Skip to Main Content
Road Scholar logo
Greece

Winter in Greece: The Magical Island of Crete

Program No. 22935RJ
From its arid east to the lush forests of the west, Crete beckons to be explored. Experience this ancient island like a local during the quieter winter months when the climate is mild.
WishlistShare
Start
  • Winter in Crete, Greece
  • Winter in Crete, Greece
  • Winter in Crete, Greece
  • Winter in Crete, Greece
  • Winter in Crete, Greece
  • Winter in Crete, Greece
Art History & MuseumsSmall GroupHistory
Length
9 days
Rating (4.93)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,649
Flights start at
1,050
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
9 days
8 nights
What's Included
15 meals ( 7B, 4L, 4D )
11 expert-led field trips
2 flights during the program
1 hands-on experience
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
7 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Expand All
Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 2:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Orientation: 6:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Our experienced and knowledgeable Group Leader will also serve as our Study Leader, presenting lectures and conducting field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private bus unless noted otherwise. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
In the hotel restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a bus; driving up to 23 miles, up to 1 hour riding time. Getting on/off an airplane; flight from Athens to Heraklion is approximately 1 hour. Today’s activities will include up to 1 hour of walking.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
Checking out of the hotel, we’ll enjoy a scenic drive through the city of Athens. Our Group Leader will provide commentary, pointing out the iconic landmarks of the city as well as providing some historical and cultural context. Some of the sites we will see during this drive are the famous Acropolis, Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Zeus, Constitution Square, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the National Garden, the Presidential Mansion and the Olympic Stadium. After our panoramic drive, we will make our way to the Athens International Airport.
Lunch:
On your own at the Athens Airport.
Afternoon:
We will board a domestic flight towards Heraklion, Crete. Upon arrival, we will transfer via motorcoach to our new hotel and check in. Reconvening right before dinner, we’ll enjoy a short orientation walk through Heraklion during which our Group Leader will point out some local landmarks and give us insight into the island of Crete.
Dinner:
In the hotel dining room.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a bus. Today’s activities will include walking up to 2 hours on uneven terrain with stairs.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
Heading out by bus, we will begin our day at the Knossos Palace, once the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization but abandoned in the Late Bronze Age (1,380 – 1,100 BCE) for unknown reasons. The builders of this palace achieved an extraordinarily high level of architectural sophistication, and its complex design has made many believe this to be the legendary home of King Minos and the site of the famed labyrinth in which he placed his son, the Minotaur. Returning to Heraklion, we will drive along the impressive city walls from the Venetian period, one of the most important monuments of this type in the entire Mediterranean basin. We will stop where Crete’s most acclaimed 20th-century writer Nikos Kazantzakis is buried in the Martinengo Bastion, the largest on the Venetian walls.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We will head out on a walk through the historical center of Heraklion. Led by our Group Leader, we will explore the old herb market, the Morozini fountain, the Loggia, the Church of Saint Titus and the Church of Saint Mark. Those who wish to extend their walk further may visit the old Venetian Harbor, which includes the impressive fortress of Koules that once protected the entrance to the city.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving up to 170 miles, approximately 4 hours total riding time. Today’s activities will include walking up to 2 hours on even terrain with some stairs.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We will board the bus and drive along the northwest coast of Crete towards Chania, the second largest city on the island. On our way, we will make a short stop in the city of Rethymnon, one of the few preserved Renaissance cities in all of Greece. Here we will see the stunning architecture of the area, which bears a strong Venetian and Ottoman influence and style. After our stop, and after driving a little longer, we will arrive to the city of Chania. Chania was built atop the ruins of ancient Kydonia, a city-state founded, according to tradition, by the mythical King Minos. Due to its strategic positioning in the Aegean, Kydonia was conquered, controlled, and owned by a variety of empires – including the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Venetians and Ottomans. With the Group Leader, our first visit in Chania will be to the Agia Triada (“Holy Trinity”) Monastery, a 17th-century Venetian church built in a Byzantine style. We will then ride into Chania for a walk through the city center, which includes the lively municipal market. This market was established in 1913 by Eleftherios Venizelos, a Chanian-born leader of the Greek liberation movement who was elected Prime Minster of Greece eight times. We will also see the city lighthouse, originally built in 1595 by the Venetian state and then rebuilt into a minaret in 1832 by Ottomans, which remains an iconic symbol of the city.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We will continue our exploration of Chania with a walk through the old town. We will see historical structures, including the Venetian church of Agios Nikolaos dating from c. 1320 CE. It was originally a monastery, then a mosque, then a church. We will also visit Crete’s only surviving synagogue, Etz Hayyim, converted in the 17th century from a 15th-century church. After many years of damage, it was restored with assistance from the World Monuments Fund and rededicated in 1999. We will learn the fascinating saga of Crete’s Romaniote Jews, a distinctive group who are neither Sephardim nor Ashkenaz, with their own language and religious traditions. We’ll return to Heraklion after our field trip.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a bus; driving up to 120 miles, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Today’s activities will include walking up to 2 hours on hilly terrain, with cobblestones and some stairs.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We’ll board our bus and drive eastward through Lasithi province, the wildest area of Crete, with the richest biodiversity and least trampled ranges. This is also one of the most authentically “Cretan” areas of the island, little affected by mass tourism. The picturesque, whitewashed village of Kritsa is nestled in the Dikti Mountains. Centuries ago, it was the largest and most prosperous village in Crete, but has been razed and restored from conquest to conquest numerous times. Today, it is notable for traditional arts and crafts as well as the vestiges from the past such as the ancient Byzantine church of Panagia Kera, originally constructed in the 12th century. We will see colorful Byzantine frescoes, then stroll along winding lanes where local embroiders, weavers, and other artisans display their fine handiwork. We will also meet some of the women of Kritsa who have established a cooperative to produce and sell local specialties. We will join them in making a local dish and enjoying it for lunch.
