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Crete Hiking

8 days - Flight - from /to Heraklion or Chania

Overnight stays
3x in the Heraklion area
4x in the Chania area
  1. Day 1 Flight to Crete

    Flight to Heraklion and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay in the Heraklion area.

  2. Day 2 Knossos - guided tour of Heraklion with visit to the arch. Museum

    After breakfast you will visit the palace of Knossos. You will see the partially rebuilt Minoan site with art-historical reconstructions and impressive storage vessels dating back to 1,500 BC. Afterwards, you will continue to Heraklion, the largest city in Crete and the seat of the island’s archbishopric. During a guided tour of the city, you will get to know the capital. Afterwards, you will visit the archaeological museum, which will take you back in historical times. After a free afternoon at your hotel, you will enjoy a hearty barbecue dinner in a typical Greek taverna and experience the local joie de vivre with cheerful live music. Overnight stay in the Heraklion area.

  3. Day 3 Hiking to the Lasithi Plateau - Dictetic Grotto - Agios Nikolaos

    (13 kilometers, walking time: 3.5 hours, 250 meters ascent and 150 meters descent, degree of difficulty: moderate)

    After breakfast, you will drive to the Dikti Mountains. On the drive through a picturesque hilly landscape, you will see several windmills along the way, which were used to grind grain in earlier times. In Kera you start your hike up the Lasithi plateau to the mythical birthplace of Zeus, named Psychro. To the Dictaean Grotto, a three-kilometer path leads uphill to the entrance of the impressive dripstone cave. Afterwards, you will drive to Agios Nikolaos (journey time approx. 1 hour) and have the opportunity to stroll around the idyllically situated harbor town. Overnight stay in the Heraklion area.

  4. Day 4 Hiking through the Knosiano Gorge - Gortys - Titus Basilica

    (9 kilometers, walking time: 3 hours, 150 meters ascent and descent, degree of difficulty: moderate)

    Today you will go on an excursion to the scenically impressive Messara Plain in the south of Crete. You will drive to the Spilia area to Paradisos, where the hike leads through the Knosiano Gorge at the foot of the holy mountain Juchtas. You walk past vineyards and plane trees. The area is under the Natura 2000 conservation program. Afterwards, you will visit Gortys and see the Roman Odeon with the first carved Doric code of law from around 500 BC. Gortys was one of the first towns in Crete to adopt Christianity and where the first Christian churches were built. The Basilica of Titus is considered another place of interest. After a refreshing swim in the sea, you will drive to the second hotel of your trip in Gerani near Chania in the west of the island in the early evening. (Travel time approx. 2.5 hours). Overnight stay in the Chania area.

  5. Day 5 Hiking through the Samaria Gorge - boat trip from Agia Roumeli to Sougia

    (18 kilometers, walking time: 6 hours, 50 meters ascent and 1,250 meters descent, degree of difficulty: challenging)

    After a hearty breakfast, you will first take the bus to Xyloskalo at an altitude of 1,600 meters. From here you will descend the legendary Samaria Gorge, whose surroundings were declared a national park in 1962. The imposing highlight of this tour is the crossing at the narrowest point of the gorge, only three meters wide, which is also called the Iron Gate. The entrance ticket, which each hiker receives on site, must be handed in at the end of the gorge to ensure that all visitors have crossed the gorge and no one has been left behind. The hike ends in the village of Agia Roumeli, from where you will take the boat to Sougia and return to the hotel by bus. Overnight stay in the Chania area.

  6. Day 6 Hiking in the Karano area - Chania

    (8 kilometers, walking time: 2.5 hours, 300 meters ascent and 200 meters descent, difficulty level: moderate)
    Today’s hike starts in the village of Chliaro and takes you through the Karano Gorge to the village of Karano. The Karano area is known for its walnut trees as well as for the Karano villages. Afterwards you will visit Chania. The old capital of Crete enchants you with its Turkish buildings and mosques, the Venetian harbor and the large fortress. Above the city you will enjoy - with a magnificent view over the entire city - a delicious picnic with Cretan bread, tomatoes, olives, sheep’s cheese, raki and wine. From here you drive back to your hotel. Overnight stay in the Chania area.

  7. Day 7 Olive Oil Museum - Hiking from Sirikari to Plyrinia

    (7 kilometers, walking time: 2.5 hours, 50 meters ascent and 150 meters descent, difficulty level: easy)

    You will visit the olive oil museum in Vouve, which hosts the oldest olive tree in the world. Afterwards, you continue to Sirikari and hike through the enchanting Tshikliana Gorge to Polyrinia. In a typical Greek taverna situated directly on the beach, you will enjoy a hearty lunch with delicious wine. Depending on the weather and outside temperature, you will have the opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean Sea before returning to Platanias. Overnight stay in the Chania area.

  8. Day 8 Return flight

    Now it is time to say goodbye to Crete. You will drive to Heraklion airport and fly back to Germany.