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Offered languages
- English
Walk with us to experience Heraklion like a local and explore the best the city has to offer. Learn about the culinary culture and wander in local neighborhoods as you eat and sip your way through authentic Heraklion.
Highlights:
• Experience real Cretan food at 8 local-favourite stops away from the tourist crowds.
• Sample unique Cretan cheeses and learn how to become an authentic Cretan cheese-expert by selecting the best ones.
• Sample Heraklion’s bougatsa in a family-owned business that has been running since since 1920s.
• Taste the world famous Cretan olive oil and find out why it is considered one of the best in the world.
• Enjoy a glass of local wine and learn about the local wine making process that dates back to the Bronze Age.
• Sip a a freshly brewed traditional Greek coffee in a local kafeneion.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Guests’ pickup is offered for the private group option. We will meet you at your hotel lobby or the cruise port. Our guide will be holding a sign with your name.
We will be standing next to the statue of a soldier in the middle of Eleftherias Square at 11:00 AM Eleftherias Square is the main square of Heraklion, near the Archaeological Museum, and opposite the Astoria Hotel. We will be standing on the square holding a Crete Local Adventures sign.
Itinerary
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1
Follow this four-hour Heraklion food and wine walking tour that will introduce you to the best food that Heraklion has to offer by treating your palate to traditional Cretan dishes and exceptional local wines! Being one of the healthiest and tastiest diets in the world and the base of the Mediterranean diet, the Cretan cuisine is so unique due to its strong tie with local culture, history and geography of the region. The best way to get to know a place is through its food and we will take you on an unforgettable tasty journey through Heraklion’s local neighbourhoods. After meeting your local guide, you’ll start off with a traditional Greek coffee also known as ellinikós kafés. Learn why Greeks love so much coffee and see it brewed the traditional way in sand and yes, we will teach you “cup reading”, a centuries-old tradition that reads your future!
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Heraklion
Next, you’ll enjoy Heraklion’s well known bougatsa in a family-owned business that has mastered their bougatsa technique since 1922! Consisting of semolina custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo, bougatsa is a must-taste pastry that you shouldn’t miss while being in the city.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3
Passing through the historical center of Heraklion, you’ll continue the exploration to a local market where you’ll meet the local vendors and learn about their products. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to sample some of the basic elements of Cretan cuisine such as olives, rusks, and cheese – and yes, we’ll teach you how to become a cheese–tasting expert by giving some local hints and learning how to spot the best local cheeses! And of course, taste the island’s famous olive oil and find out why organic Cretan olive oil is one of the best oils in the world.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
4Old Venetian Harbor of Heraklion
At our next stop, you’ll sit down for a local organic meat dish or if you want to show yourself how brave you are, you can sample a dish that is loved by most Cretans and it is …fried snails! Moving on to our last stop, your Heraklion food tour couldn’t end without tasting some local Cretan wines in a family-run shop. Keep in mind that winemaking in Crete has a long history that dates back to the Bronze Age! Before you go, don’t forget to ask your local guide for more tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How you help the local community by joining this tour: - During this tour, you sample locally-sourced food from Crete’s villages, farmers, and stock-breeders. - On this tour, you meet a local greengrocer, cheesemonger, butcher, and fishmonger, and other family-owned businesses that sell their own Cretan-only products. - By joining this tour, you are supporting a 100-year-old local bakery so it can keep flourishing and serving authentic local delicacies.
- Food Allergies: Unless you suffer from multiple, combined food allergies, or unless you are a vegan, we will figure it out. Vegetarians are welcome on all tours. Please wear comfortable shoes for walking.
- In general, there are few dress restrictions in Europe and dress codes are similar to those you are used to at home. Please note though that in many churches modest dress is required; no shorts or skimpy tops are permitted.
- If you are happy with the services provided by your local guides a tip – though not compulsory – is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it is of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry. Please consider this when budgeting for your extra expenses on this tour.
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Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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