Rural Crete: private day trip from Chania to the oldest olive tree & Cretan brewery

Price overview

• Crete country trip to Chania surroundings (5h) - group up to 6 people 350.-€

Booking option: Day trip from Chania to the countryside of Crete

This approximately 5-hour day trip guides us to the surroundings of Chania and at the same time through the rural Crete. We want to visit 3 stations along this roughly 50 kilometre long stage. Only a few kilometres south of Chania, on a hill below the Byzantine castle "Kastellos", is the Monastery of Metamorphosis. The monastery has been newly captured, but is an extension of the ascetic monastic tradition in Crete. rom there we head to Vouves, where we visit the oldest olive tree in the world and the Olive Tree Museum. Through picturesque villages, olive and orange groves we finally arrive to Zounaki and visited there one of the few breweries open to the public to taste the Cretan beer Charma and learn more about the brewing process during a guided tour.

Overview

• Duration: ~ 5 hours
• Hours: 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM
• Days: daily
• Months: 1st of May - 31st of October
• Languages: German, English
• Starting points: Chania City
• Pick up included in the price: area between Chania city and Kolymbari

Included

• Transfer, experienced driver, professional guide, insurance, fees, entry fees, air-conditioned bus, snack, drinks
• Audiovisual presentation of Cretan customs in the bus, WiFi on board

Detailed description

Rural Crete: Day trip from Chania to the monastery Kastellos and olive oil museum in Vatolakkos

With so many beautiful beaches and charming coastal towns, the countryside of Crete often falls a little short. But the mountain villages, churches and monasteries are well worth a visit, and the drive through the green landscapes is well worth it. Rural Crete is largely unspoilt, idyllic and much of the countryside between the olive groves and vineyards is hand-made. Our day trip from Chania to the heart of the island will really be a journey back in time.

In our air-conditioned minibus we cover a route of about 50 kilometres through the surroundings of Chania. 3 stops are planned: the monastery Kastellos, the olive oil museum in Vatolakkos and an old restored stone mill. Still today many islanders live from agriculture or have turned back to the centuries old traditions. The monastery of Kastellos is less than 20 kilometres from Chania, yet the road between the mountains seems to lead to another world. On this trip we enjoy the rural idyll and the peaceful surroundings. The Monastery of the Transfiguration was rebuilt on a rocky hill under the ruins of the Byzantine castle "Kastellos" and is part of the Monastery of Chrisopigi.

Besides churches and monasteries, Crete's countryside is mainly known for its olive oil. The oil has been produced here for more than 4000 years. We get an insight into this long tradition by visiting the oldest olive and oil museum in Vatolakkos. We can see more than 100 old objects, which are sorted according to their function in the museum. In Voukolies - our third and last stop on our excursion to rural Crete - we will devote our attention to an old mill which has been restored and put back into operation by the operators. Here we can follow the path of the grain to the flour and watch the millstones at work. In the afternoon we return to Chania from our day trip with many impressions.