Agenda Zorbas Island, Crete – Season 2024: Every year we have an extensive excursion programme on Crete with several regular excursions as well as new ones. You are probably curious to know what activities we will organise at Zorbas Island in the coming season. In this agenda for Crete, we give an overview of some activities that we think will interest you. Especially special excursions and activities we will highlight here. By this we mean, for example, multi-day excursions such as cooking weeks and hiking weeks in Crete. You can also find more information about new excursions that we have added to our programme.
Walking weeks are always available on request if the dates listed below are not suitable.
Zorbas Island 2024
Zorbas Island is open from 23 March 2024 to 20 November 2024. We are open by Easter 2024. Please note: Greek Easter is very late in 2024 – Catholic Easter is on 31 March 2024 and Greek Easter is on 5 May 2024.
25 March to 14 April 2024 – Flower walks – Flowers in Crete
Walking and flowers on Crete (Greece): In the spring, the mountains are like a sea of flowers. Eveywhere are growing wild flowers. During our hikes on Crete we always see a lot of different flowers and plants. Each season you can smell the lovely scent of wild growing flowers on Crete. Read more
15 to 18 April 2024 – E4 hike
E4 Azogires walking week 2024: An E4 of 4 days in south-west Crete. Anidri gorge – Azogires – Rodovani – Ancient Lissos – Koustogerako – Omalos Plateau
For 2024, we have put together an entirely new E4 route. We will go to south-west Crete for 4 days to do 4 different walks. We will organise the E4 walks three times: in April, May and October. There are 2 different E4 routes in 2024.
From each location, we will have completely new walks! Even if you have been to Sougia before, these are completely new walks.
Each hiking day is open to everyone and has different options in terms of kilometres and altimeters. The walks are in the shape of a cloverleaf, so it is quite possible to walk more or less kilometres.
Greek cooking holiday
22 to 25 April 2024 – Cooking Week – Crete cooking course & Greek cooking workshop (4 days, including an excursion Unknown Crete)
Greek cooking holiday: A full week cooking holiday in Crete, enjoying the outdoors. Cooking workshop in Crete, cooking in olive oil, cooking class in Crete, food recognition, outdoor cooking. We give you an impression of a cooking holiday in Crete on this page. The cooking workshops take place in our own olive field and once at Zorbas by the sea. We also visit a local market. There is also 1 day excursion Unknown Crete. On this page you can read more about cooking holidays: read more
27 April to 5 May 2024 – May holidays Greece – May holidays in Crete
To Greece in the May holidays: Spring on Crete, Greece is particularly beautiful. Many flowers and herbs bloom in the mountains and Crete has a lovely temperature in spring. This year, Greek Easter (5 May) is during the holidays. Various excursions are possible such as Unknown Crete, hiking, sailing, boat trips, jeep safaris and quad tours. Read more.
Easter in Greece
3 to 5 May 2024 – Greek Easter
Note! Greek Easter is very late in 2024 – Catholic Easter is on 31 March 2024 and Greek Easter is on 5 May 2024.
From Friday, May 3, we will have the Easter programme:
On Friday (3 May 2024) we will do a tour through the interior of Crete with many Easter activities, in non-touristy areas. We will go to a village where the crucifixion of Christ is recreated. This is a Greek ritual for Easter and symbolises Christ’s suffering on the cross.
In the evening, join us in the mountain village of Anopolis where an Easter procession takes place. The villagers walk from the church behind the symbolic tomb of Christ through the village streets. Before participating in the procession, we eat in a classic mountain tavern.
On Saturday, 4 May, we will paint Easter eggs. In the evening, we walk to the church in the village. There we collect the holy fire which is spread by the priest and those present. At midnight, there are fireworks and a Judas doll is burned.
On Sunday 5 May (Easter Sunday), we have an elaborate Greek Easter BBQ at the end of the afternoon with live music. Read more
Walking the E4 route
7 to 10 May 2024 – E4 hike
E4 Aer Lingus Phoenix hiking week 2024: A 4-day E4 in south-west Crete. Aer Lingus gorge – Sfakia – Glyka Nera – Loutro – Phoenix – Aradena gorge – Marmara Beach – Hora Sfakion – Imbros gorge
For 2024, we have put together an entirely new E4 route. We will go to south-west Crete for 4 days to do 4 different walks. There are 2 different E4 routes in 2024.
From each location, we will have completely new walks! Even if you have been along to Sougia before, these are completely new walks.
