PRIVATE-Zeus’ Birthplace - Knossos-Olive oil Factory-Old Villages

This was a trip my wife and I booked for our honeymoon. I wanted to see Knossos and learn a little history in between days on the beach. What we got was a day with a wonderful local guide, met the people and understood the culture of Crete, and ate wonderful local food. Knossos was a mere afterthought and not even the highlight of the day. The highlight was certainly our guide, Stavros, who was so knowledgeable and witty and fun. He took us to some of his favorite spots off the beaten path and was incredibly generous introducing us to his favorite foods and wines. We saw so much and learned so much about Crete and her people. Cannot recommend this tour enough. Wonderful experience. If you are wondering which of many to pick, stop wondering and book this tour with Stavros.

Stavros was a fantastic, knowledgeable and super funny guide. He looked after us as he would look after his own family. He showed us the true and unique parts of Crete, that we would never discover ourselves. We were a group of 7-65 years old and he took care of everyone. We really enjoyed the visit to a oil of olive factory and lunch in a local, family run restaurant - Tzanakis Michael - which was a farm to table experience. We had a fantastic day that we will never forget and Stavros is one of a kind guide that you just must book.

Ed was great so fun and great atmosphere would recommend 10/10.

This was an amazing tour with Stavros. We asked to see Crete from a non-tourist perspective and he totally delivered!! We sampled wild cherries, local honey and sheep yogurt, and cucumbers straight from the ground!! We absolutely loved seeing ALL of Crete.

We had a fantastic day with Stavros and enjoyed the mix of history, local flavor, food, and natural beauty.

Explore Real Crete did a fantastic full day tour for us! We HIGHLY recommend this company! Ed, the owner, and Spyros, our guide made our day wonderful. They were so friendly, helpful, and informative, sharing so much about the local culture and history. They customized our private tour so we could see the countryside and meet locals. Spyros bought us snacks and planned a picnic with wine under an apple tree! We had a fantastic visit to an olive farm/oil factory, saw old windmills, had lunch at a family-owned restaurant, and much more. We would absolutely book with them again.

Exceptional! This was not a touristy tour. No pressure to follow a strict itinerary. No pressure to buy the guide’s relatives’ wares. No rush to finish your drink or meal. Stavros showed us what Crete is like for the people that live on the island, loaded us up with fresh picked produce from local farms, fed us with information on Cretan geography, history, and Greek mythology, and overall entertained us with his energy all day long. Pick this tour!

Amazing experience absolutely fantastic day thank you so much for helping make memories that will last forever. Stavros was great sharing his knowledge, helping us to see the real beauty of Crete. Visiting family run places with welcoming friendly people and tasting beautiful food and wine. His great sense of humour had us laughing all day. I would highly recommend this tour it will not disappoint. When we return to Crete we will definitely do it again. Thank you again 😁

This tour is for those who want to be off the beaten track and have an authentic experience far from the maddening crowds. Spyros is an eloquent and informed guide who exceeded our high expectations. Forgoing routine tours, he carefully crafted a unique, private tour that found us meandering with him through the small villages where he was raised. Stopping for a coffee at a cafe where he shared with us the culture of the small towns tucked away in the rural Greek mountains . Picking fresh strawberries, and eating them under an old olive tree. Imbibing in a glass of local wine as we soaked in the spectacular views of the countryside. Indulging in a lunch of farm to table food that he recommended. Engaging with a local potter as he forged his handmade vessels. Stopping to watch goats as they traversed the roads up to the old windmills. This is an unforgettable experience for which we are grateful.

My wife and I did an 8 hour private tour with Stavros. He was an excellent guide. He started out making sure we were on the same page for the itinerary for the day. It was totally flexible and he wanted to make sure we did the things we wanted to do for the day. He provided great suggestions on different ways to experience the culture of Crete. We tailored the day based on those suggestions and the day could not have been better. He was full of good information and trivia about Crete, Greece, and the world. His years of experience really showed on this tour. Most of all you could tell he really cared about making sure we enjoyed the day. Whether we were learning about olive oil production, visiting a small village, or a farm, he really took the time to give us insight that we would never have gotten on our own. We saw so many amazing things during the day and you will too based on your preferences. We could not have been more pleased with the day and felt it was worth it since we had such a short time on Crete. We learned more about the real Crete in eight hours than we would have in several days on our own. This is a wonderful tour and you won’t be disappointed. It’s not called Real Crete Tours for nothing.