Recently Viewed
Rethymno and Chania Day Trip: Explore West Crete With Kournas Lake Visit
3.8
46 Ratings
Rethymnon
Explore the western side of the island with a delightful morning bus tour to the vibrant town of Rethymno. Continue your journey with a visit to Chania, often referred to as the “Venice” of Crete. Conclude your day with a trip to the scenic Lake Kournas, the only freshwater lake in Crete.
Explore the western side of the island with a delightful morning bus tour to the vibrant town of Rethymno. Continue your journey with a visit to Chania, often referred to as the “Venice” of Crete. Conclude your day with a trip to the scenic Lake Kournas, the only freshwater lake in Crete.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Rethymnon Old Town - Rethymno, the third largest town in Crete, is located west of Heraklion on the island’s north coast. It is a place where archaeological, Ottoman, and Venetian monuments coexist. Visitors can enjoy a walk through the old town’s alleys, explore Turkish minarets and Venetian fortresses, or relax with a coffee at the stunning…
- Rethymnon Old Town - Rethymno, the third largest town in Crete, is located west of Heraklion on the island’s north coast. It is a place where archaeological, Ottoman, and Venetian monuments coexist. Visitors can enjoy a walk through the old town’s alleys, explore Turkish minarets and Venetian fortresses, or relax with a coffee at the stunning harbor.
- Lighthouse of Chania - Often referred to as the “little Venice” of Crete, Chania is the island’s second largest town, situated on the north coast west of Rethymno. The city is divided into the Old City, with its picturesque harbor, and the New City, beyond the Venetian fortifications. The Old City, known as the “Venice of the East,” is one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful cities. It features Turkish minarets and mosques, Muslim neighborhoods, Venetian fortresses, dockyards, fountains, squares, arches, mansions, and the lighthouse. Visitors can explore the famous Agora (market), which offers traditional shops and taverns where souvenirs and leather goods can be purchased at excellent prices.
- Lake Kournas - Lake Kournas is a stunning natural freshwater habitat, unique in Crete. The entire Kournas area is protected under ‘Natura 2000’ as a designated wetland. With its lush greenery, steep hills, and rare species of fish and birds, Kournas is the perfect place for an early afternoon walk.

What's Included
- Transport by air-conditioned coach or minivan
- Guide
- Pickup and Drop off from hotels and designated meeting points
- Transport by air-conditioned coach or minivan
- Guide
- Pickup and Drop off from hotels and designated meeting points
What's Not Included
- Food & Drink
- Food & Drink
Location
Rethymnon Old Town
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
(46 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Raju_d
Oct 3, 2025
Tour was exactly what was... - Tour was exactly what was advertised. Sufficient time at each destination. Guide Michael was very informative. Tour bus was comfortable ride.
Review provided by Viator
Flyer60355132337
Aug 9, 2025
Beautiful cities and beautiful lake to discover - Walk very well. The cities of Rethymnon and Cannée are worth visiting. On Sundays there were not too many tourists so it was perfect to discover quietly these cities remained typical.
And the lake of kournas great also we had time to do Pedaling, a very friendly time in a beautiful landscape. We had the chance to see turtles.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Macdara101
Jul 11, 2025
Michel you were amazing - Brilliant trip. Highly recommend. Our guide was such a friendly person, brilliant at his job. Thanks for an amazing day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grant_w
Jul 6, 2025
Great Trip, well recommended - Fantastic trip, well organised with a great guide Michael and driver David. Well recommended - a must see !
Review provided by Viator
Zoe_z
Jun 23, 2025
Wonderful trip - Highly recommended, delightful excursion to picturesque Western Crete and its golden pearls Rethymno, Chania and Kournas Lake. Magnificent scenery along the way. Perfect organization and smooth transport in a comfortable bus. Warm applause for the professionalism of our knowledgeable, witty and kind-hearted guide Mihalis, who has taught as a lot about captivating Crete and the spots we were visiting. Many thanks as well to the bus driver David and shuttle drivers Stelios and Konstantinos for a safe and punctual drive. Congrats and best wishes!
Review provided by Viator
Bharti_a
Oct 30, 2025
Places were really nice.... - Places were really nice. Chania had a really nice view. Beautiful colourful buildings! Loved Chania!
Review provided by Viator
Angela_j
Sep 12, 2025
All in all a successful trip with nice guide Michael. - The day is very long, that is what you should prepare for. Time in Rethymnon was a bit tight.Perhaps you should leave the lake out.
Review provided by Viator
Peter_k
Jul 7, 2025
Recommended - These day trips are never to be forgotten, you see the places you want to go in 1 day.
Amazing!!
Review provided by Viator
Reiss_s
Sep 25, 2025
Crete’s longest bus journey to Starbucks - This “excursion” managed to turn a 1hr 20min trip into a 2hr 30min endurance test of hotel pick-ups. The bus was too small for the amount of passengers, so people were stressed about not sitting next to each other and kept playing musical chairs — and Michael, our guide, could not have given less of a s**te. I told him I was carsick and someone had taken my seat near the front, and his words of comfort were basically: “When you’re about to throw up, come sit at the front.” Inspiring stuff. 👍🏻
The actual stops? Pretty meh. Highlight was sitting in Starbucks for 40 minutes — Then there was the toilet incident. Someone unleashed what can only be described as biological warfare, leaving a stench so bad it should’ve come with a health warning. I sat outside for fresh air, but unfortunately was instead treated to the recurring aroma of someone’s a***hole every 10 seconds.
Biggest issue was we spent more time on the bus than we did on the tour itself.
Review provided by Viator
Vschijndel
Oct 28, 2025
BAD ORGANISATION - We sitting in the bus 5 houres for 200 KM
We had 11 stops x 2 to take people op and off
Normally they come to a point with a small bus for taken up persons, to the big bus.
So the big bus crossed zig zag trough all the places where the peopels waight.
From the trip we have much time lost so that the stop places very short where on the nice places
Review provided by Tripadvisor