11 Private Palace Tours in Greece That Earn Their Entry Fee

1.Knossos Palace Skip-the-Line Ticket & Private Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 633 reviews · 1.5 hours Our pick

Meet a licensed archaeologist at Knossos Palace for a 1.5-hour private tour in English, German, Italian, Russian, or Greek. Your pre-booked ticket gets you past the ticket queue while your guide explains Minoan life, palace design, excavation, myth, and restoration. Vangelis, Stella, and Manos are among the guides praised for clear, engaging tours.

“We really enjoyed learning about the Minoan civilization and the Knossos palace. Great tour!”

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2.Private Tour-Knossos Palace Zeus Cave Olive Oil Mill & Wine

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 135 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $151Top rated

Spend 7 to 8 hours with a local English-speaking driver-guide such as Spyros, Stavros, Dimitrios, or Mike, traveling by Mercedes van from Heraklion and nearby resorts. Visit Knossos, an olive oil mill, pottery workshop, mountain villages, old windmills, Krasi’s ancient plane tree, and a family taverna. Zeus Cave is currently closed.

“Wonderful tour with Ed. Very informative and made the tour fun! Loved seeing the mountain side and village stops. Excellent lunch stop.”

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3.PRIVATE-Knossos Palace-Zeus Cave-Olive Oil Tasting-Old Villages

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 81 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $138

Spend 7 to 8 hours with a private driver-guide exploring Knossos, Zeus Cave, Lasithi Plateau, Mochos, Krasi, and an olive oil press. Ed, Nikos, or another local guide leads the day, with coffee, water, olive oil, and raki tastings included. Lunch and entrance fees cost extra.

“What a magnificent tour!!! Mike our driver and Ed our guide were like a couple of comedians that showed us the real Crete. From the largest plateau on the island to village life, olive oil making, strawberry picking and the usual tourist sites, it made for a memorable day. Highlight of the day was the superb lunch we had where we tasted the best of Italian home cooking and the famous distilled wine Zaki! If you are thinking of booking this your do not hesitate!!”

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4.Knossos Palace, Museum & Rethymno city Private Tour from Chania

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · 10 hours (approx.)

This 10-hour private trip from Chania combines Knossos Palace, Heraklion Archaeological Museum, and Rethymno. Christine or Christina and driver Thanos may share Cretan customs, history, food, and Greek phrases on the drive, with videos in the van. A palace guide, often Thalia, can add expert archaeological context.

“What a wonderful day! It was scheduled and planned around what we wanted. Lots of interesting information. Christine and her driver were fantastic. Lunch was really good. Wouldn't expect sandwiches to be that delicious but everyone was going on about them for days. Wonderful day! Highly recommend!!”

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5.Knossos Palace & Archaeological Museum Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 23 reviews · 4 hours · from $246

Visit Crete’s Minoan capital with a private guide and transfer from your Heraklion hotel, cruise port, or airport. You’ll spend about 1.5 hours at Knossos, then continue to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Guides such as Giorgos and Katarina are praised for patience, clear explanations, and engaging both adults and children.

“Giorgos, my guide, was amazing! Super knowledgeable, patient with the thousands of questions I peppered him with, and figured out pretty early on what I was most interested in and tried to show me examples wherever possible.”

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6.Knossos Palace and/or Zeus Cave + Olive Mill | Local & Private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $98Best value

Spend 7 to 8 hours with a local English-speaking driver-host exploring Knossos, an olive press, the 2,400-year-old Platanus Tree, Lasithi Plateau, Zeus Cave, and Aposelemis Dam. Choose the stops that suit you, enjoy a local tasting, and add lunch or a licensed guide if desired.

“George is an exceptional tour guide. He showed us all the highlights of Heraklion and it was interesting to hear the history of most of the sites. We all agreed this was one of our better tours we have been. George kept contact with me from beginning to end with what's app and he was always quick with his responses. We were on a cruise and he picked us up on time and dropped us back to port on time. Thank you George!”

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7.Matala Beach + Caves, Phaistos Palace & Southern Charm | Private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $98

Spend 7 to 8 hours with an English-speaking driver-host such as George or Giorgos, traveling privately from Heraklion to Phaistos Palace, Matala Beach, the cliff caves, and Zaros Lake. Bring swimwear, a towel, and good shoes. Lunch is optional, and site admission costs extra.

“George was an excellent guide with much knowledge and love of Crete. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him and you will too. We highly recommend booking with him and he will tailor the tour to your preferences with a smile. Scott & Brenda”

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8.Knossos Palace – Private Tour Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 17 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $270

Explore Knossos Palace on a 90-minute guided walk through Minoan Crete. Your licensed guide explains the throne room, theater, drainage system, myths, and archaeology. Choose a ticket-only visit or add hotel pickup and drop-off. The €20 palace ticket also covers the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion.

“Good trip and worth the price. Your ticket also gets you into the museum downtown. Our guide was great and we learned a lot about the place.”

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9.Private Tour-Knossos Palace Zeus Cave&Olive Oil Mill from Elounda

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.)

Travel by private Mercedes-Benz van from Elounda or nearby resorts with an English-speaking driver-guide. Visit a fourth-generation olive press, Krasi’s ancient plane tree, Lasithi Plateau villages, a local taverna, Aposelemis Dam, and Knossos Palace. Zeus Cave is currently closed, so confirm the final route before booking.

“Amazing tour! Really showcases the part of Crete you didn’t realise existed. Eddie (our guide/driver) was fabulous! The trip with him was entertaining, knowledgable and engaging. The group size was small (4 on our trip but max 8) so it beats larger organised trips where you’re sat on a coach for hours upon hours plus there is the added bonus that there’s a little more flexibility with the time. The only way to access the mouth of the cave is by foot (or donkey at €10) but take it at your own pace and admire the views whilst you’re on your way up but the little trek is worth it.…”

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10.Achilleion Palace, Kanoni & Corfu Old Town Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 8 reviews · 4 hours

Travel by private, air-conditioned minibus from your hotel, port, or cruise terminal to Achilleion Palace, Kanoni, and Corfu Old Town. An English-speaking guide or driver shares information along the way. Spiros and Markos have handled past tours, with the route adjusted for mobility needs and personal interests.

“It was a very nice outing, however, think more time at Palace, and less in Corfu town would be much better. As we had all been there before, more time seeing island would have been better.”

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11.Achillion Palace and Corfu town, Half day private tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 6 reviews · from $173

Spend four hours with a private driver and guide exploring Corfu Old Town, the gardens of Achilleion Palace in Gastouri, and the Mouse Island viewpoint at Kanoni. You get hotel or port pickup, bottled water, private transport, and free time for food and shopping. The palace interiors are currently closed, so expect gardens and exterior views only.

“Our guide and driver were fantastic! Very knowledgeable about History and took time to answer all our questions. It was lovely to roam Old Corfu Town and learn the ins and outs. We also saw Mouse Island. The view was incredible! Lastly, we went to a beach on the Mediterranean side which was breathtaking. A wonderful afternoon.”

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