Lunch:
At the women’s cooperative, we’ll have a light country lunch and savor our own creations.
Afternoon:
Next, we will drive to Agios Nikolaos, the fourth-largest town in Crete but with a small-town feel. Like so many places in the region, this town named for Saint Nicholas was built on the ruins of earlier settlements going back thousands of years. The town grew around Lake Voulismeni, which we will stroll around today. Its great depth is the stuff of legends, although in reality it’s where the Nazis dumped their war material before retreating from Crete in 1944. Our scenic drive takes us through the small resort of Elounda and along the majestic Mirambello Bay to reach the coastal village of Plaka, which has become very popular after the success of “The Island” by Victoria Hislop. Spinalonga, a former lepers’ colony across the bay from Plaka, is the subject of Hislop’s book. Today the island is characterized by its imposing Venetian fortress. We will stop at Plaka for a photo stop. After our field trip, we’ll return to Heraklion.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a bus; driving up to 70 miles, less than 2 hours riding time each way. Today’s activities will include walking up to 1.5 hours on uneven terrain with some steps.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
For our next field trip, we will drive to Central Crete, the untamed heart of the island. This area has an uninterrupted human presence that has lived in harmony with nature since the Neolithic Age and has left a rich archaeological heritage in the fertile plains and the nearby mountainous regions. These areas are of high ecological value where sheep and goat farming provides the inhabitants with income for generations. As we explore this part of Crete, we’ll cross the fertile plains where millions of olive trees grow and we’ll talk about the island’s olive oil history. We’ll view the stunning untouched mountains, meet local people and learn about their daily village life. One of the highlights will be exploring one of the most traditional villages of the island, a frontier between civilization and wilderness, with farming roots dating back to the Minoan period and beyond. At the village, we’ll be welcomed with a local mountain tea then visit the village’s unique Byzantine church richly decorated with frescoes. We’ll stroll through its picturesque alleys while viewing one of the most imposing sacred mountain peaks of the ancient Minoans! And while indulging in the song of the sheep bells, we’ll participate in seasonal activities (weather permitting).
Lunch:
At an atmospheric village lodge, we’ll enjoy a delicious meal, lovingly prepared using age-old methods. The traditional dishes prepared by village women are made from fresh, local ingredients, nurtured by Mother Earth for centuries in this unspoiled area. Naturally, local wine and raki (local grappa) will follow our meal while enjoying music played on the Cretan lyra. This enigmatic, truly unique instrument has survived for approximately 600 years with little alteration to its form.
Afternoon:
We will return to Heraklion, enjoying another beautiful panoramic drive. The remainder of the afternoon is free.
Dinner:
At a prize-awarded local restaurant, we’ll have a traditional Cretan plated meal with a glass of wine and a glass of herb-flavored raki.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer, and our flight to Athens tomorrow.
Activity Note
Today’s activities will include up to 1 hour of walking, with long periods of standing at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Getting on/off a bus. Getting on/off an airplane; flight from Heraklion to Athens is approximately 1 hour.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We will set out on foot with our Group Leader for an in-depth visit of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. This museum houses the largest collection of Minoan art in the world and is considered one of the greatest museums in all of Greece. Divided into 12 rooms, visitors travel through time through 5,500 years of Cretan history – from the Neolithic period (7,000 BCE) to Roman times (3 CE). After our visit, we’ll have some time to explore the museum independently.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
We will check out and meet at the hotel lobby for our bus transfer to the Heraklion Airport where we will board a domestic flight to Athens. Upon arrival, we’ll transfer to the hotel and check in.
Dinner:
In the hotel dining room. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon. See your program’s “Getting There” information regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room. This concludes our program.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don't forget to like our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
Please select a day to update the map
Map details are not available for this location.