Where to Go: 15 Palace Day Trips in Greece

1.Knossos Palace & Heraklion Full-Day Tour from Chania Area

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 235 reviews · 9 - 11 hours · from $57Our pick

Travel from the Chania area to Knossos with an English, German, or French-speaking guide. Hear Minoan myths from guides such as Jo, Joanne, and Manoli, tour the palace, visit Heraklion’s museum, and enjoy free time for lunch and shopping. The long bus ride is comfortable, but the schedule leaves limited time in Heraklion.

“Really comfortable coach, very friendly guides and lots of activities!”

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2.From Rethymnon: Day Trip to Knossos Palace & Heraklion City

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 216 reviews · 8 hours · from $25Best value

Travel from Rethymnon to Knossos and Heraklion by air-conditioned bus, with two hours at the palace, an optional Archaeological Museum visit, and three hours in town. An escort such as Klaus may share useful facts and guide you between meeting points, but the main visits are self-guided. Pickup covers Rethymnon and nearby resorts.

“It would be nice to have a little more time in Heraklion. Everything else was perfect”

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3.Knossos Palace & Heraklion Full-Day Tour from Rethymno Areas

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 197 reviews · 5 - 10 hours · from $25

Travel by air-conditioned coach from Rethymno to Knossos and Heraklion. You can choose guided visits, with guides such as George, Sofia, Anastasia, or Antreas leading the day in English, French, or German. Allow extra cash for the €20 Knossos and €12 museum tickets, and expect a long day with free time for lunch, shopping, and the old town.

“We had a lovely time visiting Heraklion for a few hours and then Knossos Palace, our tour guide George was brilliant, we have now been on two trips with him and wow he is so good at his job, very knowledgable, very polite and informative and so so friendly. Overall really pleasant experience!!”

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4.Knossos Palace and Heraklion Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 153 reviews · 12 hours · from $56

Travel from Chania to Knossos Palace, Heraklion, and Rethymno on a 12-hour guided tour. Learn about Minoan myths with a guide such as Katerina, use headsets at the main sites, and choose between museum time and exploring Heraklion. Expect a long day, limited free time, and extra entry fees.

“Our guide was excellent….very informed and had great stories about Greek history.”

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5.Crete: Lasithi Plateau & Knossos Palace Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 81 reviews · from $50

Travel from Crete’s northern resorts to Krasi, Panagia Kera, Lasithi Plateau, Avdou, and Knossos Palace. You’ll see old windmills, 14th-century frescoes, a family olive oil factory, and traditional villages. Guides such as Jeanette and Phanos are noted for clear multilingual commentary, while lunch and admission fees cost extra.

“Pickup and drop offs were well organised. The driver was excellent driving well at all times including taxing roads with hairpin bends, Ginette the guide juggled 3 languages with a mixture of good humour and succinct information, easily understood. more information about the cave of Zeus please, comfortable shoes for walking should be mentioned for the walk uphill and many steps down to the cave. overall a good day!”

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6.Crete: Knossos Palace and Lassithi Plateau Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 70 reviews · 12 hours · from $56

Travel by air-conditioned coach from Crete’s northern resorts to the Lassithi Plateau, Kera Kardiotissa Monastery, Tzermiado, and Knossos Palace. A live English, German, or French-speaking guide explains Minoan myths, Byzantine traditions, and local life. The $56 price covers transport and guiding, but entrance fees and optional lunch cost extra.

“Prelievo puntualissimo, all'orario concordato. Guida competente. Itinerario ben definito. Prezzo che potrebbe includere almeno il monastero, non menzionato nell'itinerario, il cui costo di ingresso è 2€”

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7.Crete: Lasithi Plateau and Knossos Palace Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 25 reviews · 10 hours · from $64

Spend 10 hours touring Crete’s major sights, from the Minoan rooms of Knossos to Zeus’s mythical cave. Your guide leads you through Kera Kardiotissa Monastery, Psychro, Krasi, and Seli Ambelou. English and German tours include hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, and time for lunch, though entry fees and food cost extra.

“it was a lovely trip, the guide was so friendly and very knowledgeable - she made sure to include us all. the only negative is that none of the pickup regions included our hotel so we had to arrange a taxi to a different hotel.”

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8.Knossos Palace and Pottery experience. Excursion Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 21 reviews · 7 hours · from $115

Spend seven hours exploring Knossos and Crete’s mountain pottery tradition with a small group of up to six. Your driver-guide, possibly George or Panos, handles hotel pickup, scenic roads, lunch with wine or water, and a brief hands-on clay lesson. Bring €5 for clay, and note that Knossos entry is extra.

