Tours/Chania/From Rethymno:Arkadi Monaster Margarite village and Melidoni Cave
Viator · group up to 100 pax

From Rethymno:Arkadi Monaster Margarite village and Melidoni Cave

4.2(6)Chania1 hour
VIATOR3.0(2)TRIPADVISOR4.8(4)

Description

Immerse yourself in authentic Crete on a guided tour from Rethymno. Discover Melidoni Cave, Margarites Village, and the Arkadi Monastery, and discover how traditional handmade pottery is made. Explore the northeastern part of Crete on a guided half-day trip from Rethymno. Encounter sights like the Fragma Potamon Dam as you soak up the local atmosphere. Climb onboard the bus and start your trip by heading east to your first stop at iconic Melidoni Cave. Visit the fascinating site and perhaps enjoy a coffee (own expense) while admiring a magnificent view of the valley of Melidoni village. Then, move south to Margarites village and make a stop at a pottery workshop. Have the opportunity to observe how traditional handmade pottery is made. Next, move on to the famous Arkadi Monastery, where you have time for coffee or lunch (own expense). Finally, stop at a vantage point with a magnificent view of the well-known Fragma Potamon Dam for photos. Return to your hotel in the early afternoon.

Tour Options

From Adele, Pigianos Kampos,
  • From Adele, Pigianos Kampos, Pickup included
4h Priv GUID Arkadi Margarites
  • Pickup included
3 hours to Arkadi Private Trip
  • 3 hours to Arkadi monastery Pickup included
From Panormo, Lavris, Scaleta
  • From Panormo, Lavris, Scaleta Pickup included
4 h Private Arkadi Margarites
  • 4 h Private Arkadi Margarites Pickup included
From Rethymno Town, Perivolia,
  • From Rethymno Town, Perivolia, Pickup included

Itinerary

Admission not included120 min

Climb onboard the bus and start your trip by heading east to your first stop at iconic Melidoni Cave. Visit the fascinating site and perhaps enjoy a coffee (own expense) while admiring a magnificent view of the valley of Melidoni village.

120 min

Move south to Margarites village and make a stop at a pottery workshop. Have the opportunity to observe how traditional handmade pottery is made.

Admission not included120 min

Move on to the famous Arkadi Monastery, where you have time for coffee or lunch (own expense). Then, pause at a vantage point with a magnificent view at the well-known Fragma Potamon Dam for a photo stop. Return to your hotel in the early afternoon.

Highlights

Attraction entry
Professional Tour Guide English and German
Liability insurance
Pickup and drop-off from Panormo, Scaleta, Adele, Missiria, Rethymno town and Atsipopoulo
Private tours are with minivan or minibus and is only Arkadi 3 or 4 hours any extra time is charged
Tour and Transfers with air-conditioned luxurious buses and bus tickets 3-4 h with mercedes minivan
Pottery workshop

What's included

Included
Attraction entry
Professional Tour Guide English and German
Liability insurance
Pickup and drop-off from Panormo, Scaleta, Adele, Missiria, Rethymno town and Atsipopoulo
Private tours are with minivan or minibus and is only Arkadi 3 or 4 hours any extra time is charged
Tour and Transfers with air-conditioned luxurious buses and bus tickets 3-4 h with mercedes minivan
Pottery workshop
Not included
Personal Expenses
Entrance ticket to Arkadi monastery and Melidoni Cave (€4 + €3 can be paid onsite)

Pickup Locations & Times

▪︎ Pick-up and drop-off from hotel villas or AirbBnB in Panormo, Adele, Missiria, Rethymno town, Atsipopoulo, Kavros, Paralia Kournas and Georgioupoli. ▪︎ Pickup is from your hotel villa or airbnb the closest point accessible by a vehicle. ▪︎ You'll receive specific pickup information in a separate email from the local partner (please check your spam folder). ▪︎ All the pick-ups from Rethymno Old Town will be from the bus stop of church of four martyrs (4 martyres church).

Traveller Ratings

4.2
6 reviews
5
3
4
1
3
2
2
0
1
0

Important Information

  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • The remaining time will be for the travel time to and from each attraction.

Reviews(6)

G
Grace_B
May 20, 2026
Disappointing, don’t recommend.

The tour was fun and all, rich history, but this company needs to get their stuff together…25 minutes late to picking us up without calling or informing us that they were running behind. We almost thought they weren’t coming at all. Then, we get on the bus and there has been nothing but fiascos about the seating arrangements. People were getting chewed out by an old lady for sitting in the open seat next to her when there was no where else to sit because she felt she deserved 2. During one of the stops and getting back on, the seats got jumbled and we took this guys seat and he had to scream at us on the bus and make it a big drama. They should assign seats if people are going to be so miserable about where they sit between places. Also, this is complete false advertising as they don’t pick you up nor drop you off at your accommodation, despite it allowing you to pick a location. They make you walk to in the bus stop. Then, the tour was not to the expectations in the description.

Operator response

thank you for the review if the client cannot understand that the have the same seat all the journey we can nothing to do

K
K8024XImelh
May 18, 2026
Guide

The guide could be a bit more vibrant and upbeat.

Operator response

thank you for the review

N
Nicholas M
October 7, 2025
Amazing cave and monastery tour

I was very satisfied with this tour, it was very educational and at a good pace. Not rushed at all, and made it through in the expected time. The monastery was very peaceful and full of history. The small town was very tranquil to walk around in with very pleasant people. Finally the cave was very amazing to view, it is very surreal to be inside a cave like this one with many stalagmites and also with so much history. Demetrius was a very excellent guide, and I would absolutely recommend this tour!

Operator response

Thank you for the review

S
Sophie_L
June 16, 2025
Can do better

Luxury bus? Minivan mercedes? The joke was a double-decker bus filled with 40/50 people. The guide gave explanations on the bus but did not go to the sites gave us information on what we see concretely. I chose the tour in English, I didn’t understand that it would be in English and German! It is not very nice to hear the same information in 2 languages. I'm not wearing pottery so I would have personally dispensed with this stopover. The cave was nice and easy to access as long as you fit on its 2 legs, so the elderly and children can access it. The monastery was really good. I think the description is embellished. It remains a good value for money, but it would be to do it again I will do it myself by renting a car.

Operator response

thank you for the review before the booking you can see that's english and german guided

N
Nomad62909005528
June 7, 2025
Great value trip with an amazing guide and a pottery highlight!

We absolutely loved this half-day tour! For just £21 for both of us, it was such great value. Our guide was fantastic – full of energy, stories, and humour that made the journey fly by. He really brought the history to life and kept us entertained throughout. The Melidoni Cave was incredible – spacious and dramatic, and thankfully not too tight or claustrophobic. The Arkadi Monastery was peaceful and beautiful, but our favourite part by far was the pottery stop. The woman who demonstrated how quickly she could shape a vase was absolutely amazing – so skilled and engaging to watch. All in all, this tour was a real highlight of our trip. We’d highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area. 5/5!

1 people found this helpful
Operator response

thank you for the review

R
r0sam0nds
May 23, 2025
Great Tour and beautiful sights and views

Great tour views amazing and the cave was exceptional. Our driver Dimitri was very informative and told us all we needed to know about the history of the Monastery and explained what we were seeing along the way. Really enjoyable and nice day.

Operator response

thank you for the review

You might also like...