The Ancient History & Heritage of Crete

Day 1 – Georgioupolis Chania

Scheduled flight to Heraklion from your preferred airport – transfer with our professional guide in our private executive coach to the 5* Anemos Luxury Grand Resort, located next to the village of Georgioupolis Chania.

Day 2 – Rethymnon & Fortezza Fortress

A guided tour through the old town of Rethymnon with its wonderful old Venetian buildings and maze of attractive narrow streets includes a visit to the Archaeological Museum displaying exhibits from the Neolithic to Roman eras – Fortezza Fortress on Paleokastro Hill on the west side of the city was built between 1573 and 1580 by the Venetians to protect the citizens from the Turkish threat – rest of the day at leisure in Rethymnon.

Day 3 – Minoan Tombs of Armeni, Palace of Phaistos & Royal Villa at Agia Triada

A full day focusing on the Minoan era today – at the Minoan Tombs of Armeni there are over 200 chamber tombs and one tholos tomb scattered through an olive grove – built on the most spectacular setting of all palaces in Crete, high on a dramatic hill overlooking the entire Messara plain, the Palace of Phaistos, the second largest palace of Crete after Knossos, was destroyed three times before it was rebuilt on the ruins of the old buildings in 1700 BC – the ruins of the Royal Villa at Agia Triada dating back to around 1600 BC were first excavated in 1902 and are believed to be the summer residence of the King of Phaistos.

Day 4 – Aptera & Chania

Heading to the west of the island, we focus on the history of the Roman, Hellenistic, Venetian and Byzantine eras – the extensive ruins of the Roman and Hellenistic site of Aptera offer spectacular views over the bay of Souda – continue to the harbour town of Chania, built on the ruins of ancient Kydonia, which according to mythology was founded by King Kydon.

Day 5 – Melidoni Cave & Eleutherna

Melidoni Cave has been inhabited almost continuously since the Stone Age, and during Minoan times the cave was used for religious ceremonies – travel through the region of Eleutherna, considered to be one of the most important and largest ancient areas in Crete – afternoon is at leisure in our hotel.

Day 6 – Knossos & Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The most famous of the Minoan palaces on the island, Knossos was undeniably the capital of Minoan Crete, as it is grander, more complex and more flamboyant than any of the other palaces on the island and was inhabited for several thousand years, beginning with a Neolithic settlement some time in the 7th millennium BC and was abandoned after its destruction in 1375 BC which marked the end of Minoan civilization – Heraklion Archaeological Museum, one of the greatest museums in Greece and the best in the world for Minoan art, houses artefacts from all the periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering a chronological span of over 5,500 years from the Neolithic period to Roman times.

Day 7 – Monastery of Arkadi

It is thought that the first fortified group of buildings of the Byzantine Monastery of Arkadi, one of the most important centres of the Cretan resistance during the years of the Turkish occupation, was built in the 14th century BC by a monk named Arcadios and the church which stands in the middle of the fortification enclosure was built in 1587 and boasts a magnificent Baroque frontage – transfer to Heraklion Airport for our scheduled flight home.