Let’s say you cannot rent a car for some reasons – you are below or above the age limit, it exceeds your budget (trust me, in the summer months renting a car for a week might cost you a kidney 😊), you do not have a driver’s license, you don’t feel confident driving on hilly terrain or you cannot find the type of car you normally drive, e.g. automatic transmission – but you still want to explore the island and you don’t want to rely on the public transportation, organized day trips are the best way to fill your days and make awesome memories.

So far, I booked 6 day trips in Crete:

· Balos and Gramvoussa

· Agios Nikolaos, Spinalonga, Plaka and Elounda

· Samaria Gorge

· Ierapetra, Toplou Monastery, Vai Beach and Siteia

· Preveli beach

· Kritsa & Myrtos

Of course, there are pros and cons of an organized day trip.

Pros:

· You don’t have to worry about driving or parking and you can enjoy the views

· The buses are comfortable, clean and they have AC

· Multilingual tour guide who will explain in details the attractions you pass by and the ones where you will be going

· Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel or a pick-up point very close to it

· Skilled drivers

Cons:

· Depending on the excursion duration, driving distance and your location, pick up can be very early and drop off very late. For example, when I went to Samaria, pick-up was at 5:50 AM and drop off around 10:30 PM – Heraklion City center

· You are on a very strict schedule.

· Some tour operators do not accept small children. I know, it’s discrimination, but they put the comfort of the passengers first.

· The bus will make 1, maximum 2 scheduled stops/way for bio and cigarette breaks

· At the end of the day you can be pretty tired, especially if you had to wake up very early or had a rough night 😊

· In some crowded places, in peak season, you might not have time for both lunch and other activities or you might not get/finish your food in time

· Communication with the tour guide might not be possible if you don’t have roaming enabled

Tips & tricks and good to know before you go 😊

· Look for excursions from your area on Get Your Guide. When you find one that looks interesting, look for the tour operator (it is mentioned which one is organizing it) and go to their website. You will find many more 😊

· Buy the excursions from local agencies. Your tour operator might suggest the same day trips, but they are overpriced (remember that travel agencies have to pay the guides that remain on the island for the entire season, therefore the price difference). You can find them literally around every corner, especially in the very popular tourist destinations.

· Make sure you read carefully the terms and conditions, cancellation and refund policy

· READ BEFORE YOU BUY! And by reading I mean to document yourself about the places you will go, what you need to bring (comfortable shoes, swimsuit, sunscreen, hat, water, food that does not spoil easily – for example for Balos and Gramvoussa, etc), if it’s not suitable for some people (such as reduced mobility, health conditions, e.g. Samaria and other Gorges, etc)

· Bring cash with you. Yes, you can pay by card almost everywhere, but some remote areas do not have phone coverage and your little piece of coloured plastic is useless

· When you disembark, you can leave a small tip for the driver. It is common practice

· You are not allowed to eat or drink on board of the bus. Water is allowed, of course, but your tasty Cesar salad or sandwich are not. First of all, you will see how clean the buses are. Then, it’s for the comfort of the other passengers. I am not going to tolerate the smell of your tuna or salami sandwich.

· Bring a power bank. You will not realize how fast your battery will drain, when you take a lot of photos 😊

· You can leave your belongings in the bus, but take your valuable ones with you. Also, if you leave something in the bus, note that you cannot go back to retrieve them. The bus will be locked, for security reasons.

· Don’t be late at pick-up and meeting time.  If the guide says that you have to be back to the bus at 14:30 or if your pick-up time is 8:30, YOU HAVE TO BE THERE ON TIME! And I cannot stress this enough, as we have lost a lot of time waiting for some tourists that either forgot to wake up or got lost in the souvenir shops or cafes.

· Do not take pictures of the group members or the tour guide without their permission. GDPR here 😊

· Report any issue to the driver or the tour guide.

· Some guides might not be allowed to escort you and do the explanations inside archaeological sites. Only licensed guides (Greek citizens) are allowed, by exception your tour guide can assist with translation, if there is no speaker of your language available – the main tourist attractions cover mainly English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Italian. E.g. you speak only Romanian, no English at all, and there is no Romanian speaker available at Knossos. In this situation, your guide can join the Romanian speaking group and translate. But just that.

· Some agencies allow you to book the trip online, but you will have to pay in cash, inside the bus. In this case, bring the exact amount or at least close to it

· Read carefully what is included in the price. Some agencies include entry tickets in their price, some don’t. Ask if you have any unclarity, such as: “is the ferry ticket included in the price?”, “is the museum ticket included in the price?” “is lunch included or do we pay by ourselves?” I have heard some discussions around these topics.

That being said, enjoy your time! 😊