The 8 Lake Day Trips in Greece We Would Book First

1.Rethimno, Chania, and Kournas Lake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,694 reviews · 10 - 14 hours · from $45Our pick

Travel from eastern Crete to Rethymno, Chania, and Lake Kournas by air-conditioned coach. You get guided context, free time for old-town walks and food, and a chance to swim, stroll, or hire a pedal boat at the lake. Guides such as Michael and Elena are praised for clear, multilingual explanations.

“Honestly amazing! You see two towns and a lake in the end which makes the day even better!! Chania and Rethimno are so beautiful”

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2.Rethymno: Gramvousa & Balos Lagoon Day Trip with Boat Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 249 reviews · 1 day · from $64

Travel from Rethymno by air-conditioned bus to Kissamos, then cruise to Gramvousa and Balos Lagoon. You get 90 minutes at the Venetian fortress and three hours at Balos for swimming and sun. Guides such as Lazarus and Anastasia have earned praise for warm care and clear information. Bring cash for the €1 eco fee and onboard food.

“Alles hat gut geklappt. Unser Guide hat gut deutsch gesprochen( Auch englisch). Alles auf den Programm haben wir gemacht und man hat auch genügend Zeit gehabt bei beiden Orten. Würde es nochmals buchen”

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3.From Rethymno: Chania and Lake Kournas Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 139 reviews · 6 hours · from $47

Travel by coach from Rethymno to Chania Old Town and Lake Kournas. You’ll have free time for the Venetian Harbour, lighthouse, shops, cafés, and a lakeside swim or €10 pedalo ride. An English-speaking guide, hotel pickup, and drop-off are included.

“definitely one of our favorite day trips. make sure to take your bathing suit. the swim in the lake is very refreshing. chania is beautiful. it was a bit short with lunch so we barely had time to walk along the lighthouse wall after lunch. I recommend increasing the time at Chania to make it really worthwhile. but overall one of our favorite days.”

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4.Kefalonia: Melissani Lake, Drogarati Cave, & Myrtos Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 121 reviews · 7 hours · from $64

Travel by air-conditioned coach to Sami’s Nautical Museum, ancient Drogarati Cave, and the underground waters of Melissani Lake, then spend 2.5 hours swimming at Myrtos Beach. English-speaking guides such as Vanna and Stacey lead the day, with pickup across Lassi, Argostoli, Sami, Karavomilos, and Agia Efimia.

“We really enjoyed the activities , the lake and caves were amazing as was Myrtos beach which was absolutely beautiful 🤩 The only issue we had was with the guide who was just too softly spoken and difficult to understand , nobody was clear on what was going on . Remember to take snacks and drinks to the beach as there is just a donut man and cool box of drinks available to buy no taverna or kiosk .”

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5.Private Day Trip to Kerkini Lake

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 120 reviews · 8 hours

Travel from Thessaloniki to Lake Kerkini with an English-speaking guide such as Nikos, Niko, or Jannis. Watch pelicans, flamingos, cormorants, and other birds, then see buffalo near a local farm. Optional boat and horse rides add cost. Lunch in Vironia is not included.

“Thanks to our driver and tour guide Nikos, it was a very interesting day well spent at Kerkini Lake. Nikos was very informative about the natural habitat of the lake. We also enjoyed the coffee spot, the boat ride and the lunch at the tavern. Well done and thank you.”

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6.Heraklion:Day trip to Chania old Town,Kournas Lake& Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 61 reviews · 9 - 11 hours · from $37

Travel from Heraklion-area hotels to Chania’s Venetian port, peaceful Lake Kournas, and Rethymno’s old town. You’ll have a multilingual guide, air-conditioned bus transport, and free time for photos, food, walking, and shopping. At $37, it is a useful first look at western Crete, but expect a full day and several hours on the road.

“Super hyggeligt tur, der var styr på det hele ☺️”

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7.DayTrip Kournas lake Argyroupoli &Georgioupoli from Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 45 reviews · 210 minutes - 9 hours · from $28Best value

Spend a full day exploring western Crete from Rethymno. You’ll visit freshwater Lake Kournas, sip Greek coffee in Argyroupoli, stop for swimming and lunch in a coastal village, and enjoy mountain, gorge, church and beach views. English and German guides accompany the air-conditioned bus, with pickup across much of the Rethymno area.

“Kournas Lake and Georgiopouli were both gorgeous locations. Well worth the money as it is priced the same as the hop on/hop off bus but has much nicer locations. Only down side was that the 'luxury coach' although not horrific, was not desperately luxurious.”

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8.Rethymno: Elafonisi Day Trip with Balos Lagoon Photo-Stop

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 38 reviews · 8 hours · from $56

Spend two hours swimming and relaxing at Elafonisi, then ride a 4x4 bus 8 kilometers along a rough road to Cape Vouxa. A 20 to 25 minute walk leads to wide views of Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa. Hotel pickup, drop-off, an English-speaking guide, and free time at Elafonisi are included.

“Super Ausflug nichts daran zu bemängeln. Abholung top, preisgünstiger Frühstück und Snäckpoint vor den Zielen. Ausflugsziel stark überlaufen. Nur die Beschreibung des Ausfluges sollte angepasst werden. Bootsfahrt 31€ kommt noch dazu! Sonst sieht man Balos nicht. Wir waren fast 12h unterwegs! 5 Sterne für den Ausflug!”

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