Heraklion: The 15 Best Tours & Day Trips

1.Dia Island Sailboat Cruise with Swimming and Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,579 reviews · 5.5 hours · from $95Our pick

A small-group sail from Heraklion to Dia Island in Crete with swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, and a Mediterranean meal plus unlimited drinks.

“Perfect friendly Crew. Nice Katamaran. Good drinks and delicious food. It was my third time with this company. Sofia, Giannis and our Captain Petros are a super Crew. I will make the Dia Tour again. I love it sooooo much. Thank you Guys. Nicole”

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2.Heraklion Area: CRETAquarium Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 2,055 reviews · 1 day · from $9Best value

Explore CRETAquarium in Heraklion, Crete, with Mediterranean habitats and 1,200+ sea creatures for about $9. Expect an easy 1-day visit.

“Beautiful and educational experience. Loved having the audio guides. Friendly staff. Clean, healthy sea life creatures.”

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3.Palace of Knossos E-Ticket and Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 1,540 reviews · 1 - 5 hours · from $34

Pre-book your e-ticket to Knossos Palace with a phone audio guide on Minoan life, frescoes, and Mount Juktas views. Optional Heraklion add-ons.

“It was a great experience, the audio really brought the site to life. Very easy to use and the skip the line feature is great. Would definitely recommend!”

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4.Agia Pelagia Crete Quad Bike authentic backland Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,430 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $50

A 3.5-hour Agia Pelagia quad bike backland tour with ghost village history, olive oil tasting, orange villages, and big Crete views.

“Mr. Sexy and Samuel were absolutely amazing tour guides! The views were wonderful, and it was definitely worth the money. Although choosing a quad company was overwhelming, I'm so glad I went with this one – they truly exceeded my expectations!" Or, if you'd like a slightly different tone: "I had an incredible experience with Mr. Sexy and Samuel! The views were breathtaking, and the tour was well worth the cost. After y researching multiple quad companies, I was a bit overwhelmed, but this one stood out – and I'm thrilled with my decision!”

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5.Sunset or Morning Quad with Local Products Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,135 reviews · 3 hours · from $94

Quad ride from Agia Pelagia with a driving lesson, Achlada ghost village, olive oil mill tasting, and a sunset viewpoint.

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6.5Hour Safari Tour in Crete(Heraklion)with Quad,Jeep,Buggy & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 941 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $107Top rated

5-hour off-road safari from Heraklion with quad, buggy or jeep, safety briefing, Greek taverna lunch, and a possible beach swim.

“Awesome experience! Safe and fun. Lunch was excellent. Went through mountains, olive groves, small village, and beach .”

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7.Sailing Cruise to Dia Island with Drinks and Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 778 reviews · 6 hours · from $106

Sail from Heraklion to Dia Island for snorkeling, SUP, fishing, drinks, and a Greek meal, with optional sunset views.

“This was a fabulous trip. The staff were very friendly and committed to making sure everyone had a good time. They boat was fantastic and their were enough activities to keen everyone entertained during the cruise. Food was fantastic too. Highly recommend this tour to anyone in Heraklion for the day.”

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8.Dia Island Sailing Cruise with Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 742 reviews · 4.5 - 7 hours · from $82

Sail from Heraklion to Dia Island for swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, drinks, and Greek food on a small group cruise.

“The Sail Boat tour was extraordinary. We had such a beautiful sunny day. Both the Captains were very incredible. I booked for a Retreat I was hosting in Greece. We were 7 people and had the whole sailboat for ourselves. I booked the half day tour & honestly we loved it so much, that if I was doing it again, I would book the whole day! Highly recommend this experience! So worth it. 🤍 A big Thank you!!!!!! 🇬🇷 Best ever. Oh & the food was simple, but great! & we had lovely music for the whole tour, good ambiance!!!! +++5 stars ✨”

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9.Elafonisi Beach Day Tour with Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 731 reviews · 13 hours · from $64

Elafonisi pink-sand beach day trip from Heraklion with pickup. 4.5 hours to swim, walk the lagoon, and enjoy scenic Cretan roads.

“Definitely worth doing! Such a fun day out and lovely to swim and see the lagoon. Only thing we found was that it takes 4 hours there and 4 hours back so most of the day is spent travelling. But if you’re willing to, it is amazing!”

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10.Zeus Cave -Old Traditional Villages-Olive Oil Factory

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 694 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $136

Small-group day tour from Heraklion to olive presses, villages, Lasithi windmills, Zeus cave, and Knossos, with tastings and pickup.

“Had an amazing experience and tour with Ed today. His communication was awesome before the trip and during it. So friendly and really made us feel like friends. Showed us what Crete is all about and even went out of his way to bring us back to our car. Would highly recommend this trip to anyone! A+++++++”

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11.Cruise to Balos Lagoon and Chania Old Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 526 reviews · 14.5 - 16 hours · from $88

Cruise from Heraklion to Balos Lagoon for swimming, then explore Chania Old Town and the Venetian harbor in one long day.

“The trip is well organized, however the interim stop for the breakfast is awful, spoils all the fun. The food was not fresh and very poor, the only cash was allowed. Would strongly recommend to find another place for stop, it spoils all the trip.”

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12.Sailing Cruise to Dia Island with Meal and Water Activities

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 526 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $96

Sail from Heraklion to Dia Island for swimming, snorkeling, SUP, and a shrimp linguini lunch with wine and beer included.

“Our excursion to Dia Island from the port in Heraklion was very enjoyable. About an hour from port, the captain anchored the boat in a small bay off the island. There were two small beaches there. Once arriving, we had 3-4 hours of free time for all sorts of water activities (snorkeling, paddle boarding, swimming off the boat in the bay) Lunch was served (pasta with shrimp, fresh fruit, etc). This was a great vacation activity, especially for kids. Thoroughly enjoyable.”

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13.Quad Safari Off-Road Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 479 reviews · from $99

Quad safari in Heraklion, small-group off-road riding, olive oil factory tasting, Milatos Cave and beach time, lunch and transfers.

“Amazing day start to finish. Worth every penny. Tour guides excellent. I was on my own and made very welcome by others on the tour, loved it.”

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14.Sailing Trip to Dia Island with Lunch & Swimming

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 414 reviews · from $67

Sail from Heraklion to Dia Island for snorkeling, SUP, fishing, and a Mediterranean lunch with unlimited drinks in a small group.

“Ilis and Vaso were our guides and we were really pleased with their hospitality. They were very welcoming, ensured we were looked after and had the best possible experience. Food was really lovely and great variety of drinks available on board. They had a paddling board and snorkelling masks available for everyone for when we stopped off to swim. Would recommend, 10/10 experience.”

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15.Olive Farm Tour with Tasting of Local Delicacies

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 411 reviews · 1 day · from $23

Visit Kleanthi in Skalani for an olive grove walk, mill visit, and generous olive oil tasting with local foods for $23 per person.

“short but good. nice food. learnt some good facts sbout olive making. Reccomend”

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