Crete Off the Beaten Path
When: Year round, daily except Tuesdays
Languages: Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Finnish, Swedish, Turkish,
Duration: Approximate 9 hours from point of departure in Heraklion
Meeting Point: Liberty Square in Heraklion; or upon request, pick up and drop off at your hotel
Dress Code: Casual, hat, sun block, good walking shoes, and dress code for the monastery
Including: Services of an officially qualified Greek tourist guide, entry fees, lunch, and bottled water
Food: Yes
Walking difficulty: Easy, recommended for everyone
Rest rooms/WC: Yes
Crete provides many off-the-tourist-path adventures. This is one of them. Archanes, the first stop, is located in the fertile valleys south of Heraklion. Here we will visit the local museum of Minoan archaeology and enjoy a coffee break in the town square. Proceeding to the Peza valley, a centuries-old Mecca of quality wines, we will stop at the Peza Winery and watch an informative film about wine and raki production. Lunch will be in the village of Myrtia, the birthplace of famed author Nikos Kazantzakis. We will then travel to Trapsano, a village of potters’ workshops, where master potter Nikos will demonstrate his skill at the wheel. Our last stop will be the fortified Monastery of Agarathos, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. One of the oldest monasteries of the Heraklion region (perhaps built in 1532), Agarathos was a center of learning during the Venetian period and produced many famous scholars and churchmen.