Exploring Crete Traveller Reviews

An extended tour of Crete, taking in fascinating towns, archaeological sites and cultural encounters. The tour guides, Heinrich and Maria, were superb at narration, local expertise, logistics and general helpfulness. We greatly enjoyed this tour.

This was our fifth tour with Peter Sommers, after tours of the Peloponnesus, Athens and the Dodecanese Islands in Greece, and a tour of rural Ireland. Their tour guides are particularly superb in expertise and logistics.

We explored a variety of archaeological sites in Crete--mostly Minoan but also a healthy sampling of Greek, Roman and Byzantine centers as well. Our tour had two wonderful guides who were very knowledgeable about the history and archaeological significance of the sites we visited, and could explain it all with great precision and clarity. They also arranged lodging for us in some unusual and delightful hotels and villages. An additional plus of this trip was the great variety of Cretan cuisine, both food and wines, that we got to enjoy. By the end of the trip, I felt that I had experienced a college course in a Study Abroad location condensed into two weeks, and it was absolutely wonderful. One of the highlights for me was having a dinner prepared by a food archaeologist using the foods, techniques and cooking vessels characteristic of the Proto/Neopalatial periods of Minoan history. Our guides (Heinrich and Maria) were terrific at making the history of the sites come alive, but they also conveyed an appreciation of the contemporary culture of Crete as we were experiencing it daily. Now, if only I could crack Linear A.

This was the first Peter Sommers tour that my wife and I had taken. Everything was extremely well organized. They were unusually helpful with arranging transfers and accommodations for extra days we were in Crete but not yet part of the tour. The housing, food, transportation and site visits all were so seamlessly well managed that I felt quite pampered. I certainly don't live this well at home!

We spent almost two weeks exploring archaeological sites across Crete. The tour guides were excellent and made each site extremely interesting. The accommodations and food provided were superb, and we were especially happy to able to enjoy ancient Minoan dinner prepared in traditional cooking vessels. It was a real highlight of the trip!

The tour (Exploring Crete, October 10-22, 2019) was very well organized, and Peter Sommers Travel provided great information prior to our departure so that we could get the most out of our site visits. They also arranged transfers to the airport before and after the tour. We appreciated the free day in the middle of the tour allowing us to explore Chania on our own and enjoy a private dinner at a lovely restaurant in the old part of the city. The transportation provided and the driver were excellent as well.

Everything about it excellent, our guides not only experts but considerate & warm & able to impart their knowledge with lively & engaging enthusiasm. The days’ events were varied & exciting, our driver quite wonderful, never an anxious moment on even the most demanding mountain roads, our meals carefully considered & delicious, ditto the accommodation, staying in a mountain village an interesting & unique experience.

We had taken a Peter Sommer tour to Sicily previously & had been so happy with this Company & the way we travellers were looked after & informed, we would not have considered using anyone else with whom to explore Crete. It is particularly helpful being able to deal with the people in their office personally. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Peter Sommer to my friends & family.

Comprehensive view of the island and its food, people, folklore, and archeology.

Maria and Michael were extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. Their knowledge of the island is extensive and they were able to adapt to changing weather conditions.

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We had a wonderful trip. The food and accommodations were very good and also very interesting....no run of the mill hotels! Our mountain top aerie overlooking the Libyan Sea was amazing. And we had a dinner that could have been cooked by the Minoans....in the pots that they would have used! Visiting the sites with working archeologists made a huge difference in our understanding and new knowledge of the ancient inhabitants. Everything we saw came to life for us!

Heinrich and Maria are very knowledgeable about everything we saw .....and that we ate. They spent many hours arranging the trip so we could get a sense of the progression of the different civilizations of the island....and planning the meals....always delicious. They are caring and made sure that any issues were resolved satisfactorily for all. And I must mention that they were FUN! It was such a wonderful trip I have signed up for Exploring Sicily next year! I am sure I will be delighted again.

A 14 day small-group exploration of Crete's history, geography and culture, accompanied by passionate and knowledgeable expert guides who helped tour participants to interpret several thousand years of incredible history through an exploration of the Cretan landscape and culture.

A Peter Sommer Travels imprint means that we have confidence that we will not only see and experience the best that a location has to offer, but that we will see it guided by experts who both love their specialist subject and will enthusiastically share their passion with tour participants.

The tour covered all aspects of Cretan archaeology, history, gastronomy and scenery, conducted by enthusiastic experts combined with brilliant organisation. The leaders were attentive to our every need. The tour was so well structured that we never felt stressed or tired.

Small company with much expertise and experience with very personal service.

This holiday was meant to introduce a small group to archeological sites under the guidance of a Greek historian and an archeologist.We visited many interesting sites and nearby museums and learned from an expert the basic principles of archeology as an evidence based science that attempts to discern how people of the past lived. The other focuses of the trip were nature and food. During the two weeks, we sampled foods from many different areas of Crete. We also experienced the natural variation in topography of the region through extensive travel in rural areas and by staying in accommodations in traditional Cretan villages. The small group allowed for many interactions and the develop,ent of close relationships with people of like minded interests.

This is a very professional, well organized tour that offers a variety of wonderful experiences that encompass archeology, culture and nature. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone!

The tour met our expectations of learning more about the history of Crete. The knowledge and experience of Heinrich Hall and Maria Girtzi, both experienced archaeologists enabled us to understand the Minoan sites so much better than if we had visited them on our own. The comprehensive design of the tour program is to be commended.

Our experience with Peter Sommer Travels was very positive and when the tour program had to be changed on one day due to two bridges having been washed away the guides took part of their day off to organize a replacement program. Our dealings with head office was very responsive.