyme, rosemary and carob seed. Telling us all the history of the areas we passed through. Winding around we stop at a grocery store to buy traditional greek yogurt. Completely different than what we think of in the states. In the "greek" area were vats of olives, cheese, yogurt and meat. We then rode a short way to a locally owned farm and picked fresh strawberries. Eating as we picked and keeping to add to our yogurt. We cut through towns, villages while Spyro talked about all the history in these small areas. We ended up at his grandmothers home made our of stone wedged into an area that housed a small garden including grapes, herbs, tomatoes, and cucumbers. He showed us the smoking room where the smoked meats and herbs. Large ceramic vessels from his grandmother and great grandmother housing olive oil and wine. The family homestead being upwards of 200 years old. We then entered where he used to spend his summers in the kitchen. He set us up a spread of cheese, vegetables, yogurts with homemade honey, olive oil. Some raki to celebrate the joy of friendship and travel, Yamas! History of his family farm. And gifting us some olive oil that we carefully packed to get back to the states. There a short trip to the Cave of Zeus. He told us the story of the Greek Gods hiding Zeus from Minos (I hope my memory is correct or I may get schooled by Spyro :0 ) I hike up on foot or by donkey. My travel partners went to the cave and took pictures. We then headed back to the van and made our way to an extremely old tree in a village that had "open laundry areas" where they used to wash clothes in public areas. Snaking in and out of small villages and roads. We made our way to more populated areas while talking about our next destination, The Palace of Knosses. He asked if we had a guide arranged and we did not. He highly recommended a guide and called the Palace directly to arrange one for us. Upon arrival we were greeted by our guide who couldn't have been more perfect. So much history for the oldest village/town in Europe. And how they built some much with so little compared to modern day building techniques. The day started at 10 am and was waning into late 7pm. We had reservations at a popular Cretan restaurant and had to adjust our times accordingly. Spyro was sweet and called the restaurant confirming we would be late. Upon drop off hugs all around and invitation to come back and visit. Through out the rest of our trip when we would meet other travelers from all over the world, we would share his card with them. Saying there is a special place in Heraklion Crete with the worlds best guide. Stay in touch Spyro and come visit us in the States sometime. Amy, Matt, Dwayne, Jeanne, Mickie and Palmer. Westfield, Indiana
Review provided by Viator
Craig_v
Sep 19, 2024
Best stop/ tour of our cruise - Definitely the BEST tour we have done from our cruise this year. If I could give Stavaros 10 stars I would. It felt like we were visiting a long lost friend, and we were able to spend a day in the life of a Cretan. I can’t explain or pinpoint why it was so great. It would take too much time and space in this review. But this company does it right, and if you are lucky to get Stavaros as your driver you will have a wonderful experience in Crete. Thanks again my friend for the exquisite day.
Review provided by Viator
Dreamer661080
Aug 18, 2024
An amazing tour you must not miss - An amazing tour with a driver named Spyro who was very knowledgeable professional and hospitable we highly recommend the tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa_r
Aug 2, 2024
An authentic look at Cretan life - My family and I took this outstanding tour on July 13th, 2024, and I am so glad that we did! Our tour guide, Stavros, arrived on time to meet us at the port. He drove us to the mountains while telling us all about his island and its people. We had a fantastic visit to an olive oil factory, where we learned how olive oil is made, and were able to try different types/flavors of olive oil, as well as honey, and purchase what we wanted. Then we proceeded up a rural mountain and we stopped along the way at a strawberry farm, where we were allowed to pick and eat the most delicious strawberries I think I have ever had. From there, we unbelievably went to Stavros’ family’s ancestral home in a small village, (he no longer lives there) where he showed us his garden and gave us all some of his home grown cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs. Next he showed us the original basement kitchen with an old wood burning stove as well as some old timey kitchen utensils and explained how each was used. From there, he actually brought us into the main part of the house, to a modern kitchen where he sat us down at the kitchen table and proceeded to share some delicious Cretan white wine, some ouzo and some wonderful Cretan cheese. After leaving his family home, we went to a small bar (?) where we were able to try some Raki, which is a Cretan alcoholic drink, some very smooth Greek coffee and some cookies. We continued on through the countryside, admiring the grazing farm animals, and Stavros pointed out some ruins of 200 year old windmills on the side of one of the mountains. After stopping for some pictures, we continued on to a fantastic restaurant located on top of one of the mountains where we had the most delicious feast of Cretan delicacies (at our expense). The food was absolutely delicious, and very reasonably priced. And the views! The spectacular views! After our lunch, we proceeded to drive back towards Heraklion, and stopped at Knossos palace where we took a self-guided tour (as I think outside tour guides are forbidden from giving tours of the palace). Afterwards, we had a short bit of time to buy a few souvenirs, and then Stavros brought us back (on time) to the port so we could board our ship. As he was saying goodbye, he gave us a small bottle of olive oil as a parting gift. I have to say that this was one of my and my family’s favorite tours that we took while in Greece. Stavros was an amazing tour guide; he was warm, knowledgeable and patient with any questions we had. You can tell just how proud he is of his island and culture. Rather than spending a ton of time in touristy areas, my family and I were actually able to see how real Cretans live, and what a beautiful life it is for them. We all loved Crete, and truly want to go back and spend more time in this incredibly special place. Thank you so much, Stavros, and to all the other warm, welcoming people who we were able to meet on this tour! You made our visit to Crete so memorable and special! I cannot recommend this tour enough to others! Go. Just go- you will not be disappointed!!
Review provided by Viator
B6466bbkaten
Jul 16, 2024
Engaging, informative, and downright unforgettable experience - I would do this tour 10 times over again if I could. I already loved Crete when I had arrived the day before both with my parents, but we only had one full day on the island and decided to spend it on a tour with Spiros after reading so many wonderful reviews about him. We saw windmill ruins, an olive oil factory, LOTS of wild flora and fauna, an amazing restaurant, Zeus’s Cave, and the palace. There were so many breathtaking views and interesting stories. Spiros exceeded all expectations. He was kind, funny, informative, and responsible. The tour was clearly planned precisely and with care. Down to every detail, even telling us every time we passed an herb/fruit/vegetable growing in the wild what it was and sometimes even letting us stop to try them. He pulled out all the stops and made sure that we were completely engaged the entire time. As an admittedly phone-addicted 23 year old, I didn’t go on my phone once during this tour because I was so mesmerized by everything he said and showed us. All I had was my digital camera to capture the beautiful sights of the wonderful island, and boy was I not disappointed. I could not recommend this enough. If you can fit just one thing into your trip to Crete- make it this. Better yet, book with Spiros.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 10 guests
1
Traveler
November 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today