During this week, visitors will experience a traditional Greek Easter and all the activities associated with it. By the end of the tour, visitors will feel like one of the family because Stelios will be personally guiding the whole week. Easter is the biggest celebration in the Greek Orthodox church and Greeks take it as a good opportunity to enjoy themselves and feel at one with nature.
Food and drink play a big part in any Greek celebration and Easter is no exception. Crete at Easter is a very pretty time of the year with all the beautiful spring flowers, the weather isn’t too hot and the place isn’t too crowded.It is a perfect time to come!
DETAILS
Availability: On request
- 7 days Bed & Breakfast at local hotel in Kissamos.
- 5 evening meals at seaside taverna
- 5 lunches & Easter lunch
- Guided tours and Easter activities- cooking, Chania old town, Elafonisi Beach, traditional villages, church services
- Traditional Easter food
- Transfers to and from Chania airport
- DAY ONE - Arrival. Welcome meeting. Dinner at Cellar Taverna.
- DAY TWO – Great Wednesday - A Trip to the archeological site of Falassarna and the beautiful beach.
- DAY THREE – Great Thursday -Cooking of traditional Easter bread and biscuits and preparation of red eggs. Witness/take part in the service at the monastery in Kolympari.
- DAY FOUR – Great Friday-Traditional Easter Bazaar. Flowers for the decoration of Christ bier in the church, preparation of Judas and Friday evening parade.
- DAY FIVE – Great Saturday – Trip to the Venetian harbour town of Chania. Big church service for Easter on the Saturday night and traditional customs.
- DAY SIX – Easter Sunday –Easter Sunday feast.
- DAY SEVEN – Elafonissi beach and tour.
- DAY EIGHT -Transfer to airport for departure.
- DAY ONE - Welcome meeting. Dinner at Cellar Taverna situated right on the seafront in the bay of Kissamos. It is a well established family run taverna of 20 years with an excellent reputation with both tourists and locals. It is featured in such guide books as Lonely Planet and Rough guide to Crete as well as other foreign guide books. Over the years it has also been featured in various magazine articles. It is well rated on Trip Advisor.
- DAY TWO – Great Wednesday - A Trip to the archaeological site of Falassarna and the beautiful beach. Then up to the ancient village of Polyrinnia where we have an informative tour around the lovely old village. At this time of the year the Spring flowers will be in abundance and the views from Polyrinnia down to the bay of Kissamos are stunning. We have a delicious lunch at the local cafenion and then the late afternoon is left free until dinner at The Cellar Taverna in the evening.
- DAY THREE – Great Thursday - Hands on cooking in the morning of traditional Easter bread and biscuits and preparation of red eggs. Lunch in village taverna. In the late afternoon we will go to the beautiful monastery at Kolymbari where services go on all week for Easter. Here we can witness/take part in the service and learn more about the Greek Orthodox faith and what Easter means to the Greeks. Dinner at Cellar Taverna in the evening.
- DAY FOUR – Great Friday-In the morning a visit to the traditional Easter Bazaar. Lunch will be eaten here. Then afterwards we will go out in the countryside to collect the flowers that are needed for the decoration of Christ bier in the church. We will also make the Judas in preparation for his burning on Saturday night (similar to our Guy Fawkes!) This evening there will be a late dinner at the Cellar Taverna having attented the Friday evening parade from church through town. Christs decorated bier is paraded through town followed by a brass band.
- DAY FIVE – Great Saturday – We will take a trip to the beautiful Venetian harbour town of Chania where we will have a guided tour that includes a visit to the famous indoor market. We will then have lunch and the afternoon is free for you to look around Chania. You can take the local bus back to Kissamos or get a transfer with us. In keeping with tradition we will be fasting in the evening before church so will not provide dinner. However clients will be able to get a meal if they so wish locally. The big church service for Easter is on the Saturday night at 11p.m. till midnight. This is when everyone goes to church and lights their candle from the flame that has been taken from Jerusalem every year. At midnight the church bells are rung, the fireworks go off and Judas is burnt. Greek Easter is not a quiet affair and in keeping with Greek ways everything is done enthusiastically and noisily!
- DAY SIX – Easter Sunday – we will all prepare the Easter Sunday feast for a late lunch and then eat drink and be merry. The rest of the evening is free to recover! The food will of course be the traditional lamb roasted on the spit with all the extras.
- DAY SEVEN – We will take a day trip down to the South west coast to Elafonissi beach, a protected area of outstanding natural beauty. The day will include a picnic lunch, a visit to the monastery of Chryssoskalitissa and the cave of Agia Sofia. Farewell dinner at The Cellar Taverna down by the sea.
- DAY EIGHT -Transfer to airport for departure.
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