Lasithi Plateau: Explore Crete's Rich Heritage

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 tour of Cretan wineries
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Greek coffee, Raki, and refreshments included
  • Travel in a Mercedes Benz van
  • All fees and taxes covered
  • Liability insurance included
  • Convenient pick-up and drop-off service
  • Professional English-speaking driver guide
What's Not Included
  • Knossos Palace entrance (15 euro per person)
  • Lunch in traditional Taverna (optional)
  • Official Licensed Tourist Guide at Knossos Palace(120 euro per group optional)
Additional Information

This guided tour offers a wonderful opportunity to discover the natural beauty, historical significance, and cultural traditions of the Lasithi Plateau region, featuring 16 charming villages and the renowned Minoan civilization site, Knossos Palace.
Participants will visit Old Windmills, the Traditional Villages of Lasithi Plateau, Aposelemis Dam, the…

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
(48 Ratings)
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Carolyn_m
Jan 4, 2025
Best day in all of a 2 week Greek trip - According to my daughter, this was the best day she experienced during our two week tour of Greece in which we traveled all over the mainland and Crete. We got to see real life in Crete and not just tourist areas. Spyro was a great guide and we loved seeing Knossos in particular. I highly recommend a private tour guide for inside the site. Spyro is very knowledgeable about Crete and showed us all over the Lashithi plateau, including his home in a quaint village. He also helped us score dinner reservations at Peskesi, an amazing restaurant in Heraklion that specializes in ancient Cretan food. We were sad that the Zeus Cave is closed at present, but it was an otherwise great day sightseeing outside of just Heraklion and Chania.
Review provided by Viator
P8240tngeorgeg
Dec 30, 2024
Best tour in Crete - We are from Cyprus living in Athens last 8 years and we visited Crete for second time and for second time we booked this tour with Tours in Heraklion, tour agency. Spyros, the driver guide, made the experience exceptional. He is very knowledgeable entertaining and passionate, answered all the questions and believe me, there were many questions we asked all day long. We could'nt believe that we could see and explore so much about the region and Crete, in just a few hours. Driving is so nice with many stops, showing us the flora and fauna, telling us stories about every village we were passing through and taking many pictures. We stopped in an olive oil mill, tasted many kinds of locals olive oils, learned about the old windmills, there are two different types of windmills, for irrigation and for making a flour, visited a monastery, stopped in a grocery store for Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts, stopped in a pottery to see the craftsman in action, amazing experience there, we had a Greek coffee and some homemade cookies in a café running by 80 years old lady, had a local food in family tavern, picked some fresh strawberries and had a glass of Cretan white wine and our last stop was at Knossos Palace. I highly recommend this tour to everyone, even if you are just for a day in Crete. 5 stars are not enough for this tour. Thank you, Nikos and Spyros for this unforgettable day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tija_k
Nov 13, 2024
Tour of Heraklion - Spyros, the guide was excellent. He was knowledgeable, personable and very friendly. He made me feel comfortable and like family. It was a thoroughly pleasant experience. All the sites we visited were beautiful and amazing. I needed a check in bag and despite the tour ending, Spyros took the trouble of taking me to a couple of stores to find a bag. It's hard to find such a friendly stranger these days. The only issue I would raise is that the Zeus cave is still listed in the description of the tour despite the fact that the cave has been closed for over a month now. This could be construed as misleading. Also, wine tasting is not the usual tasting of wine in a vineyard but a glass of wine from the trunk of a car :), which btw was not so bad.
Review provided by Viator
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
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