MINOAN PALACES

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Itinerary Summary & Driving Mileage

• Day 1  Arhanes – Herakleion to Arhanes 16 km, 10 miles
• Day 2  Arhanes – Knossos Loop  20 km, 12.40 miles
• Day 3   Sitia – Arhanes to Sitia 142 km, 88 miles
• Day 4   Sitia – Zakros Loop 86 km, 53 miles
• Day 5   Ierapetra  –  Sitia to Ierapetra  60 km, 37 miles
• Day 6   Sivas –  Ierapetra to Sivas  116 km, 72 miles
• Day 7   Sivas  –  Phaestos Loop  16.80 km, 10.5 miles
• Day 8   Depart – Sivas to Herakelion 65 km, 40 miles

Day 1: Arhanes
From Herakleion you head south 16 km to Arhanes, one of the most  charming towns in Crete with its elegant villas and excellent restaurants.   Visit a few of the many superb wineries in the Arhanes region, and cap the day off with a Cretan cooking class for dinner.

Day 2: Arhanes
The grandest Minoan palace at Knossos is a mere 10 kilometers from Arhanes (about a 15 minute drive).  Tour it early with a professional guide who also accompanies you to the Herakleion Archaeology Museum which holds the precious Malia bee necklace and the famous Phaestos disc, the oldest printed document in the world.

Day 3: Sitia
En route to Sitia, stop to explore the Minoan palace city of Malia, ruled by Sarpedon, brother to King Minos.   A professional guide will make Malia come alive.  Also en en route, take a small boat to Spinalonga, an island that was a Venetian stronghold.

Day 4: Sitia
Today is your third Minoan city at Zakros, the smallest palace and the last to be discovered.  It has a villa rich with wall paintings, wine presses, cellars and tombs cut into the side of cliffs. Make a loop to get there by including swimming at Vai, the largest natural palm forest in Europe.

Day 5: Ierapetra
Today you arrive to Crete’s southern coast and Ierapetra is Greece’s most southern city (and Europe’s too).    There is consistently great weather for a relaxing beach day in Ierapetra.

Day 6: Sivas
En route to Sivas, stop at the ancient Roman city of Gortys to explore ruins, including a Roman column ensconced in an olive tree.  The thousand year old village of Sivas, population 600, has some of the most preserved old houses on the entire island.  The Greek Ministry of Culture has declared Sivas a “preserved” town.

Day 7: Sivas
Today you visit your fourth and last Minoan palace city, the site of Phaestos.  The professional guide will explain to you how Phaestos was the most wealthiest and powerful city on Crete’s southern coast in the ancient days.  Phaistos was ruled by King Radamanthis, one of King Minos’ brother.

Day 8: departure
It only takes one hour to drive from Sivas to Herakleion to catch either a flight to Athens or a boat to another island.

TRIP DURATION    7 nights, 8 days, departure on morning of Day 8

START & END POINTS

Start:   The tour starts in Arhanes, located 16 kilometers south of Herakleion airport or port.

End:  The tour’s last day is in Sivas, 64 km southwest of Herakleion airport or port, about one hour’s drive.

DRIVER-GUIDE VERSUS SELF-DRIVE

On your long-awaited Greece vacation, if you want to fully focus on the scenery, never get lost, avoid using quality holiday time to study maps, risk reading road signs in Greek script when English signs occasionally are missing and prefer being taken straight to each destination without the stress of driving in a foreign country, we recommend you opt for a company driver-guide.

Our driver-guides put your safety first. They are amiable, reliable, convenient, and totally helpful in translations, luggage, hotel intermediary and just a general overall trouble shooter to ensure that everything runs smoothly and all you do is relax and enjoy the tour. They are there when you need them and linger in the background when your party seeks quality time alone.

The self-drive option is less costly. Another important factor for self-drivers is the freedom and adventure to get around on your own in a foreign country. If you enjoy studying maps and orienting and navigating routes, opt for self-drive. You would also prefer self-drive if you simply love to drive!

SELF-DRIVE LOGISTICS

We arrange for your use of a vehicle with a rental car company we patronize.  We forward your credit card to the rental company for security purposes. You sign the rental car contract not for the basic rental cost but for liability purposes in the event of accidents or damages. The fee for the rental car is included in your tour cost.

The rental car agent meets you with the vehicle either at Herakleion port or Herakleion airport.  At end of the tour, return the vehicle to either port or airport.

To drive in Greece, you must have an international driver’s permit.    For Americans, an AAA branch can issue a permit upon presentation of a valid driver’s license and two passport photos.  After filling out an application, within 15-20 minutes for a cost of $15 you will have your permit.    If you are not able to go to an AAA office, the permit can be obtained by mail.

BOOKING AGREEMENT  Participants are required to sign our company Booking Agreement as a condition of the tour.

WAIVER  Participants are required to sign our company Waiver as a condition of the tour.

COST PER PERSON

Tour cost is based on double occupancy.

Children under 12 enjoy a 20% discount.

For daily exchange rates, click here.

INCLUSIONS

EXCLUSIONS

VEHICLE WITH DRIVER GUIDE

Guests on Driver-Guide tours are transported in a mini-van akin to a Nissan Prima Star with seating for up to eight passengers. For more than eight participants see Groups tab. Our company driver-guides are focused on your safety, your comfort, your pleasure, your convenience. They work a basic eight hour day and are not needed at night because almost all eating choices are within walking distance. Driver-guides assist with your luggage, interface with the hotels, help with translations, lead you on walks or hikes, introduce you to all activities, and in general they are all around trouble shooters. They take care of all their own meals. It is in your discretion if you wish the driver-guide to join your party at dinner but he pays for his own meal.

Travel Insurance  For U.S. citizens, we are official agents of Travel Guard travel insurance and can book your trip insurance or provide you a policy quote.

Enhance your Self-Drive tour with these additional activities which we arrange for you with our local collaborators.

Traditional Cretan Cooking Class in Arhanes.  Learn to make such Cretan delicacies as lemon­mint tzatziki, vine leaves stuffed with bulgar, or chicken with olives, raisins & onions in orzo.  Participation in meal preparation and, of course, eating!  4 hours.  80 euros per person.

Labyrinth Musical Workshop in Houdetsi near Arhanes.  This is a very special center with a focus on traditional music and traditional musical instruments.   The seminars are offered mostly for multi-day but from time to time there are one-day workshops and the premises have a museum, too.  Contact us for more information.

Wine tasting en route to Sivas.  Visit a 2000 m² organic vineyard planted in a unique way, on small and large low stone walls at an altitude of 500 meters (1640 feet) overlooking the Valley of Messaras and the Libyan Sea.   Cost is 30 euros per person includes presentation of wine tasting of six wine by local expert, cheese and rusk plate. 

Indicative accommodations for the Minoan Palaces tour is Kalimera Archanes in Archane consisting of four lovingly restored archaic stone villas.

We select the accommodations based on quality, comfort, cleanliness, hospitality, location and charm. Most of the hotels on this tour are family owned and operated.

Hotels are included in the tour cost based on double occupancy. A single room entails an additional cost. Standard double rooms are provided but upgrade options are available.

All hotels are dependent on availability. In the event of no occupancy, we patronize comparable accommodations in the same location.

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Overnight destinations and points of interest