Crete Gourmet Trail of Rethymnon Including Food and Beverage Tastings

Join a local on this unique walk around the old town of Rethymnon while discovering the culinary treasures of the region.

During our four-hour Crete tour, we will introduce you to the best food and wines that Rethymnon has to offer! Cretan cuisine is one of the healthiest and tastiest diets in the world. It is the base of the Mediterranean diet, and Crete’s culture, history, and geography have all helped to create the island’s unique dishes.

We’ll stroll through the oldest neighbourhoods in Rethymnon, while sharing with you our passion for local food and traditions. We’ll walk along alleys and laneways before kicking off our culinary delights with a freshly brewed Greek coffee made the traditional way… on sand!

While walking along narrow laneways in the heart of the old city, you’ll get to savour Crete’s famous kalitsounia, one of the most classic and delicious Cretan appetisers. Kalitsounia are pastry pies filled with cheese and spinach, fennel, or wild local greens. Best of all, you’re going to taste one at a 100-year-old bakery that’s a local favourite!

Our next stop will be the jewel of the crown, as it is one of Rethymnon’s oldest Venetian buildings, part of a Dominican monastery that was built the 14th century. Here, in a 700-year-old stone wine cellar, you will participate in a one-of-a-kind wine and food tasting workshop. You’ll learn all about the varieties of Greek grapes and wines (you’ll even receive a personalised folder with the history of Cretan wines), and get to taste red, white, rosé, and dessert wines, all accompanied by paired food plates.

Leaving the cellar, we’ll continue our walk through the old town and visit a local sweets shop. If you have a sustainable sweet tooth, then we’ve got you covered, as this patisserie creates sweet delights using only local, organic products. How about some baklava with ice cream made from sheep’s milk from a local farm? Trust us, you don’t know how tasty ice cream can be until you’ve tried some with us!

Next up on this Rethymnon tour, we’re going to sample some locally brewed beer and meze. But instead of heading to a tavern, we’re going to snack in a local art venue where you can chat with the artist and find out how Crete never fails to inspire artistic hearts.

Last but not least, you’ll try a signature cocktail made just for you, starring our liquid royalty, raki. Also known as tsikoudia, raki is an alcoholic beverage — a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Crete.

Your culinary tour of Rethymnon will sadly finish here, but we know you will definitely want to come back for more!