“Es hat alles soweit gepasst, leider war die Manufaktur für die Tonherstellung geschlossen. Trotzdem vielen Dank an den tollen Guide”

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9.Knossos Palace & Heraklion City –Full-Day Tour from Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 8 - 9 hours · from $25

Travel from Rethymno to Knossos and Heraklion by bus for an 8 to 9-hour day. You’ll see palace remains, Minoan art, and museum treasures, with guiding arrangements varying by departure. Adonis has led some trips, and early pickup helps beat the crowds.

“I can really recommend this trip! We were in a small group of about 10 people, and our guide taught us a lot about Cretan history and culture whilst driving, and he also guided us through the Knossos Palace. We also beat the crowd in Knossos due to the early departure:) After Knossos, we had 3 hours in Heraklion, and were dropped off right next to the Archaeological Museum. It is worth mentioning that anyone up to (and including) 25 years old have free entrance to both the museum and the palace!”

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10.Full-Day/Half-Day Tour : Lasithi Plateau & Knossos Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews · 6 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $54

Travel by air-conditioned coach from Crete’s north coast to Kera Kardiotissa Monastery, the Lasithi Plateau, Zeus Cave, a pottery workshop, a Greek mythology park, and Knossos Palace. English-speaking guide Maria leads the sightseeing, with wine and olive oil tasting included. Expect a full day, steep walking, extra entrance fees, and a group of up to 50.

“Generally very happy with the tour. We felt very safe going up the steep roads on the coach as the driver was very skilled. However gave 4* as we felt very rushed by the guide Maria in all the places! Particularly in Knossoss Palace, we did not have time to take in the place or read boards with additional information. Maria also spoke very quietly and was moving from language to language really quick, what was confusing at times.”

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11.Souda Bay: Private Day Trip Tour to Knossos Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4 reviews · 5 - 7 hours

Travel from Souda, Kalyves, Almyrida, or Georgioupoli to Knossos in a private Mercedes van. A live English-speaking guide leads a two-hour palace visit, then you explore Heraklion, with time for the Archaeological Museum, food, and shopping. Driver Dimitris has also helped guests with local context and a careful return to port.

“Our driver, Dimitris picked us up at Souda Bay port. He was fantastic, as though we had booked an unguided tour, he went above and beyond sharing his love of Crete, from its vegetation, mountains, coastline and climate to its mythology and old buildings. He got us back just under the wire to the relief of both us and the Viking crew.”

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12.Private Shore Excursion: Corfu Town and Achillion Palace Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) Top rated

You’ll visit Achilleion Palace, pause at Kanoni for views of Vlacherna Monastery and Mouse Island, then explore Corfu Town with a private guide. Guides such as Nikos, Urania, and Lubie can add local food advice and flexible help. Private transport keeps this cruise-day outing simple.

“The lunch with the guide after our tour. She recommended a local non-tourist restaurant and helped us order a traditional greek lunch before she left. Fantastic. Lubie was an excellent guide.”

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13.Full-Day Tour:Lasithi Plateau -Mythology Park&Knossos Palace

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 3 reviews · from $61

Travel by air-conditioned bus from Crete’s northern resorts to Kera Kardiotissa Monastery, Lasithi Plateau, a Greek Mythology Park, a pottery workshop, and Knossos. A live English, German, Greek, or French-speaking guide leads the day. Wine and olive oil tastings are included, while entry to Knossos and the monastery costs extra.

“Two hours spent just picking up people for the tour. Host was incredibly hard to hear. It's a 20 min walk up steep hill to see cave of Zeus, which they failed to mention in description. But kudos to the driver as though those were tricky roads to manage.”

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14.Corfu Shore Excursion: Private Island Tour Including Achillion Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $782

You’ll travel by private vehicle from Corfu port with a guide and driver, visiting Achilleion Palace, Paleokastritsa Monastery, Mouse Island, and Corfu Town. The tour is private and flexible, with a shore excursion guarantee. Plan for a separate €10 palace admission and moderate walking, including uphill access to the monastery.

“Superb time and learned much from Gordana through her gentle way to convey the amazing volume of knowledge she possesses. She really added value to our visit to Corfu.”

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15.Cave of Zeus & Knossos Palace Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 10 hours · from $536

Travel from Chania in a private chauffeured vehicle to the Lasithi Plateau, Cave of Zeus, local villages, and Knossos Palace. Your guide leads the archaeology stops, while Cretan snacks, village art, pottery, WiFi, and hotel pickup keep the long day comfortable. Admission fees and meals are extra.

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