Tracing Crete through the Ages
TRACING CRETE THROUGH THE AGES
Natural beauty, earnest faith, human ingenuity – Crete has it all!
Explore its history and immerse yourself in its endless beauty!
Explore its history and immerse yourself in its endless beauty!
1,950€
Includes accommodation (4-star), full board, all domestic transfers, entrance fees, taxes and tours
10 days / 9 nights
Departing:
Contact us for details
Squeezed between two great ancient civilizations, the Greek and the Egyptian, and strategically located in the South East Mediterranean basin, Crete has always been the emblematic theatre of world history defining events.
Home to Europe’s first advanced civilization - the Minoans - occupied by Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and Ottomans for almost two millennia, and a major battlefield of the worst war the world has ever seen – WWII, no other place in Europe offers such a long and diverse history.
Join us to explore the diverse civilizations that gave the world such magnificent landmarks as Chania’s Byzantine Monasteries and Venetian port, and prodigies such as El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) and Nikos Kazantzakis (author of Zorba the Greek).
DAY 1 / ARRIVE IN CRETE
Whether you have travelled across continents or from a neighboring country, you will be welcomed by our expert staff to an exclusive three course dinner in the old city of Chania, perhaps the most beloved and photographed spot in whole of Crete.
Your accompanying EKPA professors shall introduce you to your upcoming and truly amazing Cretan adventure over local delicacies and the island’s favorite drink, the raki.
Dinner
DAY 2 / INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY I
Tutor: Karagiannis (Dr)
We start our day with a short drive to Kissamos Archaeological Museum whose exhibits in this imposing Venetian-Turkish building shall introduce you to the region’s prehistoric to late-antiquity history. Next stop will take you to the ancient Minoan settlement of Kydonia, founded by King Minos himself. Last visit before lunch will be at the ancient site of Aptera (‘no feathers’ in Greek), the scene of the mythological battle between the Sirens and the Muses after which the Sirens lost their feathered wings.
You shall have your chance to choose your side between Muses and Sirens over a traditional Cretan lunch al the while your accompanying professor brings Greek mythology to life before your eyes!
Later in the afternoon you will be driven back to Chania where you will visit Chania’s Archaeological Museum. Housed in the Catholic church of the Monastery of St. Francis, it is a treat for the eyes and the heart. This is where unique architecture meets human ingenuity in the form of Linear A and B scripts, two of the first known forms of writing to man!
Dinner will be served by the town’s venetian port where you shall have the chance to take a romantic stroll along the promenade.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 3 / INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY II
Tutor: Karagiannis (Dr)
First visit of the day will be at the venetian neoria, the 16th century arsenali built by the Venetians to repair their ships and sustain their occupying fleet. During your walk in the neighboring area you will be introduced to the life of the Sea People of Crete and the feel of the town under venetian occupation. Most certainly, your visit to the Maritime Museum of Chania shall provide the visual stimuli to picture Chania’s naval and civic life through the ages.
Lunch will be taken in a small taverna known only to locals, while the rest of your afternoon will be spent learning about the history of Chania and the Cretan Sea People.
Your dinner tonight shall be enjoyed with the accompanying sound of traditional Cretan lyre and imposing Cretan dances.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 4 / BYZANTINE CHANIA
Tutor: Stoufi (Dr)
We start our day with a tour of the Venetian port of Chania before proceeding on foot to explore the exceptional byzantine churches in the old town of Chania for the rest of the morning. Your accompanying EKPA professor will illuminate throughout the day the secrets of their architecture and crucially their iconography. Overall, eight churches and Chryssopigi Monasteri will be visited to help you better understand byzantine architecture and the Cretan School of iconography.
Your lunchreak will be taken in a different cosseted restaurant in the old town of Chania, while dinner will be offered in a small village on the slope of Lefka Ori.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 5 / ASCETIC TRADITION I
Tutor: Stoufi (Dr)
Your day will take you to four byzantine monasteries (St. John the Baptist, Trazagola Holy Trinity, Guverneto, St. John the Merciful), where you shall have the opportunity not only to be introduced to the island’s ascetic tradition by your accompanying professor, but also to experience it firsthand by conversing with the monasteries’ abbots and monks. You will also learn how the monks of Trazagola make their exquisite organic olive oil, honey, wine and soap from the Monastery’s virgin olive grove and vineyard, and even bring some back home with you to treat your loved ones if you want.
It goes without saying that you shall be treated to a proper monastic lunch prepared by the monks.
Dinner will be enjoyed in the old town of Chania upon your return.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 6 / ASCETIC TRADITION II
Tutor: Pagratis (Dr)
Four more Byzantine churches and three more Byzantine monasteries are waiting to sweep you off your feet today. The first stop of your day-long road-trip to the city of Rethymnon shall be at the early Christian basilica at Eleftherna. We will then set off to visit Arcadi Monastery and let you immerse yourself in its heartbreaking yet inspiring history.
The rest of our day will be spent exploring Arsaniou Monastery – where you shall be treated to a proper monastic lunch prepared by the monks – Kyriana and Roussospiti villages, and the Monastery of St. Irene.
