Chania is one of the best bases in Crete for exploring the west of the island. From hiking the Samaria Gorge and sailing to Balos Lagoon to visiting local wineries, some of the best things to do in Chania involve getting out of the city for the day.
We spent nine nights in Chania and tried several of the area’s most popular experiences ourselves, including a Balos and Gramvousa catamaran trip, the Samaria Gorge hike and a tour of Manousakis Winery.
Those first-hand experiences form the backbone of this guide. We’ve also included a few Chania tours we haven’t personally taken but would consider booking on a return trip. We’ll always make it clear which is which.
If you only have time for a few tours, these are the ones we’d prioritise.
Best Tours in Chania at a Glance
| Tour | Best For | Time | Our Experience | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balos & Gramvousa Catamaran | Best overall | Full day | We did it | Check price → |
| Samaria Gorge | Hiking & adventure | Full day | We did it | Check price → |
| Manousakis Winery | Wine & couples | Half day | We did it | Check price → |
| Elafonissi Beach | Beaches | Full day | Visited independently | Check price → |
| Chania Food Tour | Foodies | Half day | Not personally tested | Check price → |
| Cretan Cooking Class | Food & culture | Half day | Not personally tested | Check price → |
| Apokoronas Villages | Traditional Crete | Full day | Not personally tested | Check price → |
| Chania Old Town Tour | Short stays | Half day | Not personally tested | Check price → |
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1. Balos & Gramvousa Catamaran – Best Overall Tour from Chania
Best for: Swimming, scenery, couples and a memorable day at sea
Allow: Full day
Did we do it? Yes
If we could only recommend one tour from Chania, it would be the catamaran trip to Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa.
We were picked up near our hotel early in the morning and driven to Kissamos, where we boarded the catamaran. Breakfast and lunch were included, along with soft drinks, snorkelling equipment, paddleboards, inflatables and other water equipment.
The biggest advantage for us was getting to Balos before it became packed with visitors. We had around two hours at the lagoon before continuing towards Gramvousa, where we had roughly another two and a half hours.
Gramvousa was another highlight. You can swim or hike up to the Venetian fortress for brilliant views across the surrounding coastline.
There are cheaper ways to visit Balos, particularly the larger ferries from Kissamos. However, we’d choose the catamaran again because the boat and time spent on the water were a major part of the experience rather than simply transport to Balos.
👉 Check Prices for the Balos & Gramvousa Catamaran
Our verdict: The best all-round tour we took during our stay in Chania.
For a detailed breakdown of the day, read our Balos & Gramvousa Catamaran Tour Review.
2. Samaria Gorge – Best Chania Tour for Adventure
Best for: Hiking and active travellers
Allow: Full day
Did we do it? Yes
If you enjoy hiking, Samaria Gorge should be near the top of your Chania itinerary.
The hike takes you through one of Crete’s most impressive landscapes, eventually passing through the narrow Iron Gates before finishing near Agia Roumeli on the south coast.
Our hike was around 14.3 km through the gorge, followed by another walk towards Agia Roumeli. It’s a long day and certainly isn’t the easiest tour on this list, but it was one of our favourite experiences in Crete.
Taking an organised tour also removes much of the logistical headache. You’re transported to the start of the trail and, after completing the hike, continue your journey by ferry before meeting the coach for the return to Chania.
Make sure you bring proper footwear, plenty of water and prepare for a lot of walking.
👉 Check Samaria Gorge Tour Prices & Availability
For a detailed breakdown of the hike, stops, ferry and what we’d bring, read our Samaria Gorge Tour Review.
Our verdict: The Chania tour we’d choose for anyone who loves hiking.
3. Manousakis Winery – Best Wine Tour in Chania
Best for: Couples, wine lovers and a slower-paced afternoon
Allow: Half day
Did we do it? Yes
If hiking through a gorge isn’t your idea of a holiday, this might be more appealing.
Our tour included pickup from our hotel and the drive out to Manousakis Winery, around 40 minutes from Chania.
