Cold Cave — Attraction in Municipality of Oropedion Lasithiou

Having never been to a cave like this, it was a bucket list item during our visit to Crete and once we did this we were thrilled with the accomplishment! Reading other reviews on other platforms, the reviews did not fully explain just what effort is required to do this experience. Our group had one member with two knee braces and an another determined and fit octogenarian. The drive from sea level is absolutely beautiful with everything you’d expect on steep, winding mountain roads. Next comes the hike up to the entrance to the cave. But before you get to the ticket booth, the smoothness of the path becomes dangerously difficult and one must walk with great care not to trip or turn an ankle. Hats off to the senior lady at the ticket booth who has been making the journey for 35 years! Once you get to the cave entrance you have several hundred steps to go down and come back out. The cave is stunning and temperatures cool, but one must be extra cautious as it can be slippery and dimly lit in places. Having done this now, I think the journey to the cave to be as exciting as the cave. Finally, a word about the donkeys. As an avid equestrian and one who cares for the welfare of working animals, I have seen horses and donkeys in terrible working conditions. I do not hesitate to walk away from a booked ride if the animals are not in top condition and extremely well cared for. After reading so many negative reviews I was thrilled to see these donkeys were well kept, well fed, very fit with properly trimmed feet. Because these donkeys were clearly so well cared for, our group did not hesitate to hire one out for the 80+ year old in our group and for her it was the difference between making it up to the top or staying behind. Had I one bit of concern for the donkeys welfare it would have been out of the question. So I advise anyone with concerns to educate yourself ahead of time and know what to look for. It’s possible we just got lucky with the handlers and donkeys on our particular day. If you need to use them please do so for the right reasons and not just laziness. Plenty of people see the elevation it takes just to get to the cave and turn back. Know your limits and physical capabilities. And if you make it to the cave entrance, take some time to catch your breath and relax before going into the cave so you can fully take...

The site was lovely. It was €2.50 to park. The path up to the cave was far to steep for me and I wasn't prepared to spend €10 each way on a donkey carrying me up. Also you may find this silly but I'm quite a big man in weight and would have felt awful for the donkey having to carry me. What wasn't advertised anywhere is that it's €6 to get in, OK not a great amount but I found that a little naughty, oh well we've walked all the way up here we may as well pay and go in, is just what they want you to think. Again it's not a lot but parking, donkey, entrance, food, drink and fuel to get there could be a sizable chunk out of your budget if you like us were on a small budget holiday.

The cafe with the veranda had a wonderful view and I sat and had a tall pomegranate freshly made juice drink which was top class. The lovely lady persuaded me to have their home made ice cream that she served with chopped fresh strawberry 🍓 s, wow, I love my ice cream and was very impressed with the quality of it. I had the small tub and this was quite enough. The tall pomegranate drink plus the ice cream and strawberrys came to €6.50 which for the quality of both I found to be excellent value. The staff were lovely. Well worth your...

We visited the Zeus Cave during a tour and it was really amazing. It costs 6 EUR per person to enter the cave and you can pay 10 EUR for a donkey to take you up the top. Otherwise it’s a 15-20 minute steep uphill walk to the top of the cave. The walk up is mostly paved, except for the last 2-3 minutes, where it’s mostly rocky. You then climb about 100 steps down to the cave with the most amazing stalagmites and stalactites. There is a small shop at the top of the hill where you can buy beverages, which is a huge help cause during the summer months it’s a pretty steep hike up. We’re not particularly in shape, and we made it just fine. However, I would highly recommend wearing shoes with good grip, as some of the path can...