Crete: Olive Oil, Soap, Wine, Raki - Flavorful Culinary Journey
Description
Spend the day with real Cretan families who still produce wine, olive oil, raki, and handmade soap the traditional way. Taste the difference — from freshly pressed olive oil to home-distilled raki straight from the source. Feel the rhythm of rural Crete, where hospitality comes naturally and every smile has a story. Travel comfortably in a small group for a genuine, unhurried experience. Savor a traditional Cretan meal in a village where time seems to have paused — just enough for a second glass of wine.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We appreciate your booking with us and want to ensure a seamless experience for you. To provide you with the exact pick-up time, we will reach out to you either through text message or email. It's important to double-check the information you provided during the booking to ensure accuracy.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(133)
It was great! It was action packed, and kept it moving along! We liked the variety- soap, olive oil tasting, and adorable bee keeper, and a very friendly & welcoming family winery where we tasted 3 glasses & raki. Lastly finishing w a wonderful family style lunch at a nice Greek restaurant!! Yannis was knowledgeable and entertaining providing us w extra treats & water & his humble Greek opinions!!! Very enjoyable meeting people from other countries & sharing stories!!! Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for this wonderful review. Reading comments like yours reminds us why we created this tour in the first place—to introduce visitors to the people of Crete, not just the places. Every stop is run by local families who are passionate about what they do, and we're delighted that their warmth and hospitality made such a lasting impression. It was a real pleasure spending the day with you. I'm especially happy you enjoyed the mix of experiences—from handmade soap and olive oil to the beekeeper, the family winery, and, of course, a proper Cretan lunch where nobody leaves hungry! Sharing stories with guests from around the world is often the unexpected highlight of the day, and that's what makes every tour unique. Thank you for your kind words about Yannis as well—he'll be smiling when he reads them. We hope this wasn't your last visit to Crete, and we'll be ready with another authentic adventure when you return.
We booked this tour at the last minute and we're so glad we did! Pick-up was easy, as we received a WhatsApp message the night before, confirming pick-up time, location and car reg number. It was a small group tour and there were two other couples in the minivan and they were friendly and we had a really good day after we all broke the ice and got chatting. The visit to the artisan soap factory, Helleo was really enjoyable. Thomas welcomed us and explained how they make soap. Such a lovely place. This was followed by a tour of Politakis Olive Oil Mill Experience. We were shown olive oil trees, machinery, photos and videos, which explained the process of making olive oil. This was followed by olive oil tasting: three oils which were then also mixed with balsamic vinegar. We really enjoyed this and then bought some gifts from their store. We then visited the family-owned winery and we're shown around by the lovely owner. We then enjoyed a tasting of three wines. Chatting with the other guests made this very enjoyable. After this, we went for a fantastic, late large lunch at a local restaurant. Overall, this is one of the best tours I've ever been on. The driver didn't bombard us with lots of facts, which is good as we could relax. Book and enjoy a relaxing day, chatting with other travellers.
Thank you for such a wonderful review. We’re delighted you enjoyed the relaxed pace, our local family businesses, and the friendly atmosphere within the group. For us, the real highlights are the people behind each stop, and we're glad they made your day special. We're also pleased that our WhatsApp communication and small-group format helped everything run smoothly. Thank you for choosing to spend your day with us—we hope to welcome you back for another authentic Cretan experience on your next visit.
Really good tour with soap making very interesting, oil tasting in factory and wine tasing in home setting. Also included a very good lunch in a village restaurant that you would never find if driving.
Thank you! We're so glad you enjoyed the soap making, olive oil tasting, and wine in a home setting. And yes—that hidden village restaurant is a gem you'd never find on your own. So happy you had the full experience. Hope to see you again!
Beautiful memories from Crete
Thank you! We're so happy Crete gave you beautiful memories. Glad you enjoyed the soap farm, olive mill, and family winery—and no shame in buying at every stop! The small-group experience and finishing with wine & raki is hard to beat. Come back anytime!
I had a great time on this tour. The tour leaders/drivers were fantastic. The locations were great, and it was really interesting to see the processes that these businesses use. But out of all that, my favourite had to be Leo, the wine maker, and his awesome collection on display in his winery
Thank you very much for your kind words. We are truly happy you enjoyed the experience and the people behind it. Crete is not only landscapes and flavors — it is personalities, stories, and the stubborn passion of locals who still keep old traditions alive. And yes… Leo tends to steal the show a little. Somewhere between the wine barrels, his stories, and that legendary collection of his, guests often forget what time it is. We will be sure to pass your lovely comments on to the team and to Leo himself. People like him are part of what makes these tours feel less like tourism and more like being welcomed into someone’s real life. We hope to see you again back on the island for another glass of wine and a few more Cretan stories.
