Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Crete Family Holiday

Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
- Get behind the scenes of Cretan cuisine during a hands-on cooking class where you’ll learn how to make Kalitsounia – the traditional and super tasty pastries that the whole family will love!
- Take a step back in time during a guided visit to Knossos – the ancient capital of the Minoan civilisation. Explore the remains of a palace, its courtyards, apartments and more.
- Experience a different side of Crete during a visit to a local organic farm – the kids will love picking vegetables, collecting eggs and milking goats (and you’ll love sampling some deliciously local and organic wine).
- Enjoy a scenic boat trip along the south coast of the island, stopping in secluded bays for refreshing swims. This is sure to be a highlight of your time in Crete – just look at that water!
- Visit the beautiful mountain villages outside of Chania, where you’ll enjoy a traditionally cooked lunch in a tavern that is so authentic, it doesn’t even use electricity.
- By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Amurtel, who provide a safe space for refugee women and children in Greece. Donations help them provide antenatal and postnatal care programs run by qualified midwives.
Short Description
Discover a land of ancient legends, delicious cuisine and uninterrupted sunshine on this seven-day family adventure in Crete. There’s so much fun to be had on Greece’s largest island – experience rural life during a day on an organic farm, find out how to make Crete’s tastiest snack, sail on serene waters on the south coast and discover the remains of an ancient world in Knossos. With loads of free beach time and plenty of refreshing dips in the warm Mediterranean Sea, this Greek getaway is sure to tick everyone’s boxes!
Itinerary
Day 1 Heraklion
Kalimera! Welcome to Crete. Greece’s largest island offers something for everyone, from inviting beaches to rugged canyons and thousands of years of culture and history. Your family adventure begins in Heraklion– a delightful city famed for its restaurant-lined 14th-century Venetian harbour. You’ll have a welcome meeting at 5 pm tonight, where you’ll meet your local leader and the other families joining you on this adventure. After, you may like to get to know your group over an optional dinner in town. Cretan food is fresh, healthy and delicious – the dakos salad is a must-try, and the kids will love Cretan cheese pies!
Day 2 Heraklion
Today, the family will take a step back in time during a visit to the famous archaeological site of Knossos. Once the capital of the Minoan civilisation, the city’s ruins conjure up images of what life here once looked like. Enjoy a guided tour through the remains of a palace, courtyards, baths and private apartments. Your guide will bring the site to life for you and the kids, and they’ll be on hand to answer any questions you have about the fascinating civilisation that once thrived here. After, return to Heraklion where you’ll head to a pottery workshop. The whole family will get to have a go at creating their own masterpiece – this is a hands-on experience and a fun opportunity to get creative! The rest of the afternoon is free to relax at the accommodation or explore the area at your own pace.
Day 3 Hora Sfakion
This morning, you’ll see a different side of the island as you take a bus towards the city of Rethimno to a local organic farm. Here, you’ll get a glimpse of rural Crete, and the kids will have a chance to be a farmer for the day! There’s plenty of fun to be had – picking vegetables, collecting eggs, milking goats, baking bread and preparing stuffed vegetables. But it’s not just a day for the kids – you’ll also visit the wine press and sample some fantastic organic wines. After, continue on to the south of the island, where you’ll stay overnight in a beautiful property that overlooks the water. When you arrive, maybe relax in the pool and soak in the charm of this picturesque village.
Day 4 Chania
This morning, board a private boat and sail along Crete's south coast to the village of Sougia. This is Crete at its very best – an undiscovered sweep of beach overlooked by mountains. It’s almost too pretty to believe it’s real! Enjoy a swim stop or two along the way in stunning hidden bays. When you arrive in Sougia, maybe grab some lunch (doesn’t swimming always make you hungry?) and relax on the beach before making your way to Chania. This will be your home for the next few days.
Day 5 Chania
Today will be spent discovering the treasures of Chania. Start with a behind-the-scenes look at Cretan cuisine during a hands-on cooking class where you’ll learn how to make Crete’s most beloved snack – the Kalitsounia. Sometimes sweet, sometimes savoury, sometimes filled with cheese but always delicious – these tasty little pastries will please the whole family! After a delicious lunch sampling the fruits (or pastries) of your labour, enjoy some free time to explore the Old Town and it’s charming tangle of colourful streets. Wander around the small shops in the town centre and maybe spend the evening with take out on the beach or at a restaurant with a view.
Day 6 Chania
It’s time to get active today and get to know some of Crete’s natural wonders. You and the family will head into the mountains, stopping along the way in beautiful mountain villages with breathtaking views. After working up an appetite, visit an authentic tavern where they’ll prepare you a traditionally cooked lunch using only fire (as they don’t have electricity). This afternoon you’ll experience one of Crete’s biggest attractions – the beach! The sea is warm and calm, making a perfect spot for little ones to swim, and there are a few more picturesque places to lay back and relax. Make sure you bring your camera today (and sunscreen, a hat and water).
