Winter Vacation in Crete November – March

Our day will start after your breakfast. We will meet you at the lobby for our morning walk in the old town and the Venetian harbor of Chania. There are streets, buildings, high spots, neighborhoods, monuments that only us, locals, know. We will walk together on the stone paths where the Venetians, the Ottomans and the old Cretans used to live and work.

We will admire the incredible flower decorated neighborhoods, learn about the Cretan history, the Cretan mythology and traditions, meet the locals and eat like locals. You‘ll get a unique tour through the ages and explore the other side of the city. We will visit neighborhoods like Topanas, Splantzia, Kolombo and Kasteli, high spots to admire the panoramic view of the harbor, traditional Cretan taverns and magnificent buildings.

Also we will visit the ancient ruins of the greatest Minoan city, Kydonia and the high walls of the Venetian moats, called “Tafros”. The most important thing that you will learn from our tour is that in two hours you will tour and learn about five old civilizations, see their architecture, know about their culture and hear the ancient spirits history and tales! Then you will have some free time to walk around the town.

Today you will have the chance to relax at your hotel and explore your inner world through a Yoga session. Your yoga instructor will introduce you the simple and easy way to start the session and make you understand emotions and feelings hiding inside you. You’ll have the chance to use your charming hotel’s facilities and relax with a massage session. The rest of the day is free and you can enjoy the town, shopping and the restaurant of your hotel for a meal.

A perfect day to get in touch with the local culture and a big part of it, the Cretan gastronomy. An organized cooking class in traditional Cretan recipes will take place at the restaurant of your hotel. Together we will prepare some traditional and extremely tasty home-made dishes. Using only healthy bio and organic Cretan ingredients like extra-virgin olive oil, fresh vegetables picked from our own garden, local meat, dairy products and the most aromatic herbs. We’ll also reveal the secrets of local herbs, how the Cretan olive oil affects the people’s health and useful tips about the local products we will use. We will prepare a traditional Cretan recipe with our own hands, learn how we, Cretans, cook.

Imbros Gorge is the second most popular gorge on Crete after Samaria. It runs parallel to its “big sister” the Samaria Gorge for 8 kilometres and its narrowest part is just 1.60m wide. It takes around 2 to 3 hours to hike the gorge. The first half hour of walking is downhill through wildflower meadows with the gorge getting narrower along the way. After around 75 minutes you’ll find yourself in the narrowest, most spectacular spot of the gorge. The walls of the gorge are less than 2 metres apart and tower 300 meters above.

The legend tells that two brothers were banished from Imbros in Turkey and lived since then in the Imbros village, Crete. The Imbros Gorge mule trail was the only connection between Chania and Chora Sfakion, before the road was built. Remains of this trail can be still seen. The gorge witnessed an evacuation of several thousands of British soldiers during second World War before heading to Egypt. The Imbros opens onto the sea at the village of Komitades, where we can relax over drinks at a taverna before continuing to nearby village Chora Sfakion. Our bus will pick you up from your hotel and after about 90 minutes drive, we arrive in the village of Imbros. By the entrance, in a nice café, we stop for optional coffee or local breakfast if you wish.

Then follows the walk through the gorge, guided from our license trekking guide, who is going to point you the native plants and give you more information about the whole area. After our walk through this spectacular path (about 2.5-3 hours), we arrive to the village Komitades, where you have the possibility to have lunch in a local tavern with view the magnificent Libyan sea. Follows a visit to the capital of the whole province, Chora Sfakion, where you can enjoy swimming by the Coast of Libyan Sea. Late in the afternoon, we return by our bus to your hotel.

Today we will introduce you the Cretan wine varieties through a fun wine taste at the restaurant of your hotel. Travelling deep down the centuries we submerge in the fertile soils of Cretan land. Where the roots of ancient vineyards embrace the soil witch supported and raised civilizations of unforgotten eras. Their fruits, their essences have created the name of a powerful product. The Cretan Wine. In the Minoan era it was stored in clay jars and ended up in lavish feasts of noblemen and kings. Then, wine used to poured into the barrels at the cellars of the Venetians and the Ottomans. The roots of the winemakers of Crete are as deep as those of their vines as they have been producing authentic Cretan varieties (Romeiko, Vidiano, Kotsifali, Pluto, Mantilari, Vilana, Dafni, Liatiko, Muscat of Spina and others) for centuries, having nothing to covet those of central Europe and the rest of the world. Through our wine taste you will get to know and taste varieties of Cretan wine which will fill your palate with an unforgettable taste and highlight the best memories from our beautiful island.

Unfortunately it’s time to say good bye! Our driver will collect you from your hotel and drive you to the airport. We hope to see you again and share unique experiences and wonderful memories!