Dinner will be served upon your return to Chania at a restaurant favored by locals.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 7 / WESTERN CRETE
Tutor: Pagratis (Dr)
Ballos is perhaps the island’s most photographed beach and one of the most famous in all of Greece. Today, we will take a half-day cruise to the small island of Gramvousa, where you will visit the venetian fortress and be introduced to its history by your accompanying professor, before having the privilege to dive in the turquoise waters of Ballos.
Upon our return ashore and a fulfilling traditional Mediterranean lunch, we will visit the picturesque village of Kolymbari, surrounded by thick olive groves and the Aegean Sea.
Our dinner tonight will take you through a culinary journey of Greece.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 8 / SAMARIA GORGE
Tutor: Skamnakis (Dr)
One of the island’s natural landmarks, Samaria Gorge, is home to the rich indigenous flora and the wild Cretan goats, the kri-kris. It normally takes hikers 5-7 hours to cross it, however we shan’t test your limits! We will spend the day touring around the gorge, appreciating its beautiful views from its entrance and exit from the safety and comfort of our bus and small boat. All along, our expert professor shall introduce you to its landscape and history, and crucially the intricacies of Sfakia, a beautiful village on the southern Cretan shore, home to Greece’s proudest people, the Sfakians! This is where you will have lunch and be treated to possibly the strongest raki of the entire trip.
Dinner shall be enjoyed at Chania upon our return to the hotel.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 9 / INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY III
Tutor: Skamnakis (Dr)
No visit to Chania would ever be complete without visiting the residence and grave of Eleftherios Venizelos, one of the country’s most important Prime Ministers and one of Europe’s most outstanding political figures that helped shape contemporary European history. The rest of the day will be spent touring Chania’s market and Greece’s first Museum of Typography. Adorned with printing presses and exhibits that date from the Middle Ages and the start of European printing, you shan’t help but compare your miniscule smartphone to the size of the Museum’s true copy of Gutenberg’s printing press!
Lunch will be enjoyed in Chania’s old town before we set off on a road trip to Agia, Meskla and Therisso - three beautiful villages with abundant ancient and byzantine heritage for you to explore under the guidance of our expert professor.
Dinner shall be enjoyed in Therisso at a little tavern favored by locals - the best way to end a most unforgettable Greek experience!
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
DAY 10 / DEPARTURE
All good things must come to an end. After 9 days of culturally exploring Crete through the ages, it is time to part our ways until the next time we meet again!
Whether it was the ancient Minoan civilization or the byzantine monasteries that excited your imagination, your heart and mind will undoubtedly be filled with new knowledge, stories, images, thoughts, sounds and flavors, and the abundant Greek kallos!
Breakfast
DAY 1 WELCOME
- Chania Old Town
- Chania
DAY 2 INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY I
- Kissamos Archaeological Museum
- Kydonia Minoan Settlement
- Aptera Archaeological Site
- Chania Archaeological Museum
- Chania
DAY 3 INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY II
- Venetia Neoria of Chania
- Maritime Museum of Chania
- Chania Old Town
- Chania
DAY 4 BYZANTINE CHANIA
- Chania
- Venetian Port
- Church of St. Salvatore
- Cathedral of Mother Mary’s Presentation
- Catholic Church of the Dormition
- Church of St. Francis
- Church of St. Nichola
- Old Cathedral of St. Anargyri
- Church of St. Magdalene
- Church of the Annanciation
- Chryssopigi Monastery
DAY 5 ASCETIC TRADITION I
- Chania
- St. John the Baptist Monastery
- Trazagola Holy Trinity Monastery
- Guverneto Monastery
- St. John the Merciful Monastery\
DAY 6 ASCETIC TRADITION II
- Chania
- Eleftherna
- Kyriana
- Pangalochori Village
- Chromonastiri Village
- Roussospiti Village
- Arkadi Monasteri
- Church of the Savior
- Church of the Dormition of Mother Mary
- Church of St. Eftychios
- Church of Panagia Kera
- Church of Virgin Mary
- Arsaniou Monastery
- City of Rethymnon
DAY 7 WESTERN CRETE
- Chania
- Gramvousa Island
- Venetian Fortress of Gramvousa
- Balos Lagoon
- Kolymbari Vilage
DAY 8 SAMARIA GORGE
- Chania
- Samaria Gorge
- Sfakia
DAY 9 INTRODUCTION TO CRETAN HISTORY III
- Chania
- Chania Market
- Chalepa Museum
- Akrotiri - Venizelos’ Family Graves
- Museum of Typography
- Agia
- Meskla
Therissos
DAY 10 DEPARTURE
We can customize your featured vacation any way you want to ensure a most memorable Greek adventure!
Do not hesitate to request more information by dropping us a line here.
All trips are guided by our expert NKUA professors in English, however they may be also offered in Greek, German, French, Italian, Russian and Romanian upon request.
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Would you like to change the suggested itinerary to better suit your needs?
We can customize your trip any way you want to ensure a most memorable Greek adventure!
Would you like to obtain official certification and/or academic credits towards your degree all the while tracing Crete’s history and culture through the ages?
Why not, then, take the equivalent Short Course taught by our expert NKUA professors?
For more information on the Short Course on Cretan history through the ages, the academic requirements, teaching, learning outcomes and assessment, please click here.