Day 7 Chania
With no activities planned for today, your family adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning. If you’d like to spend more time exploring Chania, just get in touch with your booking agent.
Availability
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4,356 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings
Crete Family Holiday
Company Reviews
Beware of intrepids Lack of Ethics
We were told by Intrepid we needed to cancel two weeks before our trip started. That would have made sense in normal times, but this was not normal times whatsoever. There hadn’t been an earthquake in decades We were trying to get answers from intrepid, before deciding what to do.
We called and chatted multiple times and begged to have the trip rescheduled. Each customer service person said no and there was no opportunity to speak to a supervisor. It was a dead issue with intrepid.
Intrepid was totally nonnegotiable for allowing us to delay the trip. As far as they were concerned, the September 25 trip would depart with modifications. I asked what the modifications were. They couldn’t tell me. We spent thousands of dollars and no one knew what the modifications were but we were supposed to be willing to travel …really? I have been vocal on their Facebook page. No response from intrepid. Yes they had to ensure travelers in Morocco are safe, but they also should have had the manpower to address our concerns with the trip scheduled in two weeks
When we did cancel, they immediately posted openings on their website for the September 25 departure at a $200 discount so they kept our money, wouldn’t allow us to postpone the trip and aimed to sell our slot. Double dipping if you asked me,
I then read on intrepid‘s Facebook page that other people scheduled to take tours to Morocco around the same time as us got their trips rescheduled I was truly upset for company. The prices itself on its ethics, not treating each customer with the same rules is well unethical. I sent an email to the CEO in Australia and the general manager in North America. I saved in chat and emails with their customer service people I had evidence of our request to reschedule.
I finally got a response in two weeks. It was from an underling who didn’t answer my main question, which was why we weren’t offered the option to reschedule like others did. This person gave BS corporate speak about intrepid will apply what they learned to future trips, and thank me for my insight Why didn’t she answer my question and now with the war going on in Israel, Intrepid isn’t allowing future guests to reschedule the trip looks like they just d o what’s best for them in normal and abnormal Times
We had trip insurance but are still out thousands of dollars
Avoid this tour group at all costs
PREMIUM LEVEL check Accomodation reviews.We have just done 3 Intrepid tours.
My review here relates to the Premiun Turkey in depth tour.
Excellent Guide Seda, Excellent driver Mesut and Excellent Itinerary.
Where this trip disappointed us was some of the accommodation was not Premium Infact one would not even meet the Original Tours standard.
We paid considerably more to travel at this level and like others in the group were disappointed all accommodation was not at Premium standard which is what we paid for. Some others were hoping to book Intrepid Premium again but said they would look at other options. It doesn't come near the Peregerine level which we understand Intrepid have purchased and call it Premium.
Update to my 1 star review
Disappointed
I went on a trip with Intrepid from New York to Miami in a majority female group and our tour guide was creepy towards us the whole time taking pictures without consent, often not passing them on to us and even started private messaging members of the group after the trip had ended. I have tried to bring this up with intrepid multiple times through email but have received no response.
Besides this our tour guide also had never been to most of the places we visited so we often ended up being the one guiding him. Also, as a type 1 diabetic, keeping my medication cool and safe is extremely important as I literally depend on it to stay alive. Knowing this, I contacted intrepid ahead of time hoping they’d inform my guide after being assured that the guide would be able to accommodate me and I was in good hands. Upon meeting my guide I found out he didn’t even know what insulin was let alone the appropriate storage conditions. This lack of organisation on Intrepid’s part meant that I had to store my medicine in a cooler underneath piles of unsanitary food bags amongst ice which was melted most of the time risking water logging of said medications.
All in all I did not feel safe while on this tour and honestly think I may have been better off traveling by myself. Clearly more attention is needed in the hiring department.
Somebody came down with Covid
Intrepid Travel are disguising
With great power comes great responsibility?! You aren't spiderman.
You aren't a government body, you are a commercial entity providing a service. You have no business encroaching on basic human rights.
Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal ground transport Private Minivan,Public Bus
Group Size
Small Group - 24 max
Maximum Number of People in Group: 16
Accommodations
Hotels (6nights)
Guides
All Intrepid Family trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to assist your family to take the hassle out of your travels and help you have the best trip possible. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for fun things to do and see - for both kids and parents, recommend great local eating venues that will even get the kids trying new things, and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. Our leaders are not babysitters on this trip - we leave that to you (the experts), but they will make sure that group members of all ages are able to explore their destination safely and with as much fun as possible. Our group leaders are not responsible for looking after children at any time and children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times throughout this itinerary.
Age Notes :
Min. Age: 5
Max Age: 99
Additional Information
Finish point
- Hotel Kydon
- Sofoklis Venizelos Sq. & 2, Str. Tzanakaki
- Chania
- GREECE
- Phone: +30 2821052280
Trip ID#:
intrepid-ZGFC
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