Crete - Introducing the Minoans

Departing: April 2027 - April 2027

An expert-led tour that traverses Crete from East to West

Crete became a dominant power in the Mediterranean in the 3rd millennium BCE, when the people we refer to as Minoans constructed palaces on a scale not known in Europe at the time. This tour, which traverses Crete from East to West, has it all: stunning archaeology, beautiful coastal villages, delightful towns and dramatic landscapes, accompanied by the island’s wonderful cuisine.

Included

Explore Ayia Triada & Aptera, with entrance fees included
All other visits as outlined in the itinerary
Expert Guide Lecturer & professional Tour Manager
3 nights at the Porto Veneziano Hotel, Chania & 4 nights at the Lato Boutique Hotel, Heraklion
7 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 7 dinners
Tea or coffee with dinner
Private air-conditioned coach travel
Field notes, taxes & gratuities for local staff

Highlights

Discover the lesser-known archaeological remains of Ayia Triada and Mochlos as well as the famous Minoan Palaces
Explore Aptera, the mythological setting for the battle between the Sirens and the Muses
Delight in the lovely harbour town of Chania, with its charming Venetian architecture

Dr Rita Roussos

A native Athenian, taught Archaeology and Art History at the American University of Athens. She has worked on Archaeological projects in Isthmia, Kato, Lossous and Mantinea. Her research interests range from the place of Women in Ancient Greece and Rome to 4th Century Sculpture from Greece.

Tour Itinerary

Arrive into Chania and meet your Expert Guide Lecturer and fellow travellers at your hotel.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Porto Veneziano Hotel, Chania

Today is devoted to Chania, starting with the Archaeological Museum, where we see a plethora of remains dating from the Neolithic to the Roman periods. Highlights include Minoan ceramics and terracotta figures of bird-faced women, as well as a 3rd-century mosaic dating from the Roman period. In the afternoon, we enjoy a walking tour of its pretty Venetian quarter, including the narrow alleys of the Kastelli region and the wider streets of the Jewish district, which dates back to the 16th century when Jews, exiled from Spain and Southern Italy, made their home here.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Porto Veneziano Hotel, Chania

This morning, we visit the fascinating Maritime Museum on the western end of the Old Venetian Harbour. It contains exhibits from Greek naval history, from Bronze Age to the Venetian and Ottoman period to the Battle of Crete. Its star exhibit is a life-size replica of a Minoan ship, the Minoa. Later, we explore some more of Chania, including the Kastelli hill, where recent excavations have uncovered more of the city’s 5,000-year past. We end our day with a visit to the Agia Triada Monastery to admire its Venetian and Cretan Renaissance style.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Porto Veneziano Hotel, Chania

Leaving Chania, we visit Aptera, whose stunning and strategic positioning ensured it was powerful from the Minoan to the Hellenistic periods. Here we see remains of a 12th-century monastery dedicated to St John Theologos, as well as remains of a Classical temple and an impressive Roman cistern. We continue to Heraklion, stopping en route to explore the excellent new Museum of Eleutherna in Rethymnon, which displays finds from Eletherna, including an archaic statue, the Lady of Eletherna, reminiscent of the statue of Demeter known as the Lady of Auxerre in the Louvre, and grave goods from the Bronze Age.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Lato Boutique Hotel, Heraklion

This morning, we visit the world-famous site of Knossos, which boasted a population of 100,000 at its height in the 18th century BCE and which was settled from as early as the 7th millennium. The palace, controversially reconstructed by Arthur Evans, was the civic and religious centre of the settlement, as well as the residence of the King. The intricate, multi-storeyed layout of the palace has led to its connection with numerous myths and legends, including that of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth. We take in the royal quarters, with their decorated Throne Room, as well as noting the axe stands within the House of the High Priest. Later today, we visit two important museums, the Archaeological Museum of Archanes, which displays collections of Minoan pottery and stone vessels found during excavations at Fourni Necropolis, Anemospilia and Archanes, and the exceptional Heraklion Museum, with its exquisite jewellery and brightly coloured wall paintings. Within this peerless collection of artefacts from the Minoan age is the iconic bull’s head ‘rhyton’, or ceremonial drinking vessel, brought here from Knossos Palace.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Lato Boutique Hotel, Heraklion

We start our day at the site of Ayia Triada, a grand but ruinous Bronze Age villa that has yielded more examples of Linear A tablets than any other site of its kind. We proceed to Phaistos, inhabited from the 5th millennium BCE and the site of two palaces from different periods which were abandoned by the Mycenaean period. Mentioned by Homer, Phaistos is described in artefacts with Linear A inscriptions found on the site. We resume our adventures at the important Greco-Roman site of Gortyn in the verdant Messara Valley, a gem of the archaeological world since its discovery in 1884. It is justly famous for being the locus of the oldest and most complete Classical law code, inscribed on stones reused in the Trajanic period and on display on site – though parts are in the Louvre. Our time here includes a visit to the new Archaeological Museum of Messara, which opened in May 2023. The museum is home to a permanent exhibition, entitled ‘Among the Mountains: the human presence in Messara from prehistoric to Christian times’, and features artefacts from the Roman site of Gortyn and the Minoan Palace of Phaistos.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Lato Boutique Hotel, Heraklion

We visit the Palace of Malia today, a huge Minoan complex just north of the Lasithi Mountains, significant not only for its size, but also its strategic port and grand facades. We then proceed to the well-preserved late Minoan town of Gournia, one of the few sites in the region to have been fully excavated. The remains of Gournia cluster around cobbled streets on the side of a hill and are crowned by the now-ruined palace. Traces of some 50 houses are in evidence here, as well as a court and cemetery. After lunch, we go by boat to the tiny island of Mochlos, which may have been connected to the island in the Minoan period. Here we see remains dating from the Minoan era up to the Hellenistic period and beyond. Notable are the hordes of metal found on the islands, as well as a Minoan necropolis.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Lato Boutique Hotel, Heraklion