Phenomenal Tour – Crete’s Hidden Hotspots

The Phenomenal Tour is the mix of adventure, relaxation and Cretan calm. We drive to our guide’s personal favourite places: quiet valleys, mountain villages where time runs more slowly, and beaches where you hear little apart from the waves. A shore excursion for cruise guests who want to see Crete the way locals know it.

Places Most Visitors Never See

Crete is big – more than 8,000 square kilometres – and the vast majority of excursions move along the same three or four routes. This tour does it differently. We go where our guide most likes to go, and that changes with the season, the weather and what is in bloom. So no two Phenomenal Tours are alike. What stays the same: plenty of landscape, little bustle, and stop after stop at places where you simply have to pull over.

Majestic Mountains and Beautiful Valleys

Three mountain ranges form the backbone of the island, and between them lie fertile plateaus and deeply cut gorges. On this tour you experience both: the openness above and the narrowness below, with views that make getting out of the vehicle worthwhile every single time.

Remote Beaches without Rows of Sunbeds

The sea is part of the tour too. We stop at a bay with neither rows of sunbeds nor beach bars. Anyone who wants to can go in – so remember swimwear and a towel. If you would rather just look, you have not missed a thing.

Herbs, Plants and Life on Crete

Along the way you learn a great deal about the island’s plant life, about olive growing, goat keeping and what village life really looks like today. That is the part most guests remember longest. To finish there is a generous lunch with local dishes before we bring you back to your ship in good time.

Tour Highlights

• Your guide’s personal favourite places, different on every tour
• Quiet valleys, gorges and mountain villages away from the crowds
• A stop at a remote bay with no sunbeds or beach bars
• Insights into olive growing, goat keeping and village life
• Generous lunch with local Cretan dishes

At a Glance

• Duration: approx. 7 hours
• Available: daily
• Type: private tour
• Guide: English-speaking
• Start: pick-up directly at the Heraklion cruise terminal

Good to Know

• Pick-up at the Heraklion cruise terminal once your ship is cleared; we agree the exact time with you in advance.
• We plan around your ship’s actual port time and bring you back in good time.
• Bring sturdy shoes, sun protection and a hat in summer, plus a jacket in the cooler months.
• There is little walking involved – the tours work well with small children or limited mobility. A walking aid or rollator is no problem, just tell us when booking.
• Vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly meals are available on request.
• Bring swimwear and a towel if you would like to swim at the beach stop.

Booking the Phenomenal Tour

Tell us which ship you are on and how long you are in port, and we will fit the Phenomenal Tour around your day ashore. You are under no obligation until everything is confirmed.

This tour is one of our shore excursions in Crete.