What impressed us most was how detailed the winery tour was. Our guide took us through the wine-making process from the vineyards and pressing through to fermentation, ageing and bottling.
We then moved on to the important part: the tasting.
We sampled five different wines, including red, white and rosé, while learning how to properly taste each one.
We booked a version that also included a meal. Our food included stuffed vine leaves, Cretan salad with mizithra cheese, lamb giouvetsi and stuffed vegetables.
If you’re interested in wine, we’d recommend doing an organised tour rather than driving yourself – for fairly obvious reasons.
👉 Check Manousakis Winery Tour Prices & Availability
You can also read our full Manousakis Winery Tour Review or compare it with the other options in our guide to the Best Wine Tours in Chania.
Our verdict: Relaxed, informative and one of our favourite afternoons in Crete.
4. Elafonissi Beach – Best Beach Day Trip from Chania
Best for: Beaches and swimming
Allow: Full day
Did we do it? We visited independently on a previous trip
Elafonissi is one of Crete’s most famous beaches, known for its clear shallow water and stretches of pink-tinged sand.
We’ve visited Elafonissi ourselves, although we didn’t take this particular organised tour.
If you have a hire car, it’s perfectly possible to drive there independently. If you don’t, a day tour from Chania removes the need to worry about driving, parking or navigating the mountain roads.
Most organised excursions give you several hours of free time at the beach before returning to Chania.
👉 Check Elafonissi Day Tours from Chania
Our verdict: A good choice if seeing Elafonissi is high on your Crete wish list and you don’t want to hire a car.
5. Chania Food Tour – Best for Foodies
Best for: Cretan food and first-time visitors
Allow: Around half a day
Did we do it? Not this particular tour
We didn’t take an organised food tour during our latest stay, but after eating our way around Chania for nine nights, food is certainly a major part of the experience here.
A guided food tour is particularly useful at the beginning of your holiday. You’ll get an introduction to Cretan ingredients, local dishes and places you may otherwise walk straight past.
Expect tastings of local produce and traditional dishes while exploring Chania on foot.
Our verdict: We’d book this early in a trip rather than on the final day so you can use what you learn for the rest of your stay.
6. Traditional Cretan Cooking Class – Best Hands-On Experience
Best for: Couples, families and food lovers
Allow: Half day
Did we do it? No
If you’d rather make the food than simply eat it, a Cretan cooking class is a good alternative to a traditional sightseeing tour.
Depending on the experience you choose, you’ll typically learn to prepare several local dishes before sitting down to eat what you’ve made.
It’s also something slightly different from spending another day sightseeing or lying on the beach.
👉 Browse Cretan Cooking Classes from Chania
Our verdict: One we’d consider on our next visit, particularly for a longer stay in Chania.
7. Apokoronas Villages Tour – Best for Traditional Crete
Best for: Villages, local culture and countryside
Allow: Full day
Did we do it? No
Chania Old Town and the beaches receive most of the attention, but western Crete becomes very different once you head inland.
An organised Apokoronas villages tour gives you an opportunity to explore smaller settlements and the Cretan countryside without planning a driving route yourself.
It’s a good contrast if you’ve already spent several days around Chania’s beaches and Old Town.
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Our verdict: Better suited to travellers interested in seeing another side of Crete than those looking purely for beaches.
8. Chania Old Town Walking Tour – Best Short Tour
Best for: First-time visitors and shorter stays
Allow: 2–4 hours
Did we do it? Not as an organised tour
You don’t necessarily need a guide to enjoy Chania Old Town. We explored it independently and it’s an easy place to wander around.
However, a walking tour can give you much more context about what you’re actually looking at.
If you’re only visiting Chania for a couple of days, we’d consider taking one near the beginning of your stay and then returning to your favourite areas independently afterwards.
Our verdict: Not essential, but useful for first-time visitors who enjoy learning about the history behind a destination.
Which Chania Tour Should You Choose?
