2-day tour of classical Crete and Cretan villages

Program:

• You will meet your guide at Eleftheria Square in front of Astoria Capsis Hotel at 08.30, we drive 5km southeast of the city to visit the Knossos Palace which was built from 1700 to 1400 BC.
• Advanced architectural techniques were used in its construction, and sections of the palace stood up to 5 stories high. Settlements in Knossos date as far back as the Neolithic period. Neolithic remains from around 7000 BC are found throughout Crete. Explore the ruins of the ancient Minoan civilization. Knossos Palace featured 1,300 rooms connected by corridors, a theater, and extensive storerooms, which held large clay containers of oil, grains, dried fish, beans, and olives – often with gold hidden beneath.
• The site was discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos. The excavations in Knossos began in 1900 A.D. by the English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans and his team and they continued for 35 years.
• At approximately 10.30, we drive to Gortyna, the Roman capital of Crete and Cyrenaica which was first inhabited around 3200 BC.
• Stop at the Village of Plouti for an optional lunch at “ To Steki tou Chochliou”.
• After the visit, drive through the valley of Mesara to visit the archaeological site of Phaistos and its palace, the most important center of the Minoan civilization, and the most wealthy and powerful city in southern Crete.
• Finally, we arrive at Zaros, an attractive, refreshingly unspoiled village famous for its spring water, which is now bottled and sold all over Greece, and an ideal base for walkers to explore the beautiful nature.
• Zaros also has some fine Byzantine monasteries, and delicious farm-raised trout served up in tavernas around town and on emerald-green Lake Votomos which will be visited.
• Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Idi in Zaros.

Day 2: 

• After breakfast at the hotel, at approximately 10.00, we start our drive to the traditional Cretan village of Vatos, a small village hidden in the green where we find all the elements of its tradition. Walking down the alleys we visit the old school and its fountain as well as the museum with the farming tools and utensils of earlier times. We finish at a cauldron of the village where you make Raki (the famous alcoholic beverage of Crete). 
• Spili is our next stop known for its Venetian snake with a long line of 25 stone lion heads that run cool water from their mouths.
• Then we visit Lampini, the church, and the museum of Panagia. The church is inscribed with a cupola and depicts frescoes of the 12th and 14th centuries. It was an Episcopal church since the village of Lampini once accommodated the seat of the famous Episcopate of Lampis, which had existed since 431.
• Drive to the Gorge of St. Antonios, a short walk through beautiful nature up to the cave of St. Antonios, and enjoy your lunch at Drymos Restaurant (optional).
• After lunch crossing the lush villages of Amarios, we reach the Arkadi Monastery, which constitutes a landmark of architecture and civilization considering the magnificent facade of the church, the highly developed spiritual tradition as well as the flourishing development of fine arts. However, the holocaust, which took place in 1866, gave the monastery an eminent place in history, elevating it to an eternal symbol of freedom and heroism, recognized worldwide.
• Late in the afternoon at 19:00, we return to Heraklion in front of Astoria Capsis Hotel.

Important information:

• Every Monday – Duration 2 days & 1 night.
• The reservation can be made no later than 7 days before the day of the activity.