Crete: Full-Day Cretan Wines, Olive Oil, Raki and Food Tour
About This Experience
At 4.97 out of 5 across 300 reviews, this is the best-rated tour on this site by a wide margin among those with real review volume — and it is the fullest day. Eight hours, four producers, lunch, and a pottery studio, working the Peza and Skalani country south of Heraklion.
The olive stop comes first and it is properly done: a tour of the grove and then the mill, with a tasting of fresh oil at the end of it. Peza has been planted with vines and olives since the Minoan era, and the operator leans on that continuity rather than treating it as scenery.
From there the day runs to a family winery farmed organically, where five wines are poured across about ninety minutes, and then to a raki distillery built around an ancient stone wine press. You taste at the rakokazano itself — the still where the spirit is made — which is the kind of access that separates this from a tasting room visit. Lunch is a full traditional meal at a village tavern.
Two caveats worth knowing before you book. The pottery studio, which closes the day, is not available on Sundays. And three of the four producer stops pour alcohol, so if you are not drinking, a good deal of what you are paying $137 for will pass you by. Dietary needs should go to the operator at least 48 hours ahead.
Highlights
- Tour an olive grove and its mill, then taste the oil fresh at the source
- Taste five wines at an organically farmed, family-owned winery
- Visit a raki distillery built around an ancient stone wine press
- Drink raki from the rakokazano, where the spirit is actually distilled
- Eat a full traditional lunch at a village tavern
- Throw a pot at a village pottery studio, in a village known for the craft
What's Included
- ✓ Hotel pick-up and return to your accommodation
- ✓ Transport by van with an experienced driver and tour guide
- ✓ Guided tour of the olive grove and olive mill, with an oil tasting
- ✓ Guided winery tour and a tasting of five organic wines
- ✓ Guided tour of the raki distillery and its ancient wine press
- ✓ Wine and raki tasting at the rakokazano
- ✓ A full traditional lunch at a local tavern
- ✓ Visit to a village pottery studio (optional, and closed on Sundays)
Not Included
- Personal expenses
- Anything you buy at the mill, the winery or the pottery studio
- Gratuities
What to Bring
- Comfortable shoes
- Sun protection
- An appetite — lunch is substantial
Good to Know & Caveats
- The pottery studio is closed on Sundays — book another day if that stop matters to you.
- Contact the operator at least 48 hours ahead for dietary requirements, including allergies and vegetarian meals.
- At eight hours this is the longest tour on the site; the itinerary allows about an hour at each producer and 30 minutes of driving at the start.
- Peza and Skalani are the heart of Heraklion's wine country and have been planted since Minoan times.
- Three of the stops serve alcohol — wine, raki and more raki — so it is a long day if you are not drinking.
Meeting Point
Hotel pick-up and return from your accommodation, arranged with the operator. The route works the Peza and Skalani wine country south of Heraklion.
What Travelers Say
Rated 5.0/5 by 300 verified GetYourGuide travelers.
Fantastic day out with an excellent guide - George. A tour with plenty to see and learn that isn’t completely full on and a good pace . It allows you to meet truly local people and discover their way of life , the brothers in the raki distillery were a high point . Nothing pushed and a great paced day with plenty to see would recommend to anyone visiting the area.
— Matthew, September 15, 2026
George was a wonderful guide and we had a great experience! The tour show us the authentic Cretan life and envolve us in traditions. It was a day to cherish! I congratulate the team for the organisation.
— Juliana, September 24, 2026
Highly recommend this tour. Our guide, George, was excellent. He was very informative, funny, and great to talk to overall! He brought us to all local places and we got to try local olive oils, foods, wine, and raki. We also saw a local pottery workshop which was very cool. When we return we will definitely look to do other tours through this company.
— Samantha, September 11, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the olive oil part substantial or a token stop?
Substantial. You tour the olive grove and then the mill, and taste fresh oil at the end — it is the first stop of the day and gets roughly an hour. That said, the tour covers wine, raki and pottery as well, so it is a Cretan-products day with a real olive component rather than a dedicated oil experience.
What happens on Sundays?
The pottery studio is closed. Everything else runs, but the final stop of the itinerary drops out, so book a different day if throwing a pot is part of why you are going.
Can the operator handle dietary requirements?
Yes, with notice. Contact them at least 48 hours in advance for allergies, vegetarian meals or other special requests — lunch is a full sit-down meal at a village tavern rather than a buffet, so it needs arranging ahead.
What is a rakokazano?
The traditional still where raki is distilled. On this tour you taste at the still itself rather than in a tasting room, in a distillery built around an ancient stone wine press — which is the detail reviewers mention most often.
Is eight hours too long?
It is the longest day on this site, with about an hour at each producer and a full lunch in the middle. The 4.97 rating across 300 reviews suggests the pacing works. If you want the same subjects in less time, the Chania tasting tour runs seven hours and the Amari Valley grove tasting three.
Other Crete Olive Oil Tours
From Chania: Olive Oil, Wine, Cheese & Honey Tasting Tour
From Chania: Wine and Olive Oil Tasting Tour with Snacks
Crete: Buggy Safari Olive Mill & Tasting & Ghost Village
Traditional Olive Grove and Dragon Fruit Farm Tour
Rethymno: Olive Oil Tasting with Cretan Food Pairing
The Terra Creta Olive Oil Experience Tour
