About us

"Secrets of Crete" is a boutique tour agency that consolidates a small group of like-minded expert guides and tour professionals. We provide tours on Crete ranging from classical hits of the island such as Minoan archeological sites to the unorthodox tours, taking our visitors off-the-beaten path, providing invigorating experiences, unique and pertinent to Crete. Whether a day tour or a multiple day tour, we select the finest ingredients and carefully craft each tour for a great experience. We are experienced in making sure the tour fits the visitor’s interests, combining different aspects of the island and bringing about the most captivating insights. All of that - accompanied by private guidance and insider’s stories. “Secrets of Crete” guides have a personalised approach in guiding the individuals and mini-groups; we are, however, also skilled in handling the dynamics and particularities of big groups. We speak English, German and Hebrew fluently and, naturally, Greek. We love what we are doing and that shows also during our tours.

Our "Secrets of Crete" team, heels over head in love with Crete!

Joseph

JOSEPH

Travel master and story teller

Tours in Hebrew, German and English

Having traveled for over 30 years, I have found the whole world in one of the most fascinating and unique places on earth – Crete. It is a diverse, rich and inspiring island - its history and unique traditions, its people, the delicacies of Cretan cuisine, its fantastic beaches and its stunning nature. But most valuable on Crete are the human connections,  hospitality of Cretans. Let me show you “my” Crete, the Crete that I love…Kαλώς ήρθατε - Welcome to Crete!

Katerina

KATERINA

Tour expert, Minoan culture

Tours in English, German and Italian

This island is my passion and my whole life - its archeological gems, it's rich, varied and majestic history, monasteries and sacred relicts. It is my birthplace, my home, my stronghold. This island has so much to offer to its people and it is generous to its visitors! The history is a great part of our identity today and has moulded Cretans into who we are - strong, openhearted and forward looking. Only by realising one's past, can one make its way forward.

How to arrange a private tour

Crete is an immense, gorgeous island with diverse landscape and so many possible sites to explore and amusements to indulge in that it may seem difficult to absorb the vast amount of information about it and decide which of its marvels and activities to experience. To begin, ask yourself:

Our day tour allows you to learn about and enjoy an abundance of sites in just one day. Plus, shall you need, we provide tips and suggestions about how to organize the rest of your stay, such as what are the must-see spots of Crete and which other sites to visit if time allows.

Awards & Accolades

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Testimonials

Skip the group tours, leave your rental car at your hotel and ask Joseph to accompany you on a private tour to these great spots on Crete. We did "Mystic & Rustic Crete" and "Birth of Europe".  If you are a first-time visitor he will suggest an itinerary and if you have special requests he will include those.  Without Joseph we would not have known about the local culture or the history of the area nor would we have met and chatted with the local people... Read more

"Fantastic" *****

"A great tour and experience"We spent a full day with Joseph visiting Chania, Rethymnon and an olive oil farm and we had a great time. Crete is huge so you have to make choices unless you spend a week there. We arranged this tour with Joseph discussing our options and time. Joseph was very flexible with the itinerary allowing us to customize our tour and experience the highlights of some very nice towns. Joseph was very knowledgeable and answered every question. We would definitely use Joseph again to visit the other parts of Crete that we could not get to in this visit.

Vincent, New York City

"Crete showed by Joseph is unique"The experience with Joseph showing us around Crete was absolutely unique. He is Greek and speak very good Hebrew. I don't think we would had seen and experienced half of what we did with him if we'd be on our own. He told us a lot of interesting stories about the Lassithi plateau and the area. His effortless ability to chat up with locals and involve us into conversation (with some translation, of course) was amazing. Funny enough these encounters led to further invitations (for a coffee and local drink - raki). Later on, he took us to an absolutely authentic tavern in a mountain village...

Jacky, Israel

"The secrets never die" Das erste Mal haben wir Joseph Batis mit einer kleinen Gruppe in Chania in einer Fischtaverne kennengelernt. Er sprach Deutsch, Hebräisch, Englisch, Griechisch und soweit ich es richtig vernommen habe auch Spanisch. Ich habe die Gelegenheit genutzt ihn über unsere Ausflugsziele zu befragen. Seine Hinweise und seine Kenntnis haben uns in die Welt von Kreta innerhalb kurzer Zeit eingewiesen. Wir haben Joseph für einen Tag engagieren können um uns zu begleiten. Joseph hat über 30 Jahre in Deutschland gelebt. Seit Jahren führt er private Reisetouren auf Kreta...

Robert, Germany

יוסי מסיורים בכרתים ויוון, הוא מדריך.... מקצוען, בעל יידע נרחב איש לבבי וסימפטי, טיילנו בשנה שעברה... היה פשוט מדהים כיף... כיף... כיף... ממליץ בחום למי שמגיע לכרתים ויוון להשתמש בשרותיו המעולים. תודה יוסי על הסיורים ,האוכל, הטברנות, היה תענוג גדול ! ! ! מאתנו: אורי אילש, אלי גנט, יגאל גרינשטיין, נטלי גרינשטיין, אור גרינשטיין

כל מי שעתיד לנסוע לכרתים או ליוון, אני חייב להמליץ על חבר יקר, מדריך מעולה, אדם חביב ונעים הליכות שידריך אתכם בכרתים בעברית, אנגלית וגרמנית, מה שתבחרו.... ל- Joseph Batis אתר בו תוכלו להציץ במה שיש לו להציע לכם כולל תכנון הטיול ומלונות וכו' הציון שנתנו לו 10+ שווה מאוד... ביקרנו במקומות שבחיים לא הגענו אליהם בכרתים ! לחצו על השם וכנסו לאתר ! בהצלחה.