14 Olive Mill and Factory Tours in Crete Worth the Drive

1.Crete: Quad Safari, Olive Mill with Tasting & Ghost Village

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,004 reviews Our pick

Drive a two-person quad from Peninsula Resort with guide Stan or Vangelis. After a safety lesson, follow cliff and mountain tracks to an olive mill, abandoned Achlada, and Fodele, El Greco’s birthplace. You’ll taste local oil and honey, stop for views, and return after 3.5 hours.

“Stan was the man! He provided an excellent in depth tour and kept us all laughing as well. Riding the 4 wheelers was extremely fun and the off roading was a thrill. I would highly recommend this tour.”

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2.Crete: Road-trip to Lasithi, Zeus Cave & Olive Mill Farm

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 451 reviews · 450 - 630 minutes · from $47

Ride from Crete’s north coast into the Lassithi Plateau with a guide such as Soula, Tania, or Eirini. Visit Vidiani Monastery, climb to Psychro Cave, pause in Krasi, then tour an olive mill with tastings and an optional local lunch. Expect mountain roads, long bus time, steep cave steps, and excellent views.

“It was a great day trip! Our guide Soula was amazing and told us a lot about the history of all the places we visited. Our driver Nikos was very experienced and handled the narrow streets like a pro! We drove around the Lasithi Plateau and had some nice stops for pictures. The tour through the olive oil factory was also very interesting. There are two different tours, one including Knossos Palace and one without (check the description of the tours). We booked the one without but we were able to change it on the day and also go to the palace. It was great to go there with an…”

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3.Crete: Zeus Cave, Lassithi Plateau, and Olive Factory Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 310 reviews · 7 hours · from $115

Ride in a small Land Rover group of up to six to the Lassithi Plateau and Dikteon Cave. Guides such as Michael, Petra, Panos, and George share Cretan mythology, plants, and village life. Expect olive oil tasting, pottery, goat encounters, a family taverna lunch, and a steep walk to the cave.

“What a great day for my family. Michael was a brilliant guide, who was able to talk us through so many Cretan topics, from the geography, history, plants, animals and Greek mythology. The car was very clean and comfortable for the journey. We loved the goats particularly and the olive oil tasting taught about the process of making olive oil and what to look out for in good oil (I hope that we have enough space in our suitcase). I loved watching my daughter make a vase and buying souvenirs in the stunning villages we stopped in. The Cretan meal was lovely and set in a beautiful location. We would…”

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4.Knossos & lasithi plateau villages,Zeus’s cave,&olive oil Mill

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 90 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $109Top rated

Spend 7 to 8 hours exploring Crete with a local English-speaking driver-guide such as Mike or Stavros. Visit Knossos, an olive press, Lasithi Plateau windmills, mountain villages, Aposelemis Dam, and a traditional restaurant. Zeus’s Cave requires a steep walk and may be closed, so confirm its status before booking.

“Trust Stavros to show you a good time in Crete! It’s always best to see a place with a local guide. Stavros took us to the highest mountain and nicest beaches, picturesque villages and ancient remains of glorious past. All the while explaining the history and geography of the island in an engaging, fun way. He really made our day a wonderful experience!”

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5.PRIVATE-Zeus Cave-Knossos-Olive oil Factory-Traditional Villages.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $138

Spend about 8.5 hours with a local English-speaking driver-guide, such as Stavros or Spyros, visiting Zeus Cave, Knossos, an olive oil press, Lasithi Plateau, Cretan villages, and a winery. Private pickup, water, coffee, tea, and olive oil and raki tasting are included. Lunch, wine tasting, and Knossos admission cost extra.

“It was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. You made this a great experience for our four year old granddaughter and for us.”

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6.Kournas Lake Argiroupolis and olive oil factory from Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 39 reviews · 6 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $29Best value

Travel from Rethymno to Lake Kournas, Argyroupolis, and a local olive mill in Kanaki. You’ll have time to swim, rent a pedal boat, eat by the lake, browse village shops, and learn how Cretan olive oil is made. The tour runs about 6.5 hours, includes an air-conditioned coach, and returns to the starting point.

“we booked onto this day trip for 10th June. we had such a lovely time and liked that there were multiple stops along the tour and were given the freedom to explore and do as we pleased within that time! i picked up some items at the avocado beauty shop and we rented a pedal boat at Lake Kournas and saw some turtles and goldfish. very memorable day and lovely way to end our holiday!”

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7.PRIVATE Spinalonga & Agios Nikolaos & Olive Oil Factory CRETE

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 31 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $162

Spend eight hours with a private driver-guide visiting Agios Nikolaos, Mirabello Bay, Plaka, Spinalonga, and the Vassilakis olive oil estate. You’ll travel by air-conditioned minibus, take the boat to Spinalonga, hear local stories from guides such as Louise, Tania, or Taïna, and taste several olive oils. Lunch and Spinalonga’s €20 entry fee cost extra.