Each hiking day is open to everyone and has different options in terms of kilometres and altimeters. The walks are in the shape of a cloverleaf, so it is quite possible to walk more or less kilometres.
13 and 14 May 2024 – 2-day sailing trip to Dia and Paxomadi
We sail from the Venetian port of Heraklion to the islands off the coast. There will be time for swimming and snorkelling.
We spend the night on Dia island. The next day we sail back to Heraklion.
15 and 16 May 2024 – Camping in olive grove with 2 hikes
On the first day, we take a walk and end up at the olive grove. Here we will BBQ and enjoy a beautiful starry sky. We sleep in the olive field. After breakfast in the olive field, we take another gorge walk.
Unknown Crete in Chania – 4-day excursion
20 to 23 May 2024 – 4 days Unknown Crete Chania – We spend the nights in a luxury villa near Chania
Day 1: Departure at 6am from Zorbas towards western Crete. Driving past Rethymnon, from Kalyves we enter the interior of Chania. Through a mountain pass we drive through Theriso and Meskala to Perivolia, where we spend the coming nights.
Day 2: Visit Akroteri, the peninsula, the monastery of Agia Triada and Stavros (the ‘Zorbas beach’). We spend the afternoon in Chania’s old town, where we have lunch. At the end of the day, we drive back to Perivolia.
Day 3: Early departure to Elafonisi so we can see it at leisure (given the crowds there later in the day). We visit the monastery of Chrysoskalitissa, Topolia, the columns of Polomidi and Kissamos.
Day 4: We leave Chania again today. We drive to Rethymnon and spend about 3 hours there. After that we drive back to Zorbas.
To other Greek Islands
27 to 31 May 2024 – Island hopping to Naxos
a 4-day trip to Naxos. On Naxos we will do several excursions. There are possibilities to visit other islands, or to do other excursions on Naxos itself. Finally, it is also possible to stay another night on Santorini to explore the island by yourself (before the crowds arrive by ferry).
We leave from the Venetian Harbour of Heraklion with the ferry. We go through the caldera of Santorini, with views on Thera and Ios. Then we pass the lava island Thirasia. From there we continue to Ios and in the end to the beautiful island of Naxos. Read more
Sailing to the Greek islands – Heraklion – Ios
Sailing to several Greek islands: We depart from the Venetian port of Heraklion and sail through the caldera of Santorini overlooking Thera and Oia. We then sail past the lava island of Thirasia. From there we sail on to Ios, where we stay in luxury villa with pool.
On the 3rd day, we take a sailing trip from Ios to Antiparos. This is a group of islands with beautiful lava formations, blue and white Greek houses and scenic views.
On day 4, you can choose between another sailing day or a tour Unknown Ios on the island. The sailing tour goes around the island of Sikinos, with stunning views of Fologandros and back to Ios.
On the last day, we sail back to Heraklion.
Greek cooking workshop
3 to 6 June 2024: Cooking Week – Crete cooking course & cooking workshop Greek cooking (4 days, including an excursion Unknown Crete)
Greek cooking holiday: A cooking holiday in Crete, enjoying the outdoors. Cooking workshop in Crete, cooking in olive oil, cooking class in Crete, food recognition, outdoor cooking. We give you an impression of a cooking holiday in Crete on this page. The cooking workshops take place in our own olive field and once at Zorbas by the sea. We also visit a local market. There is also 1 day excursion Unknown Crete. On this page you can read more about cooking holidays: read more
Jeep safaris on Crete
10 to 13 June 2024 – One-day and two-day jeep safaris
10 June: a 1-day jeep safari in central Crete from Zorbas
11-12 June: a 2-day jeep safari to southern Crete (surroundings of Ierapetra and the Tripiti Mountains) with an overnight stay there
13 June: a 1-day jeep safari in central-west Crete from Zorbas
This way we see many parts of Crete, driving a lot off-road and occasionally on asphalt.
Snorkeling on Crete
3 days snorkelling – Discover the underwater world
Snorkelling in Crete Greece: We offer a number of options for snorkelling on Crete: You could go by yourself for snorkelling, there are enough possibilities in the area. We offer snorkelling with a speedboat to deserted beaches or snorkelling with a boat to Dia Island. Going to the South of Crete is also an option within our snorkelling excursion. Snorkel information Crete.
We visit different locations in South-East, South-West and North Crete to get to know the underwater world better.
Hiking in Crete Greece
17 to 21 June 2024: Hiking week
Hiking week in Crete: The hikes take place in four different corners of Crete. We walk through the mountains and by the sea to get to know much of the island.
