Exploring Crete Traveller Reviews

We were on this tour October, 2021. This is an in depth view of the many Minoan sites on Crete. This tour is superb because of the two experts, Maria Girtzi Phd., archeologist, and Paul Besson, historian. We stayed at a range of lodging across the island and experienced town and mountain-top venues. One must understand how active this tour is with many marvelous experiences, but only for the truly fit.

Peter Sommers Travel has assembled a group of expert guides that differentiate these tours from others by virtue of the expertise of the "on the ground" tour leaders.

Our experience in Crete began on 6 Oct and ended on 20 Oct. My wife and I soaked up our exploration of Crete through the windows of archaeology, nature, and cuisine. Our only regret was that we did not have more time to go into greater depth in our explorations. The topography was fascinating, especially in terms of how the ancient sites fit into what we were seeing in old and existing cities and strucutres. Of course, it was interesting to sample the cuisine for our meals from the east to west, as well as the north and south of Crete. The food was always very fresh and delectable. Of course, with our waking on the archaeological sites and in the cities kept us in good shape inspite of the great meals. We highly recommend this tour for those interested in ancient times and even to modern times. Our tour guides were excellent in explaining where we going and what we should learn at each site and then provided us with detailed info on what we just visited. They had special insight on the cuisine. We are very happy that we could take advantage of what Peter Sommer's team had to offer in this wonderful tour of Crete's archaeology, nature, and cuisine.

We had two guides. One was a trained archaeologist and the other was an expert in the ancient to the modern history of Crete. In addition, we had an excellent van driver who was amazing in taking us to sites withut any difficulty. This organization was put together by Peter Sommer's organization and operated without any problems. What more could we ask for.

In short, enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable! Crete presents layer after layer of history and culture, some verging on myth and some speculative. Much of the recent history can be characterized as "turbulent". It all makes for a fascinating place to visit, particularly in the company of our knowledgeable guides.

It is hard to exaggerate the quality of the experience which Peter Sommer Travels provides. The guides are extremely highly qualified (importantly, they know what they know and what they don't know (i.e., is not known)). They also clearly have a passion for the history and culture which they present, and it shows in their enthusiasm. At the same time, every effort is made to make the trip an enjoyable experience, from beautiful accommodations to fantastic meals which most often explore regional specialties. All in all, I can't recommend Peter Sommer Travel highly enough.

Great guides and wonderful trip. Terrific insight by well planned tour providing marvelous insight into a fascinating part of the world.

Very responsive and helpful

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.