“We had a fabulous time with our guide, Taïna. From the first 5 minutes in the minibus Taïna was finding out our interests in order to personalise the tour to us. We had a quick stop at a monastery en route that was not planned, and even stopped on the side of the road to look and smell the local herbs and flowers. Spinalonga was great, Taïna left us to visit this ourselves but gave us alot of background and stories surrounding the island both before and after the visit. She recommended a fantastic restaurant in Plaka and we ate delicious fresh fish. The olive factory was fantastic and if…”

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8.PRIVATE-Zeus Birthplace-Traditional Villages-Olive Oil Factory

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $138

Spend about eight hours exploring Crete beyond the resorts with a private English-speaking guide such as Stavros or Mike. Visit traditional villages, an olive press, the Lasithi Plateau, old windmills, and optional Dikteon Cave. Transport, water, coffee, Wi-Fi, olive oil, and raki tasting are included. Lunch is optional.

“Mike war ein unfassbar aufmerksamer, umsichtiger, liebevoller Guide. Wir waren zu viert im klimatisierten Mercedes. Nice! Keine Verkaufsfahrt! Man ist nicht genötigt, Produkte zu kaufen ( Olivenöl etc.), sondern hat ein optionales Mittagessen in einem wirklich tollen Restaurant mit sensationellem Blick ins Tal. Wir haben eine Station auf Nachfrage demokratisch einfach ausgelassen und waren stattdessen länger an einer anderen. Weil ich blöderweise meine Brille im Restaurant vergessen hatte, kam Chef Stavros am nächsten Tag in mein Hotel, um sie mir zu bringen. 120 von 100 Prozent!”

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9.Knossos Cave of Zeus and Olive Oil Factory Full Day Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.)

Travel privately through Crete with hotel pickup, bottled water, WiFi, and an English-speaking guide. Visit Knossos, Dikteon Cave, Kera Monastery, Krasi, Lasithi Plateau, Aposelemis Dam, and the Omalia Olive Press. The flexible schedule suits families and groups up to seven.

“If you only do one day tour to see as much of Crete as possible, this is the tour!!! It was such a great experience for everyone in our family. We were a group of 7 and the tour was planned perfect so the kids and adults had a great time. We went on Good Friday, which meant the schedules were a little different but our guide modified the schedule and it was just perfect. We were picked up from our villa even though it was well outside the normal area, we’re greeted with fresh pastries, and our guide even added a monastery near by, which was really special for…”

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10.Crete: Olive Oil Factory Tour, Dinner & Traditional Dancing

★★★★★★★★★★3.4 · 6 reviews · 4 hours · from $66

Spend four hours at a family-run olive oil factory near Crete’s northeast coast. See olive oil production, watch a beekeeping demonstration, taste local wine, then eat a buffet dinner with live Cretan music and dancing. Hotel pickup is offered from resorts between Kokkini Hani and Milatos, with some pickups at nearby bus points.

“A fost o experienta care trebuie traita , mai ales daca cauti Grecia Traditionala . Unii oameni spun ca nu au fost preluati , datorita faptului ca in momentul in care faci rezervarea iti pui Hotelul de unde vrei sa fi preluat , insa preluarea nu se face de la hotel , se face de la un punct apropiat hotelului iar pentru asta ar trebuii sa sunati dupa ce faceti rezervarea , deoarece aveti posibilitatea sa contactati organizatorul excursiei . Cei care organizeaza o sa va dea toate datele necesare : ora preluarii si locatia preluarii . Ce a urmat dupa .. cred ca trebuie sa vedeti cu ochii vostrii…”

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11.Spinalonga,Elounda,Ag.Nikolaos, Olive Factory From Heraklion

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 6 reviews · 11 hours · from $35

Spend a full day exploring Spinalonga’s Venetian fortress and former leper colony, relaxing in Elounda, walking around Lake Voulismeni in Agios Nikolaos, and tasting Cretan olive oil in Malia. An English-speaking guide, air-conditioned bus, and hotel pickup are included, but boat, food, and Spinalonga entry cost extra.

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12.Private Guided Tour to Lasithi Plateau Villages & Olive Oil Mill

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews

Spend 7 to 8 hours exploring Lasithi Plateau in a private Mercedes-Benz van with an English-speaking guide such as Spyros. Taste olive oil, Cretan wine, raki, and Greek coffee, meet locals, visit a pottery workshop, see old windmills, walk to Zeus Cave, and eat lunch at a family taverna.

“Spyros was an amazing tour guide! He taught us so much about food, culture, architecture and olive plantations in Lasithi Plateau! We loved this tour and was the highlight of our trip to Crete. Highly recommendded!”

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13.PRIVATE Workshop ESSENTIAL OILS & OLIVE OIL Factory with TASTING

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $225

Spend about six hours with a multilingual local guide, creating organic, vegan cosmetics and fragrances based on Minoan recipes, then touring an olive oil factory in Neapoli. You also get free time in Agios Nikolaos. Pickup is included around Hersonissos, with extra charges for some nearby areas.

“The whole day was a great experience, the shepherd/chef/winemaker/gardener/cheese maker George was great fun full of interesting cooking tips.”

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14.Full Day Spinalonga Elouda Agios Nikolaos Olive factory Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 5 reviews · from $57

Spend a full day exploring Spinalonga’s Venetian fortress and former leper colony, relaxing in Elounda, walking around Lake Voulismeni in Agios Nikolaos, and tasting Cretan olive oil at a Malia press. Pickup, lunch, water, and air-conditioned transport are included, but Spinalonga’s €20 entrance fee is extra.

“We did an excursion with Orange to Spinalonga. The coach turned up promptly and was clean and tidy. We had two tour guides as the coach was made up of 3 different nationalities. The only frustration to this was hearing the same thing 3 tiRead more”

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