The 5 Best Olive Oil Soap Workshops

1.Olive Oil, Soap, Wine, Raki – Flavorful Culinary Journey

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 119 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $111Our pick

Spend six hours in the Heraklion countryside visiting a family olive mill, micro-winery, raki distillery, and soap workshop. Taste three indigenous wines, barrel-aged raki, and olive oils, then share a traditional lunch in Peza Village. Guides may include Tony, Eleni, Angelica, or Yanni.

“This incredible small group tour takes you to a family owned olive oil producer that also grows dragon fruit-after an informative walk you taste some homemade olive oil. Next is a stop at a family owned raki distillery and small wine producer. Again, educational walk with fun discussions, drinks and nibbles. We had a wine tasting at Tatakis winery, the largest in Crete. Our delicious lunch at an outdoor Taverna finished the day with much laughter and talk. We were a group of five people and by the end of the tour felt like a group of old friends whom were hanging out together eating and drinking. Our driver and…”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Private Tour: Soap, Olive Oil & Lyrarakis Winery with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 15 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $216

You’ll leave your pickup point at about 9:30 a.m. for a private visit to one of three wineries near Peza: Lyrarakis, Titaki, or Digenaki. A sommelier leads tastings of house wines, olive oils, and cheese, followed by lunch. Vegetarian menus are available by request.

“Beautiful location, decent food, nice wine. My rating reflects the value of the experience. Felt it was quite pricey for what we received. Driver was great. We paid $142 per person for a shared plate lunch and a tasting of five wines (2 red, 2 whites, and one sparkling). No offer of coffee or dessert. You may be better off going directly there on your own and getting a similar experience with one of the packages the winery offers at half the cost.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Soap and Olive Oil Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $45Best value

Meet Alessandro in Sciacca’s countryside for a private, English-language visit to a restored 19th-century soap museum. Learn the science and history of soap, make a small bar in the lab, then taste Sicilian extra virgin olive oil with olives, snacks, drinks, and an aperitivo.

“The whole experience was delightful, from the very first moment we met Alessandro he showcased not only an incredible and welcoming sunny disposition but a profound passion and knowledge of the subject, he very much inspired us in the matter of soap and olives but even more on the sustainable agriculture and on the folklore of our land. The aperitivo on the roof was the perfect ending of the interesting and magical day”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Soap Workshop, Olive Oil, Lyrarakis Winery and Lunch at Peza

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 7 reviews · 7 hours · from $212

Travel privately from your hotel to rural Crete for a hands-on olive-oil soap workshop, an olive mill tasting, and five wines at Lyrarakis Winery. Manos handles the driving, while Sofia leads the vineyard tour. Finish with a full Cretan lunch in Peza.

“The wine tasting was fantastic. The winery is in a beautiful setting with gorgeous Mountain Views and the weather was glorious so we were able to sit outside to taste the wines. Sofia then took us on a very funny and informative tour of the vineyard - she was fabulous!! Shuttle service run by Manos was lovely and smooth, on time and picked us up right in front of our hotel. Highly recommend this!”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Afternoon: Tour Soap, Olive Oil, Wine Stories of Peza Valley

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 5.5 hours · from $116

From Heraklion, you’ll visit Politakis Olive Mill and Stylianou Winery in Peza Valley, taste three olive oils and three to five local wines, learn about soap making, and end at Peteinos Alianiaris Tavern. English guidance, transfers, and admission are included, but dinner costs extra.

Check availability →Read our full review