Top 15 Day Trips from Crete

1.Crete: Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 4,416 reviews · 8 - 11 hours · from $44Our pick

Review of Crete’s Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, and Spinalonga day trip, with boat rides, free time, swim stop, costs, and practical tips.

“What a fantastic day trip. The highlight of our holiday. The tour guides Mannos and Alexandra were lovely, educational and friendly. The bus we traveled on was very comfortable and air conditioned which was a nice touch, Mannos even asked us if we were cool enough, which was appreciated. The stops at Agios Nikolas and Elounda were beautiful, and it was really nice to see that part of the island. Spinalonga was a great experience, the tour guides delivered lots of knowledge about it. Being able to have a swim off the boat was the icing on the cake for a beautiful day. Thank you!”

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2.Day Trip to Elafonisi Island Pink Sand Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,014 reviews · 450 minutes - 12 hours · from $38

Review of the Elafonisi day trip from Chania, with pink sand, clear water, Topolia Gorge, hotel pickup, and practical tips.

“It was a really nice day! We started with a walk to a cave and some refreshments. We then went to Elafonissi, which was beautiful! It was hot, so bring sunscreen, hats, etc. however we were given more than enough time to enjoy and there are some snack shops as well. On the way back we went to a nice little restaurant for lunch and the staff were very hospitable. Overall very happy with the experience and would highly recommend!”

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3.Crete: Rethimno, Chania, and Kournas Lake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,694 reviews · 10 - 14 hours · from $45

See Rethymno, Chania, and Lake Kournas in one long Crete day, with hotel transfers, multilingual guiding, and strong value at $45.

“I had a wonderful trip, very well organized. Thank you to our guide, Elena, who made sure everyone had a great time”

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4.Rethymno: Preveli Beach Damnoni Beach Kourtaliotiko Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 929 reviews · 9 - 11 hours · from $25

Review of Crete’s Preveli, Damnoni, and Plakias day trip from Rethymno, with gorge views, beach time, costs, tips, and practical advice.

“Great, the pick-up location was well described, the pick up on time, the whole experience how it was described. We had a fun day!”

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5.From Rethymno: Full-Day Trip to Santorini by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 279 reviews · 13 hours · from $243

Santorini from Rethymno by fast ferry, with guided Oia and Fira visits, free time, caldera views, and practical tips for a long day.

“Santorini is a beautiful place to visit. It was extremely busy and the capital Thira was a good choice for lunch and enjoying the scenery.”

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6.Santorini Day Trip with Boat Transfer & Oia Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 269 reviews · 11 hours · from $199

Review of the Heraklion to Santorini day trip, with fast ferry, guided visits to Oia and Fira, costs, crowds, tips, and practical advice.

“It's a shame your company is, by advertising and making profits, causing travellers like myself and thousands of others to descend on a little island clearly totally unable to cope with the volume of tourists and so spoiling what should have been a quiet and enjoyable day. Nowhere to relax, nowhere to enjoy the beauty, just the most stressful and suffocating experience I've ever encountered - too many people!!!!!!!!!!”

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7.From Rethymno: Knossos Palace and Heraklion Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 240 reviews · 10 hours · from $35

Review of the Knossos and Heraklion day tour from Rethymno, with practical advice on guides, costs, timing, transport, and what to expect.

“Trip smooth, well organised and guide really excellent. Our drive was relaxed and meant a stress free journey. Great value for money plus we skipped the line at Knossos which saved a lot of time. Definitely recommend.”

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8.From Rethymno/Chania: Day Trip to Preveli Palm Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 220 reviews · from $9Best value

Review of Crete’s Preveli Beach day trip from Rethymno or Chania, with boat ride, palm forest, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, costs, and tips.

“This is a must see if you are in Crete. Our guide Michael was so funny during the trip. The palm tree forest is beautiful but it's more fun if you walk on the right side of the river, it's more of an adventure and there are less people then on the other official side. Don't forget to bring sneakers and water shoes! The beach is nice but the water is really cold here because of the mixing river but we swam there anyway. Don't forget to climb up the mountine for an amazing view on the forest and beach. On the way back we stayed on the other beach…”

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9.Gramvousa Island Day Trip & Balos Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 206 reviews · 11 - 15 hours · from $47

Review of the Heraklion to Gramvousa and Balos day trip, with costs, timing, ferry details, swimming tips, and honest advice.

“Incredible views, 2 islands and 2 different activities that you can enjoy. Long day but worth it if you are an adventure seeker”

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10.Day Trip to Matala Hippie Beach and Caves

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 148 reviews · 8 hours · from $37

Review of the Matala day trip from Heraklion, covering the hippie beach, Roman caves, transport, free time, price, and practical tips.

“Zwemmen was heerlijk en de omgeving geweldig. Grotten minder voor mensen met zwakke knieën”

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11.From Rethymno: Chania and Lake Kournas Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 139 reviews · 6 hours · from $47

Explore Chania Old Town and Lake Kournas from Rethymno with hotel pickup, free time, a guide, and excellent value at $47.

“We really enjoyed the tour. Our tour guide and driver were always very friendly and accommodating, and everything was well organized. We especially liked that they took the season into account: we went to the lake first and then into town, which meant the lake was still wonderfully empty and we could enjoy the pedal boat ride much more.”

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12.From Georgioupoli: Easy Hiking Day-Trip to Imbros Gorge

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 100 reviews · 8 hours · from $34

Review of Crete’s Imbros Gorge day trip from Georgioupoli, with an easy hike, Frangokastello beach, swimming, transport, and practical tips.

“tres bien a la hauteur de nos attentes Alexandra enjouée et intressante”

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13.Heraklion Area: Direct Day Trip Elafonisi Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 92 reviews · 15 hours · from $53

Review of the $53 Elafonisi day trip from Heraklion, covering the long bus ride, pink sand, swimming, guides, timing, and practical tips.

“Bellissima giornata a Elafonisi, le guide turistiche gentilissime e spiegano in 4 lingue diverse tutto ciò che si incontra nel tragitto e che riguarda la storia di Creta. Farei durare solo 1 ora in più la permanenza Elafonisi.”

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14.Crete: Sightseeing Day Trip with Cooking Lesson and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 77 reviews · 8 hours · from $108Top rated

Explore Crete by 4x4 with goat milking, cooking, pottery, olive oil tasting, mountain scenery, and a traditional lunch.

“Lovely day. Very nice activities, great scenery, super funny guide - Nico. Definitely an experience I highly recommend.”

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15.Day trip to Chania old Town,Kournas Lake& Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 61 reviews · 9 - 11 hours · from $37

Compare Chania, Lake Kournas, and Rethymno on a full-day Crete tour with hotel pickup, free time, and multilingual guiding.

“Leider war die Tour sehr hektisch. Es blieb kaum Zeit, sich die einzelnen Orte in Ruhe anzuschauen. Mir ist klar, dass man auf einer Rundreise nicht alles sehen kann, aber es war einfach zu wenig Zeit – weder zum Essen oder Trinken noch für eine saubere Toilette. Ich hatte das Gefühl, länger im Bus zu sitzen als wirklich etwas zu erleben. Außerdem kamen wir sehr spät im Hotel an. Ich denke, man hat sich zu viele Ziele vorgenommen – lieber nur zwei Orte, dafür mehr Zeit vor Ort. Noch einmal würde ich diese Tour nicht machen. Beim nächsten Mal würde ich lieber ein Auto mieten und die Reise selbst gestalten.”

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