If you’re struggling to decide, we’d narrow it down like this:
If you only book one tour:
Balos & Gramvousa Catamaran
For hiking and adventure:
Samaria Gorge
For couples:
Manousakis Winery
For beaches:
Balos or Elafonissi
For food:
Chania Food Tour or Cretan Cooking Class
For culture and traditional Crete:
Apokoronas Villages
For a short stay:
Chania Old Town Walking Tour
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Tours vs Hiring a Car in Chania
You don’t need to book an organised tour for everything.
In fact, we’d recommend a combination of tours and independent exploring.
Tours make particularly good sense for Samaria Gorge, where the point-to-point logistics are awkward, and for wine tours where nobody in your group needs to worry about driving.
A boat or catamaran is obviously necessary for the full Balos experience too.
For beaches, restaurants and exploring smaller towns and villages at your own pace, we’d rather have a hire car.
We particularly enjoyed having the freedom to explore areas outside Chania without constantly relying on transfers or taxis.
👉 Compare Car Hire for Your Chania Trip
Read our Car Rental Comparison Guide if you’re deciding where to book.
How Many Tours Should You Book in Chania?
For a week in Chania, we’d probably book two or three major tours.
Doing a full-day excursion every day would be exhausting and wouldn’t leave enough time to enjoy Chania itself.
A good combination would be:
Day tour #1: Balos & Gramvousa
Day tour #2: Samaria Gorge
Half-day tour: Manousakis Winery
That gives you a boat day, an active day and something considerably more relaxed.
You can then spend the remaining days exploring Chania Old Town, visiting beaches such as Agii Apostoli and enjoying the food.
Do You Need to Book Chania Tours in Advance?
For the major tours, we would.
This is particularly true during the busy summer months when boat trips, small-group tours and hotel pickup options can sell out.
Booking ahead also means you can spread your full-day tours across the holiday rather than discovering that the only available dates are back-to-back.
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Final Thoughts: Which Are the Best Tours in Chania?
Chania has enough tours and day trips to fill an entire holiday, but we wouldn’t try to do everything.
After spending nine nights here, our three standout choices are very different from one another.
Balos & Gramvousa would be our pick for the best overall experience, Samaria Gorge for adventure and Manousakis Winery for a relaxed afternoon involving plenty of Cretan wine.
Book those alongside some free days to explore Chania and its beaches independently and you’ve got a very good balance.
👉 Browse Chania Tours & Check Availability
And if you’re still planning the rest of your trip, head over to our Chania Travel Guide for our favourite beaches, restaurants, places to stay and things to do across western Crete.
FAQs About Tours in Chania
What is the best tour from Chania?
Our favourite was the Balos and Gramvousa catamaran tour. You get Balos Lagoon, Gramvousa, swimming and plenty of time on the water in one full-day trip.
What are the best day trips from Chania?
Our top choices are Balos and Gramvousa, Samaria Gorge and Elafonissi. Which is best depends on whether you prefer boats, hiking or beaches.
Is the Balos boat trip worth it?
We think so. Balos is spectacular, but choosing the right boat makes a difference. We particularly liked visiting by catamaran because the journey itself was part of the experience.
Is Samaria Gorge worth doing from Chania?
Yes, especially if you enjoy hiking. An organised tour also makes the complicated transport arrangements at either end of the hike much easier.
Can you visit Elafonissi from Chania?
Yes. You can either drive yourself or take an organised day trip from Chania.
Do Chania tours include hotel pickup?
Many do, although the exact pickup point depends on the tour and where you’re staying. Always check the individual booking conditions before paying.
Do you need a car in Chania?
Not necessarily. You can explore Chania itself without one and use organised tours for the major attractions. However, we’d hire a car if you want the freedom to explore western Crete independently.
Are Chania tours worth booking?
For certain experiences, absolutely. We’d particularly recommend tours where they solve a logistical problem or add something you can’t easily replicate yourself – such as Samaria Gorge, a winery tour or a boat trip to Balos.
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