24 June to 1 July 2024: Hike and bike (3 days of cycling and 2 days of hiking)
You can hike and bike these routes with us. Even guests who have hiked and/or biked with us before will be pleasantly surprised by these new routes. Read more
Summer 2024
6 July to 1 September 2024: High season
High season in Crete: During this period we have an extensive family programme including football, water park visits, hiking, snorkelling, sailing, walking excursions, Unknown Crete, cooking and much more.
2 and 3 September 2024 – 2-day sailing trip to Dia and Paxomadi
We sail from the Venetian port of Heraklion to the islands off the coast. There will be time for swimming and snorkelling.
We spend the night on Dia island. The next day we sail back to Heraklion.
5 and 6 September 2024 – Camping in olive grove with 2 hikes
On the first day, we take a walk and end up at the olive grove. Here we will BBQ and enjoy a beautiful starry sky. We sleep in the olive field. After breakfast in the olive field, we take another gorge walk.
7 to 10 October 2024 – Island hopping to Naxos
a 4-day trip to Naxos. On Naxos we will do several excursions. There are possibilities to visit other islands, or to do other excursions on Naxos itself. Finally, it is also possible to stay another night on Santorini to explore the island by yourself (before the crowds arrive by ferry).
We leave from the Venetian Harbour of Heraklion with the ferry. We go through the caldera of Santorini, with views on Thera and Ios. Then we pass the lava island Thirasia. From there we continue to Ios and in the end to the beautiful island of Naxos. Read more
Time to hike again
14 to 17 October 2024 – E4 hike
E4 Azogires walking week 2024: A 4-day E4 in south-west Crete. Anidri gorge – Azogires – Rodovani – Ancient Lissos – Koustogerako – Omalos Plateau
For 2024, we have put together an entirely new E4 route. We will go to south-west Crete for 4 days to do 4 different walks. We will organise this week three times: in April, May and October. There are 2 different E4 routes in 2024.
From each location, we will have completely new walks! Even if you have been along to Sougia before, these are completely new walks.
Each hiking day is open to everyone and has different options in terms of kilometres and altimeters. The walks are in the shape of a cloverleaf, so it is quite possible to walk more or less kilometres. Read more.
Exploring Crete
21 to 24 October 2024 – Unknown Crete Chania – We spend the nights in a luxury villa near Chania
Day 1: Departure at 6am from Zorbas towards western Crete. Driving past Rethymnon, from Kalyves we enter the interior of Chania. Through a mountain pass we drive through Theriso and Meskala to Perivolia, where we spend the coming nights.
Day 2: Visit Akroteri, the peninsula, the monastery of Agia Triada and Stavros (the ‘Zorbas beach’). We spend the afternoon in Chania’s old town, where we have lunch. At the end of the day, we drive back to Perivolia.
Day 3: Early departure to Elafonisi so we can see it at leisure (given the crowds there later in the day). We visit the monastery of Chrysoskalitissa, Topolia, the columns of Polomidi and Kissamos.
Day 4: We leave Chania again today. We drive to Rethymnon and spend about 3 hours there. After that we drive back to Zorbas.
2-3 November 2024 – Party 25 years Zorbas
4 November 2024 – Olive harvest
The time of olive harvesting in Crete has come again. From early November until the end of January, olives are taken from the trees all over the island for olive oil production. Crete is known for its high quality olive oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. At Zorbas Island, we use olive oil for all our dishes, which we produce ourselves every year. So it’s time again to put on work clothes and go out into the country with the whole Zorbas team. Guests help too! Want to harvest olives with us sometime? Please send us an email: zorbasisland@gmail.com.
More information
Excursions on Crete 2024: The above agenda for Crete is only a small example of what can be done on Crete. Our range of excursions that we organize is very extensive. That way we can offer everyone something nice to do. On top of that, if you have special wishes, you can always contact us. We would like to know this well in advance though, so that we can adapt our excursion program. Just send us an email before you come to Crete on holiday.
Holiday information Crete Zorbas Island: For renting apartments and holiday homes, all your excursions and cheap flights to Crete. If you are looking for apartment rental and accommodation on Crete, you have come to the right place. We have a variety of apartments, suitable for families, singles, couples or more people travelling together. We can help you to organize your holiday on Crete Greece to your wishes. An active outdoor vacation, active holidays, a beach holiday, or a combination of both we can all realize for you.
In case you like more information, please send an email to zorbasisland@gmail.com