A wonderful experience! Our driver Tony was great and friendly and picked us up right on time. The first thing we did was the soap factory, which we loved. Very interesting process to learn about and they gave us a generous free gift of soap at the end. Then we went to the olive oil tour, which was also lovely. Neat to see the trees and learn about the process and taste the olive oil. We also liked the pairings at the end with the balsamic vinegar and the grape syrup, etc. very tasty. The wine and raki was very enjoyable, as well, and really cool to see their old machines as well as the huge squash they had out front! Wine was very delicious. We saw other reviews before we booked about wine not being proper temperatures and not plentiful but we were happy with it, and when we requested a little more of the one we liked (the red -delicious!) they were happy to supply another taste :) The raki was also good. A little snack of cucumber, olives, and crusty bread with tomato was also supplied. Lastly we visited the taverna for lunch, which also served more wine and raki as well as a nice meal! We were very happy to be accommodated for as vegans :) thank you! And thank you for a great Crete excursion, we feel this was a must do experience for Crete.
Thank you for such a thoughtful and detailed review. Reading feedback like this means a great deal to all of us—because what you experienced is exactly what we work hard to offer: not a rushed tourist stop, but a proper taste of Crete through its people, traditions, flavors, and the stories behind them. From the soap workshop to the olive groves, the winery, the raki, and of course the village table at the end—this is the Crete we grew up with, and we’re proud to share it. Tony will be smiling when he reads this—he takes punctuality seriously... almost suspiciously seriously for a Cretan. We’re especially pleased to hear that our local partners made you feel welcome and that your vegan preferences were handled with care. And thank you as well for addressing some of the comments you had read before booking—sometimes the best answer is simply showing up and letting the experience speak for itself. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we truly hope our paths cross again somewhere on this island—preferably with another glass of that red wine waiting.
We had a wonderful day with Tony, who was the perfect guide. He was very informative and we learned a lot about Creatan life and he was more than willing to answer any questions.The content of the tour was great. We learned a lot about all the processes involved in making soap, olive oil and wine. Last port of call was a village taverna for lunch, Tzatziki ,Greek salad , grilled meat and fries, followed by cake. With a glass of wine and a toast of Raki to finish. We would definitely recommend this tour. Clive & Dot U.K.
Thank you, Clive & Dot, for your wonderful words and for choosing to spend part of your Cretan holiday with us. It’s a real pleasure hearing that Tony helped bring everyday Cretan life a little closer—not just the places, but the people, traditions, and the stories that usually live somewhere between an olive tree, a wine barrel, and a village coffee table. We’re delighted you enjoyed the full journey—from the craftsmanship of traditional soap making, to the olive oil and wine experiences, and of course finishing the old Cretan way... around a village table with good food, a glass of wine, and a small raki that somehow is never quite “the last one.” Thank you for your trust and recommendation. We hope to welcome you back to Crete again soon.
Very enjoyable tour with personal touches.
Thank you very much for your kind words. We’re genuinely pleased to hear you enjoyed the experience. For us, the small details matter—whether it’s a quiet village stop, a glass shared with local producers, or simply the stories behind the places we visit. That’s where Crete tends to speak for itself... we just help with the introductions. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another journey through the island—there are still plenty of roads, flavors, and a few well-kept local secrets waiting.
This was a really nice trip. All stops were informative and had the pportunity to purchase items. It was a fun group of indivduals and the driver was definitely a positive addition to the trip! If you love food, wine and would like to learn more about the culture and what it has to offer, this is for you.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re thrilled to hear that you had such a nice trip and found all the stops informative with opportunities to shop along the way. It’s great that the group dynamic added to the fun, and we’ll be sure to pass along your compliments to the driver—he’ll be delighted to know he made a positive impact on your experience. We completely agree: if you love food, wine, and cultural exploration, this tour is a perfect fit. Thank you again for recommending us, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
This was a very fun way to spend our day in Crete. We really enjoyed the visits to the soap factory, the olive oil factory/tasting, and the wine tasting. The trip included what was described as a light lunch .. it was a ton of food and it was delicious! Our driver (I'm sorry I forgot his name) was one of the owners of the company and he was very entertaining. I highly recommend this company!
That’s Crete for you—what starts as a “light lunch” quietly turns into a proper feast before you even realize it. We’re glad you enjoyed each stop; these places aren’t chosen by accident, they’re the kind of working spots locals have trusted for years, and that always makes the difference. As for the driver… no offense taken—on this island, names come second to good conversation and a full table. Chances are you were with one of us, and that’s exactly how we like it: not as a tour, but as a day shared properly. Next time, we’ll make sure you leave remembering both the flavors and the name.
