Rethymno: Walking Tour & Cretan Food Tasting with Local Guide

What you taste in Rethymno's oldest baklava workshop

You start with Cretan breakfast and coffee in a quiet square, walk the old town with a local guide, watch a master baklava maker work in a 65-year-old workshop, taste honey and raki, then sit down to a full Cretan meal under lemon trees with local wine. The tour is small group, includes all food and drinks, and runs in English or French.

Step-by-step itinerary

Rethymno walking and gastronomy tour

• Enjoy traditional Cretan breakfast
• Taste local olive oil, raki, honey
• Watch master prepare baklava and kataifi
• Relax and dine at Ali Vafi's garden

The experience

The butter aromas hit first: thick and warm, spreading through the narrow Venetian street before you even step inside Giorgos Chatziparaschos's philo atelier. For 65 years, this workshop has been making the same thin, crisp sheets of pastry that go into baklava and kadaifi, and if you time it right, you'll watch the master work. A fluid mixture falls into a special machine, and above the flames, hundreds of thin strings get baked and turned by hand. The proportions took years of testing (flour, water, salt), but the result is the kind of dessert that tastes nothing like the mass-produced version you've had before. You'll taste it here, still warm, sprinkled with cinnamon and walnuts.

The day starts earlier, though, in a quiet kafeneio tucked into the old town of Rethymno, where your local guide meets you over traditional Greek coffee and a handmade cheese pie called sfakianopita, drizzled with organic thyme honey. From there, you walk the narrow streets of the historic center: the guide points out the Venetian mansions, the Ottoman history layered into the buildings, the way the city's past is still visible if you know where to look. Between the walking, you stop to taste local products: honey, raki, olive oil. Each one comes with the story of how it's made and how to spot quality when you're buying it yourself back home.

The last stop is Ali Vafi's garden, hidden behind a Venetian-era building that the Ottomans once occupied. It's a small tavern with lemon and orange trees overhead, and the menu is a mix of Cretan and Ottoman mezedes: salad with tomato and artichoke, black beans with smoked trout, goat cheese graviera, organic sausage. You eat slowly, drink local wine, and the guide talks about the city's history. The whole thing is paced so you're not rushing. You're sitting, tasting, asking questions. If you want to visit the Fortezza fortress afterward, the guide will point you toward the entrance.

What’s included

Your day includes a traditional Cretan breakfast with Greek coffee or juice and a handmade cheese pie in a quiet kafeneio, a guided walk through the historic center of Rethymno, a visit to a 65-year-old baklava and philo workshop where you watch the master at work, tastings of local honey, raki, and olive oil with information on quality and production, and a full lunch or dinner (with vegetarian options) in Ali Vafi's garden with local wine. All taxes, fees, and handling charges are covered, and your guide speaks English or French.

Options for this experience

4 options

PrivateUp to 8 people · Guide in English or French · 10:30Private option: up to 6 people in the group

Tour for a small group (maximum 8 people)Up to 6 people · Guide in English · 10:30

Small group tour in French (maximum 8)Up to 8 people · 10:35

Small Spanish TourUp to 8 people · Guide in English or French · 10:25 and 10:35

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesThursday and SaturdayDepartures at 10:25, 10:30 and 10:35Last departure this season: 31 Oct

Book up to6h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by ECO EVENTS

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to eat and walk at the same time, learning Cretan food culture from someone who knows the city. Expect to be on your feet for the walking portions, but with plenty of sitting and tasting built in.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

Is the tour suitable for vegetarians?

Yes, a vegetarian option is included for the meal.

Do I need to book the Fortezza fortress separately?

Yes, the fortress is not included in the tour, but your guide can direct you to the entrance if you want to visit after.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes, service animals are allowed on the tour.

What is included in the tour?

Cretan breakfast, coffee or juice, tastings of honey, raki, and olive oil, baklava and kadaifi tasting, a full lunch or dinner with wine, and all taxes and fees.

Is this tour physically demanding?

No, it is suitable for all fitness levels, though it does involve walking the narrow streets of the old town.

Can I get to the tour by public transport?

Yes, public transportation options are available near the meeting point.