Traditional Villages of Kritsa and Kroustas
4.3
3 Ratings
Schisma Elountas
Explore Kritsa's lace-making heritage and Kroustas' culinary delights. Discover traditional crafts, historic streets, and savor local cheese pies and boiled goat.
Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Panagias Keras Church - The three-aisled, barrel-vaulted church of the All-Holy Virgin ‘the Lady’ with a dome on the nave is located to the south and at a distance of around 500 m from the settlement of Kritsa. The church is one of the most important visited monuments of Crete because of its extensive and well-preserved wall painting decoration from various periods of ­Byzantine art.

  • Archaia Poli Tis Lato - Lato was one of the most important Doric city-states in Crete. It is built on a saddle between two hills, at a site protected by possible attacks but also with a splendid view over a large area of the Mirambello Bay. It was named after Leto (Lato is the Doric type), mother of Apollo and Artemis, although the main goddess worshipped in the city was Eileithyia, who was also depicted on the coins cut by the city. Lato was the birth-place of Nearchos, the admiral of Alexander the Great.
    The harbour of the city was Lato pros Kamara (modern Agios Nikolaos), which was so flourishing by the middle of the 2nd century A.D. that the administrative centre was transferred there and Lato was subsequently abandoned.

  • Kritsa Village - Kritsa preservats the traditional Cretan lifestyle that attracts dozens of visitors. The scenic narrow streets, the blooming yards, the textile shops, the traditional coffee shops, the folklore collections and the Byzantine temples can easily give the settlement the characterization of an open folklore and historical museum about Crete.

  • Kroustas - This small village of around 500 residents, offers visitors a glimpse into the authentic Cretan way of life, with its narrow streets, stone houses, and picturesque countryside.
    Kroustas is home to several traditional tavernas where visitors can sample local specialties such as skioufihta (a local traditional pasta dish) and kalitsounia (a sweet or savory pastry). In addition, Kroustas is known for its excellent wine, made from local grape varieties such as Liatiko and Mandilari.

What's Included
  • Carbonated beverages
  • Bottled water
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Entrance fees: Panagia Kera - 3 euro; Lato - 3 euro
Additional Information

The traditional village of Kritsa is famous for traditional lace making and handicrafts, picturesque narrow streets and old buildings of a by-gone era.
Next place of interest - village of Kroustas. It is known for its traditional cuisine, wine and festive atmosphere. Be sure to try the local myzithropites (special cheese pies), ftazymo bread and aiga vrasti (boiled goat). Beekeeping is well developed in this area.

  • Transfer time to/from sites is about 1-1.5 hour and depends on traffic condition
Location
Andrea Papandreou 36
Andrea Papandreou
We are located on the Main Street on the way to Elounda Center just next to the Post Office.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(3 Ratings)
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1 star
Marhod
Nov 8, 2019
Excellent personnalised tours - This was a lovely experience. We were only three couples in the mini van with a very friendly and knowledgeable driver. Because it is a small group the trip can be tailor made according to the interests of the clients. As the weather was not so good for the beach, part of our group went sightseeing in Aghios Nikolaos while my husband and I were taken to the archeological site of Gournia (which I had wanted to visit). We were even provided with a packed lunch (sandwiches, fruit and juice) and bottled water. We only regretted not being able to take a second trip during the week as this was such an amazing day with many discoveries. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Akiladze15
Jul 3, 2019
Amazing excursion - We had an amazing time . The trip was relaxing we saw so many things and visited places with friendly people and amazing nature. Driver Christos explained us everything on the way and we had great experience of Greek hospitality.panagia kera is an amazing place to visit and voulisma beach where we had 2 hours free to swimm.thank you Christos for giving us this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 8 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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