Athens and Crete
Itinerary*
*The current itinerary is tentative and may change at the discretion of the tour guides or group leaders to ensure the trip meets the needs of the participants.
Dates: September 28-October 6, 2025
Principal Cities: Athens and Crete
Arrival Day (9/27): Optional early arrival
Optional evening meeting at lodging for a brief welcome, Q and A, and welcome dinner at the women-owned Caravin Wine and Wanderlust Restaurant. (Lodging and dinner are not included in the trip price.)
Day 1 (9/28): Athens
Meet as a group for breakfast at the lodging.
Morning Acropolis, Parthenon, and Acropolis Museum Tour: An Ode to Women, 4-hour tour
Lunch in town
Free time in Athens or continue on a minibus tour of Athens with our morning guide
Dinner in Plaka
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 2 (9/29): Athens
Breakfast at lodging
Free time to explore Athens! As a group we can:
Observe the changing of the guard at Syntagma Square (occurs hourly)
Explore the ancient Agora
Shop in Monastiraki and Avysinias Square
Or free time on your own
Dinner and, if we are lucky, a performance at the Odeon of Herodes. This theater was built in 161 CE and has been excavated and restored for modern performances.
Meals included: B, D
Day 3 (9/30): Athens to Chania (Hania)
Breakfast at lodging and opportunity for a 7-9 am yoga session on the hills across from the Acropolis. (extra $35 charge)
Flight from Athens to Chania, Crete, 55 minutes flying time
Check into our lodging and relax.
A late afternoon private walking tour of Chania with a local guide, focusing on Cretan women and visiting women-owned businesses. Chania is known for its 14th-century Venetian harbor, beautiful Old Town with Turkish and Venetian architecture, and multitude of restaurants, craft stores, boutiques, and tavernas.
Dinner on the harbor
Meals included: B, D
Day 4 (10/1): Chania
Breakfast at the lodging
Time to explore Chania on your own. Spend time at the Venetian Harbor, the Archeological Museum, the Firkass Fortress or on one of the many beaches (short Uber or bus ride). Explore Old Town and shop in the many local craft shops.
Late afternoon, meet for our street food tour/cooking class/wine and dinner tour (waiting to hear about options/prices from Illias)
Dinner on our tour/experience
Meals included: B, D
Day 5 (10/2): Chania to Agia Irini Gorge
Breakfast at the lodging
Drive an hour south to the Agia Irini Gorge, where we will hike in this beautiful landscape. Our 4.5-mile, 3-4-hour hike will end near the picturesque town of Sougia on the Libyan Sea. (It is a short walk to the town, or our driver can take us the rest of the way to town.)
Relax on the beach, eat at the local tavernas, and visit the ancient site of Lissos. This site has ruins from the 3rd century BC, when people came from all over Crete to be healed. The Church of Panagia was built on the site of a preexisting early Christian church.
We will spend the night by the sea in Paleohora.
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 6 (10/3): Paleohora
Breakfast at the lodging
Free time to spend on the beach, snorkel, explore, Lissos, or hike around the area.
In the early afternoon, we will head down to the beach in Sougia for a short lesson on sea kayaking. We will then take a leisurely kayaking trip (weather dependent) along the rugged coast from Sougia, past remote coastlines, and alongside sea cliffs and caves. Snorkeling is available if you are interested!
Dinner near lodging
Meals included: B, D
Day 7 (10/4): Sougia to Milia
Breakfast at lodging
Depart early for a 1.5-hour drive to the famed pink beach, Elafonisi. We will spend some time exploring what is considered one of the top beaches in the world (2014). Due to this recognition, the beach can become crowded, although less so in October. After spending some time at the beach, we can walk across a sandbar through knee-deep water to reach the island of Elfonisi. This island is a protected nature reserve where no umbrellas or chairs are allowed. This will allow us to explore the islands’ lush vegetation, quiet coves, and sandy pink beaches without the crowds.
After a few hours on the beach, we will wind through the White Mountains of Western Crete to the isolated mountain resort village of Milia. Milia Mountain Resort is one of Crete’s first ecotourism lodges, and people come from all around to dine at its superb organic restaurant. We will have very limited Wi-Fi here, but we will stay in traditional stone farmhouses that have been transformed into eco-cottages.
Dinner at Milia!
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 8 (10/5): Milia
Breakfast at lodging
We will go on a guided hike with one of Milia's co-owners through the mountain villages, stopping for a farm-to-table lunch in the village of Kalathenes.
Another option is an olive oil and wine tour in the local villages
Dinner at the lodge
Meals included: B, L, D
Day8 (10/6): Millia to Chania
Breakfast at the lodging
It is time to relax and spend some final hours in the mountains
We will leave Milia at 11 am for our drive back to Chania
Stop along the way for lunch and an olive oil tour at Biolea, a family-owned artisan olive oil production company.
Arrive back in Chania for our final group dinner!
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 9 (10/7): Chania to Athens and home
Breakfast at the lodging and check out
Airport shuttles to Chania Airport for your return flight to Athens Airport and your connecting flights home.
What is included in the price:
All lodging
Ten breakfasts, five lunches, nine dinners
All transportation in Greece, including airport transfers, ferries, private bus trips, and flights.
All tours listed on the itinerary, as well as tips
Alcohol if it is a part of a tour
What is NOT included:
Flights to and from Athens
Any transportation you take that is not part of the day’s itinerary
Snacks and drinks that were not provided above
Alcohol that is not part of a tour
Tours or activities that are optional
Souvenirs
Activities during time on your own
Travel Insurance