The Minoan Tour of Knossos Palace & Museum

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Value for money

Either you book the shared or the private option the huge history of Minoan civilization will surprise you without breaking your bank.

A unique experience

Explore Europe’s oldest city & discover the greatness of the ancient Minoans. Experience tour of Knossos & the Museum with a local guide.

You can't miss this place

A must-do of a visitor of Crete is the Knossos Palace tour. The ancient Minoan city and the archaelogical museum of Heraklion won’t dissapoint you.

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  • Departure Area

    Tavronitis/Maleme Meeting Point

    Gerani Meeting Point

    Platanias Meeting Point

    Agia Marina Meeting Point

    Stalos, Kalamaki Meeting Point

    Agioi Apostoloi Meeting Point

    Chania Meeting Point

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  • Special Requirements (allergies etc.)

Tour Overview

Tour Highlights

  1. Discover the first civilization of Europe
  2. Explore one of world’s msot famous sites
  3. Live guiding experience by a local expert
  4. Learn about the ancient history of Crete
  5. Unique museum exhibits & descriptions
  6. Walk in Heraklion & Rethymno city

Description

Explore the oldest city of Europe and the first organized human civilization. Discover the greatness of the ancient Minoans and walk around the old stone-paths of Knossos, the cradle of Minoan civilization. The palace of Knossos has constituted the main force of the island’s population during the Bronze Age. Their civilization, as well as the palace, was destroyed at the explosion of the Santorini Volcano. The excavation conducted by Arthur Evans in the early 20th century brought to light the grand palace of Knossos, along with other significant findings of immense importance concerning the culture and the life of the Minoans. Most of them are as of yet kept at the archaeological museum of Heraklion. The trip starts from Chania (or Rethymno). Picking you up from your hotel or a meeting spot, we begin driving to Heraklion (duration: 2.5-3 hours). On the way to Heraklion, we stop near Rethymno for a few minutes (WC-food-water stop). Then, the guided tour is starting from the palace of Knossos. You will explore the “Little Palace”, the “Royal Villa”, the “House of the Frescoes”, the “Caravanserai”, the “Temple Tomb, the “Villa of Dionysos” and a lot more exciting spots inside the palace. Subsequently, we head to the centre of Heraklion to visit the archaeological museum. Your guide will explain the history of the museum artefacts, and you will admire up close murals and objects from the palace you have just visited. After the museum guided tour, you have plenty of time for shopping or lunch in the city centre. In Heraklion, you will spend approximately 4 hours. On our way back to Chania, we’ll stop by Rethymno city for a short stop again. Finally, after an 8-9 hours trip, we return to Chania, dropping you off at the pick-up spots & hotels. If the group tour isn’t your prefered way to visit Knossos, there is the Private Tour Of Knossos alternative. Click & explore this option too. If you wish to explore more options return to the Cultural & Historical Tours page.

Inclusions

  1. Hotel pick up and drop off
  2. English speaking guide
  3. Air-conditioned bus transportation

Exclusions

  1. Gratuities (optional)
  2. Entrances fees of the Museum and the Palace (27€ per person)

Guest Stories

Great Tour What a great tour! We chose the tour on a windy day in Chania and were so glad we did! It was excellent. Andreas was so knowledgeable about the area and the wine and he answered all questions we had. The group was small enough that it felt personal and the wineries we visited were absolutely brilliant! We loved the stop off at the oldest olive tree too. Great way to spend a day of our holiday!
Ems
15/04/2024
The World War II battle for Crete Yanis, our driver and guide, was very knowledgeable and accommodating. He shared a lot of facts and photos of the battle for Crete and he explained the significance of each stop along the tour. The stop at the military collector’s mini museum was excellent. There were many unique and rare items in his collection that are tied to the battle. The pace and timing of tour was just right, along with a fresh sandwich from a local shop. I would recommend this tour to any interested in the history of the battle for Crete.
Rich S
12/04/2024
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Battle for Crete. As a former New Zealand Army officer I was very much looking forward to this tour and it did not disappoint. The whole tour was excellent and covered so much ground literally and figuratively. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and a great person to spend the day with. Being able to visit the actual battlefield sites really put so much into context. Highly recommended.
Tata C
02/04/2024
Fantastic cooking class on Crete Everything about this experience was wonderful! The driver, Nikkoli was very knowledgeable and hospitable, the hosts for the class were gracious and warm, the good was amazing and the other guests were terrific. I am so lucky to have found this class and highly recommend!
Sue T
27/12/2023
Relaxing excursion This was such a nice relaxing tour. Very simple and easy day! We were picked up at our hotel, it happened to be one of the pickup locations luckily. We drove to two different wineries but also made some stops along the way for cool lookout spots and even a 3,000 year old olive tree.
Sarah S
12/12/2023
Cooking in Crete!!! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The staff and tour were excellent. We had such a good time being taught how to cook stuffed peppers, zucchini and tomatoes. I highly recommend this tour. The food that we created was simply delicious. Just a high quality experience.
Mobile562656
16/11/2023
Top bloke as guide Our guide had superb knowledge about the area we went to. He was friendly and accommodating. Despite our lack of knowledge and messing this company around we still got to Di our tour.
Compass52027796678
03/11/2023
It was a great tour! This tour allows you to learn more about the culture and history of Crete. They will explain in detail about the food and the background to it. I thought it was a little pricey due to the strong yen, but it was a valuable experience that money can't buy. I'm really glad I participated. I recommend it.
ゆか
03/11/2023
Awesome Wonderful experience. We were taken up into the mountains of Crete to a host house. Over the next 4 hours, we had a tour of the house, learned about Cretan history, had a local wine tasting, and made an incredibly delicious meal. It is vegetarian friendly and comes with a few surprises. I gained a newfound appreciation for olive oil—there can never be too much. One of the highlights of my trip.
Richard Z
28/10/2023
A Real Cretan Cooking Experience Yannis led us on a wonderful trip to a farm in the countryside with great views, warm and gracious hosts and cooks, and a night of fun and friendship. This was well worth the time to learn about Crete style cooking and Greek history
Todd W
24/10/2023

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