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From Heraklion: Full-Day Bus Trip to Chania, Kournas Lake & Rethymno
3.8
51 Ratings
Chania Town
Explore the stunning city of Chania, visit the picturesque Kournas lake, and discover the charming Rethymno city on this full-day bus trip from Heraklion. Book now!
Explore the stunning city of Chania, visit the picturesque Kournas lake, and discover the charming Rethymno city on this full-day bus trip from Heraklion. Book now!
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Lighthouse of Chania - This excursion takes us to West Crete, starting with a visit to Chania, the most enchanting city on the island. Once a significant Minoan city and referred to as the “mother of the Cretan cities” by ancient writers, Chania is split into the Old City, with its stunning harbor, and the New City, which lies beyond the Venetian…
- Lighthouse of Chania - This excursion takes us to West Crete, starting with a visit to Chania, the most enchanting city on the island. Once a significant Minoan city and referred to as the “mother of the Cretan cities” by ancient writers, Chania is split into the Old City, with its stunning harbor, and the New City, which lies beyond the Venetian fortifications. The Old City, often called the “Venice of the East,” is one of the Mediterranean’s most picturesque cities. Here, we can see remnants of various civilizations: Minoan archaeological sites, Turkish minarets and mosques, Muslim quarters, Venetian fortresses, dockyards, fountains, squares, arches, mansions, the Loggia, and the Lighthouse of Chania, Chania 731 32.
- Rethymnon Old Town - On our return, we stop in Rethimnon, Crete’s third-largest town, where archaeological, Ottoman, and Venetian monuments coexist in a fascinating blend. Wander through the old town’s alleys, visit Turkish minarets like the Neratze Mosque, explore Venetian fortresses, or simply enjoy a coffee in the charming harbor.
- Lake Kournas - Departing from this remarkable city, we reach the picturesque Lake Kournas, a unique natural freshwater habitat on Crete. Surrounded by lush greenery and steep hills, the lake is home to rare fish and bird species, such as eels, moorhens, and two-color turtles, making it an ideal spot for a swim before lunch or an early afternoon walk. The entire Kournas area is protected under Natura 2000 as a designated wetland.
What's Included
- Professional and multilingual speaking guide in English, German, and French (Friday)
- Transportation by bus
- Hotel pick-up from Malia, Stalis, Hersoniso, Anisaras, Analypsi, Gouves, Heraklio, Amoudara, Agia Pelagia, Fodele
- Tours available on Tuesday and Friday in English, German, and French; Thursday in English and Polish
- Professional and multilingual speaking guide in English, German, and French (Friday)
- Transportation by bus
- Hotel pick-up from Malia, Stalis, Hersoniso, Anisaras, Analypsi, Gouves, Heraklio, Amoudara, Agia Pelagia, Fodele
- Tours available on Tuesday and Friday in English, German, and French; Thursday in English and Polish
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Lunch
Additional Information
This outing takes us to the west of Crete, first halting in Chania, which is the most enticing city of Crete. Mentioned by early scholars as the ‘mother of all Cretan cities’, it played a significant role as a Minoan metropolis. The city is segregated into the Old City, boasting a beautiful harbor, and the New City, positioned beyond its Venetian ramparts.
This outing takes us to the west of Crete, first halting in Chania, which is the most enticing city of Crete. Mentioned by early scholars as the ‘mother of all Cretan cities’, it played a significant role as a Minoan metropolis. The city is segregated into the Old City, boasting a beautiful harbor, and the New City, positioned beyond its Venetian ramparts.
Location
Lighthouse of Chania
Old Market near Prince Bank,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.8
(51 Ratings)
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Bodkay
Jun 22, 2025
Interesting trip - A long day but a good one. Saw a lot of places and Chania was pretty, shame the weather didn’t play ball as the harbour looks great in photos, we were there on a bad day. The trip to the lake was too long due to the weather and hardly anyone ate at the restaurant, as the weather had been bad all day maybe we could have spent a bit more time at the stop before. Guide was good and very clear
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q9359qafabians
Jun 4, 2025
Top excursion - Pick up at the hotel was on time, bus driver was top, tour guide told a lot about the island and the excursion destinations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Syj495
Jun 3, 2025
Recommended - It was a great tour I recommend it. It's a long day though and depending on when or where you get picked up or dropped off it definitely adds more time. They communicated clearly where I would get picked up. You see 3 different locations and the guide explains things on the bus as you go which was very informational. If you sit on the right side on the way to Chania, you get a view of the coastline. It's a huge bus with like 50 people but good for the price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annica_g
May 28, 2025
Worthwhile Tour - Very knowledgeable, friendly guide. Chania was particularly beautiful although also the most crowded. The tour is definitely worth taking.
Review provided by Viator
Pioneer42986659214
May 28, 2025
Nice trip, good to explore the west coast of Crete. - Nice trip, went as described, nicely organized. The bus ride is pleasant with beautiful views of the coast. The whereabouts were nice to see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Onair55553327120
May 15, 2025
Great value, great experience. - The bus was clean and comfortable, the guide was pleasant and knowledgeable. The cities we visited were great and definitely would have loved more time. This tour was a great way to sample a couple of areas. The lake was pretty but less time could be spent there, or completely skipped, just my opinion. There may be some value in creating a tour for just Chania and Rethymno. I knew the lake was part of the tour, so this is not a complaint.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christopherkirk
Jun 15, 2025
Good trip but very tiring. - Overall we enjoyed the trip but it was a very long day. We were picked up by coach at 7.15am and were not dropped off again until 8.30/8.40 pm. It took 4 hours to pick up other people on the trip then get to the first stop which was Chania. Coach was a bit cramped, very warm and had some seats that did not lock into position properly so moved backwards and forward on braking and acceleration of the coach. There was not enough allotted time to sightsee. We had 2 hours at Chania but it was not long enough to see the lighthouse or browse the shops. At Rethymno we only had 1 hour so it did not give us time to see the Fortress. We just found a bar and had a drink until time to return to the coach. We had 1 to 1.5 hours at Kournos lake which was mainly so everyone could be guided into the restaurant there. Would be better if the lake visit was not included in this trip and more time could be spent at the other 2 places. Despite all this the guides were friendly as was the coach driver.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
L3631iagerhardh
May 23, 2025
A Day Tour of the West at Sahara Sandstorm - Actually a nice day tour with a professional tour guide and a good safe bus driver despite bad weather conditions (Saharan storm). The photos are dark due to weather conditions.
I would describe the seats on the bus as inadequate: very uncomfortable with far too little legroom (even under normal size conditions.
For a day trip the bus had little comfort.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
713mihaia
May 30, 2025
Because of bad communication I didn't get to go on this trip. - I booked the trip, downloaded the ticket, checked trip advisor for any messages or communication and checked again the departure time. It was 8:25. Unfortunately they sent an email through trip advisor, like all the other spam from trip advisor, and I missed the time change to 7:20. Instead of calling to confirm or anything else when I didn't react to the email the call me in the morning of, at 7:30 asking where I am. I asked for 10 min to get ready but was told not to bother cause they already lost 10 minutes and can't lose more. I'm now asking for a refund, no answer so far, will update.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Episkopi-spiti
Jun 14, 2025
Not as booked or expected! - As the tour provider changed the departure venue and time without my knowledge I never got to go on the trip!! Considering I only booked the trip a few days before I was not impressed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
