Knossos and Wineries in Crete

by Kaci Feldman
(Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)

Hello,

I will be traveling to Crete by cruise ship in September 2015. There will be 4 people.

We would like to visit Knossos Palace, have lunch, and a visit a winery or two, then return to the pier by 3:30 pm. The ship sails at 4:00 pm.

Is it possible to hire a driver with car to take us around? If so, how much would it cost?

Warm regards,

Kaci

A Private Guide in Crete

Hi Kaci,

Yes you can hire a private driver/guide to pick you up in Heraklion Port and drive you to Knossos Palace Archaeological Site, which is a fascinating site and ideally needs a visit of about 2 hours, your guide can show you around and interpret the site for you and tell you the history and stories all about it.

Here is our page about Knossos Palace for a bit of background. It is located about 6 km from the port.

Inland from Knossos is a wine-growing region and you will certainly be able to visit some lovely vineyards and taste Cretan wines. The guide will need to arrange this for you and perhaps set appointments at some wineries. Archanes, Peza and Dafnes all have vineyards and tastings can be arranged.

For example the Sinadinakis Winery produces a beautiful red Kotsifali & Cabernet Sauvignon which is made up of 55 percent Kotsifali and 45 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. They also produce a white and a merlot wine and organic wines. This winery is at the foothills of Mount Giouktas Γιούχτας, an area steeped in Minoan history.

Here is our page about the wineries for your information...

At some of these wineries are wonderful restaurants, also in the towns of this region, such as Archanes, you will find great local tavernas with real, local, traditional food. Lykastos, Diktamos, Ampelos and Tzibaeri are lovely local tavernas serving paradosiaki traditional or local food. The guide will be able to arrange a really tasty experience for you.

The guide we suggest is George from Private Tours Crete and we ask that you contact him via his website to make the arrangements and be sure he gets you back to your ship on time! We are sure he will do this and that you will experience no problems.

Have a wonderful trip to Crete and we trust enjoy your cruise!

Kalo Taxidi! Bon Voyage!