Cretan Villages With Patsos Gorge Tour

Zaros, is an attractive, refreshingly unspoiled village famous for its spring water, which is now bottled and sold all over Greece, and an ideal base for walkers to explore the beautiful nature. Zaros also has some fine Byzantine monasteries, and delicious farm-raised trout served up in tavernas around town and on emerald-green Lake Votomos which will be visited

Vatos, is a small village hidden in the green where we find all the elements of its tradition. Walking down the alleys we visit the old school and its fountain as well as the museum with the farming tools and utensils of earlier times. We finish at a cauldron of the village where you make Raki (the famous alcoholic beverage of Crete).

Spili is known for its Venetian snake with a long line of 25 stone lion heads that run cool water from their mouths.

Lampini is a traditional village where you will see the church and the museum of Panagia. The church is inscribed with a cupola, and depicts frescoes of the 12th and 14th century. It was an Episcopal church, since the village of Lampini once accommodated the seat of the famous Episcopate of Lampis, which had existed since 431.

Patsos Gorge is known for the cavernous temple of Agios Antonios (Saint Anthony), which in ancient times was a sacred cave dedicated to Kraneos Hermes. Water comes out from the rocks, while water drops from the temple roof, which is concentrated as holy water. It is interesting to see the thousands of prayer papers that the faithful have placed in the rock cavities around the temple. Underneath the temple and by the river are large plateaus with wooden benches and tables.