Best Olive Oil and Village Tours in Crete — Our Top 11

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.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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3.Heraklion: Zeus Cave & Knossos History, Villages & Olive Oil

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 89 reviews · 1 day · from $129

Spend a full day tracing Crete from Knossos Palace to the Lasithi Plateau, with stops at an olive press, traditional villages, Krasi’s ancient plane tree, and Zeus Cave when open. Guides such as Nikos, Marinos, Angie, and Spiros combine history with local food, raki, village visits, and scenic drives in a comfortable minivan.

“What a great trip! Miranos is an incredible guide. Before this we had been to and Athens, and Santorini, and had a wonderful time in those places, but this tour felt like actually seeing Greece. Miranos is very well versed in all the history of not just the areas you see but the island as a whole. What he fails to mention in the description of the tour is the beautiful scenery, and small villages you drive through. After this tour I now consider myself a connoisseur of olive oil, and will be very picky about what I buy when my supply runs out. He not only knows the history…”

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4.PRIVATE-Knossos Palace-Zeus Cave-Olive Oil Tasting-Old Villages

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 81 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $138

Spend 7 to 8 hours with a private driver-guide such as Ed, Nikos, or Mike, combining Knossos with olive oil tasting, Mochos, Lasithi Plateau, Krasi, and Zeus Cave. You get hotel or port pickup in much of central Crete, coffee and water, a flexible pace, and optional lunch. Cave and Knossos fees cost extra.

“We were extremely happy with our choice. The communication from the tour operator via whats app was excellent and helpful leading up to the tour. Our guide Nikos was so nice, friendly, informative, he offered us snacks, waters, towels.., we were happy we did the tour with the plateau, windmills and cave in addition to the palace. It was much cooler up there during the hot summer. Be sure to get a guide for the palace (additional charge). It was worth it. Other folks on our cruise had mixed experiences with the tours they chose, we were extreme happy with our tour via “explore real Crete””

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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.Knossos & Lasithi Plateau: Villages, Olive Oil Tour From Elounda

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · 8 to 9 hours (approx.)

Spend 8 to 9 hours with guide Marinos or a member of the Unique Crete Tours team, traveling from Elounda in a private, air-conditioned minivan. Visit Knossos, an olive press, Lasithi Plateau, Krasi, and Mochos, with local food, raki, mountain views, Wi-Fi, and bottled water included. Zeus Cave is currently closed for maintenance.

“My husband and I did a culinary tour with Marinos Doukiantzakis while on our honeymoon in Crete. We were immersed in Cretan culture and cuisine. Marinos was the BEST tour guide. The experience provided trying fresh herbs off the side of the road, exploring an olive oil factory, meeting a shepherd and learning about the process of making cheese, picking and trying fresh vegetables from a local farmer and taking a cooking class on Cretan cuisine, not to forget the delicious Cretan feast we got to indulge in after. It was an incredible experience that we would highly recommend to visitors of Crete!”

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7.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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8.Makrigialos-Ierapetra: Hidden Villages & Olive Oil Farm Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 16 reviews · 7 hours · from $51Best value

Spend seven hours in rural Crete with a guide such as Ulla or Tanja. Visit an olive oil farm, walk through Kritsa and Prina, stop at Kalamafka for lunch and a short hike, and learn about local customs, tools, and food. Hotel pickup is included from resorts around Makrigialos and Ierapetra.

“Der Ausflug war klasse. Ulla, unser Guide hat keine Frage unbeantwortet gelassen und uns super informiert und einen tollen Einblick ins kretische Leben gewährt. Die Aufenthaltszeiten am jeweiligen Stopp sind gut bemessen. Danke für den tollen Tag.”

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9.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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10.Crete: Knossos, Zeus Cave, Traditional village, Olive Farm

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 4 reviews · 6 hours

Ride in a private air-conditioned vehicle from Heraklion or Rethymno to Knossos, Zeus Cave, the mountain village of Krasi, and an olive mill farm. Your English-speaking driver handles the roads and parking. Zisis and Kostas have been praised by name, while cave access requires a moderate hike. Entrance fees are extra.

“The driver Zisis was great, it was so nice to not have to worry about driving, parking, or directions. I just got to enjoy my time and the sights.”

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11.Chania: Authentic Crete Villages Tour & Olive Oil Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2 reviews · 5 hours · from $174

Spend five private hours with an English-speaking driver exploring Stilos, Fres, Vryses, and Gavalohori from Chania. You’ll see springs, cafés, riverside greenery, stone lanes, and an olive tree said to be more than 2,500 years old. The flexible route also includes a local oil-tasting stop and hotel pickup.

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