1.Full-Day Samaria Gorge Trek Excursion & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3,191 reviews · 9 - 12 hours · from $41Our pick

A challenging Samaria Gorge hike from Chania with smart guides, park education, and a breezy ferry finish to Sougia.

“The organization was great — everything ran smoothly from start to finish. No waiting, no confusion, and clear instructions throughout the day. The guide spoke very good English and was professional, though she was a bit on the pragmatic side, spending about 40 minutes going through the don’ts. It made sense given the nature of the hike, but it felt a bit disengaging at first. The hike itself is stunning and reaching the sea at the end feels incredibly rewarding. However, I would definitely rate the difficulty as advanced for casual hikers and moderate for those who are very experienced. A very important note: wear proper hiking shoes. This is…”

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2.From Chania/Kalyves: Full-Day Samaria Gorge Hiking Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 162 reviews · from $32

Hike Europe’s longest gorge from Omalos to Agia Roumeli with transfers, a guide, and time to swim and recharge.

“It was fun, but it’s a very long day. You definitly need sturdy shoes for the walk.”

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3.Knossos Palace and Heraklion Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 153 reviews · 12 hours · from $56

From Chania, a full-day tour to Knossos Palace and Heraklion plus Rethymno stop, with guided myth stories and museum choice.

“All of the stops were very good. particularly liked the Archaeological Museum and Rhythemon. Our guide spoke great English and was- informative. We're just sorry that there wasn't an opportunity to thank her at the end of the trip. Unfortunately, we had less time at Rhythemon due to a couple not turning up for the coach in Heraklion and having to wait 20 minutes until it was ascertained that they had caught a taxi home without telling our guide! It would be good to have a 30 min break on the way to Knossos instead of 20, as there wasnt enough time to queue for the WC and the coffee…”

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4.Full-Day Private Custom Tour to Elafonisi the Pink Sand Beach

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 103 reviews · from $441Top rated

Private west-coast day from Chania to Elafonisi’s pink sand, with cave views, quieter beaches, and a Cretan village lunch.

“We had Sakis as our guide and he was great! He was sweet, knowledgeable and patient. He was a really safe driver and took us to some lovely spots for some amazing pics. We had a great time. Thank you Sakis.”

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5.Full-Day Trip to Santorini

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 97 reviews · 13 hours · from $282

Speed to Santorini from Crete by catamaran, then tour Oia and Fira by air-conditioned bus with guided history commentary.

“These tours do not really give you time to explore properly. you’re mostly just passing through places. In Fira, there isn’t much to see, yet the stop there is longer than in Oia, which is the real highlight of Santorini. For food, don’t waste money at expensive restaurants (where you’ll easily pay at least €50 for small portions). Instead, you can stick to gyros, sandwiches, and set menus in Santorini downtown if you like. So Don’t feel pressured by guides recommendations for dining. Overall, go to Santorini if you wish to see the famous Instagram spots (like we did), but be prepared: reality feels quite different from the dreamy photos…”

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6.All Inclusive Full-day Private Tour of Crete Villages from Chania

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $168

All-inclusive private full-day from Chania: Ottoman fortress views, olive oil tastings, Gavalochori museum, monastery arches, and winery lunch.

“We had the best day! Maria picked us up on time at the cruise terminal and met us with local snacks as well as fresh baked goodies from her mom. The van was remarkably clean and she was an excellent driver who was very knowledgeable. She was able to keep us on schedule while also making sure we never felt rushed. We got an appreciation for the history and daily life of Crete. We thoroughly enjoyed everywhere we went but our favorite stops were the olive oil factory and winery. Since it was a private tour, we could go to smaller places that truly felt like we were hanging out…”

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7.Full-Day Private Tour to Balos Lagoon and Falassarna

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · from $441

Private day trip from Chania to Falassarna and Balos Lagoon with a calm car ride, beach time, and time to snorkel.

“Reaching the Balos Beach! It was tough to get there on the dirt road and then a 25 minute hike. Our driver was a little late!”

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8.Preveli Beach and Plakias Full-Day Trip From Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 59 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $26

Full-day Crete trip from Rethymno with a gorge walk, a boat to Preveli Palm Beach, plus Damnoni and Plakias for swimming and lunch.

“Not much to say..just amazing experience overall! The weather was great and everything went well from the beginning to the end!”

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9.Gramvousa Island and Balos Bay Full-Day Tour from Chania

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 55 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $23

Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa day trip from Chania with door-to-door pickup, ferry rides, white-sand beaches, and a fortress hike.

“Very well planned with good knowledgeable staff, simple instructions for pickup and drop off as well as times for the boat, both locations were beautiful my only complaint would be the boat trip was very busy and we could not find a seat”

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10.Samaria Gorge Trek: Full-Day Excursion from Chania with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 51 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $41

Hike Crete’s Samaria Gorge with door-to-door pickup from Chania, timed ferry back, and free beach time in Agia Roumeli.

“Cool early morning start before going down down down through pine trees. Cool clear spring water at shaded resting points. Beautiful river sometimes babbling sometimes gushing and the narrow gorge.”

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11.Samaria Gorge Trek: Full-Day Excursion from Rethymno with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 46 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $38

Full-day guided Samaria Gorge trek from Rethymno with transfers, ferry ride, and time to swim and eat in Agia Roumeli.

“They won't take responsibility for not collecting me for the tour I paid for. My screenshots clearly show I am being picked up form my hotel at 6:20am - not a time someone willingly gets up on holiday. No one collected me and when I contacted them via the app they told me I should have checked my emails as this wasn't the pick up location. They won't issue me a refund. As most people, I don't check my emails on holiday. Disappointed to say the least.”

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12.Full-Day Knossos and Heraklion Tour from Chania and Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 37 reviews · 10 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $67

Full-day guided trip to Knossos and Heraklion from Chania/Rethymno with pickup, palace storytelling, and time in the old town.

“Great tour. Erica was our guide for the tour. She was very helpful and knowledgeable. Rema was our guide for the Knossos Palace site. She was excellent. She had a wonderful knowledge of the site and the commentary made the site come alive. We learned a lot as she focused in on the main aspects of the site. We also loved the Heraklion Museum.”

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13.From Rethymno: Full-Day Knossos And Heraklion with free time

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 26 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $26

Full-day bus trip from Rethymno to Knossos and Heraklion with a bus guide, museum time, and planned free time to explore.

“We can fully recommend this tour. The tour was really well organized and our tour guide (George) was absolutely fantastic. He was very friendly and helpful.”

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14.Full-Day Trip to Chania from Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 20 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $28

Round-trip coach pickup from Rethymno to Chania with 5 hours free time, AC comfort, and easy wandering of the Venetian harbor.

“Good day out. Hotel pick up promised when booking but had to go to central meeting point. A bit longer in Chania would have been nice and guide made a bit of a faff about dropping off and meeting again in Chania.”

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15.North-East Crete: Chania Full-Day Tour with Snack and Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 17 reviews · 9 hours · from $76

Chania full-day tour from northeast Crete: Akrotiri, Venizelos grave, old town, Aptera ruins, Kournas lake, plus a meze snack.

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