Crete Shore Excursion: Knossos Palace, Cave Of Zeus & Village

Your driver meets you at Heraklion Port or hotel and from there the day unfolds across three very different corners of Crete — a Bronze Age palace, a mythological cave, and a mountain village that feels like it has barely changed in centuries.

Your driver meets you at Heraklion Port and from there the day unfolds across three very different corners of Crete — a Bronze Age palace, a mythological cave, and a mountain village that feels like it has barely changed in centuries.

The Greeks believed Zeus himself was born here. According to myth, his mother Rea hid him in this cave at Psychro to protect him from his father Cronus, who had been told by an oracle that one of his children would one day overthrow him. The cave dates back to 2800 BC and served as a cult site long before the mythology caught up with it. To reach the entrance you can walk up the hill — about 15 minutes — or take a donkey if you prefer. Inside, the temperature drops, the noise of the world disappears, and the stalactites do the rest. The views back across the plateau from the top are worth the climb alone.

The last stop is a small mountain village sitting at 600 meters, quiet in the way that only very old places tend to be. The main reason to come here is also impossible to miss: a plane tree with a trunk circumference of 14.6 meters, estimated at around 2,400 years old, one of the five largest trees in Europe. It takes more than ten people with arms outstretched to reach around it. Beneath its canopy there are tables and chairs belonging to the village taverna — a natural place to sit down for a coffee or lunch before heading back.

Your driver returns you to Heraklion Port or hotel with guaranteed time - we always ensure you are back before your ship departs.