Marilina developed a custom tour for us including a visit to the Heraklion Open Air Market followed by a Minoan Themed Cooking Class and Feast. I'll start with how much fun we all had at the market! Marilina has lots of great history and insight on Heraklion and we LOVED visiting the open air market and sampling local goods. But the hightlight was the Cooking Class. We went to an estate with great history and cultural ties to Minoan History. Our host walked us through Minoan cooking techniques and we all cooked together. Great fun for cooking enthusiasts and eaters. Organic local products and hands down the best pork we have ever eaten. Loved being surrounded by history and experiencing it. Trust Marilina to show you the best of Crete!

We spent a wonderful couple of hours with our guide captivated by the myths and history of the Minoan civilization and the palace of Knossos (😉)

Since 2005 Marilina Paters has been my professional tour guide for Crete and the Greek mainland, and more recently, my travel agent as well. In October 2019 I brought a group of seven people Foran in-depth study tour of Crete, from prehistoric through modern times. She provided us with excellent service-her profound knowledge of the island’s history, culture and food culture, and more. She also arranged for our stay at a beautiful boutique hotel in Heraklion, a seasoned bus driver and medium size van, and photojournalist. Everyone on that tour is talking about “next time.” I am currently in Greece traveling solo, and once more, Marilina has made all my arrangements, because of her, I feel that Greece is my second home.

I actually had a private tour with Marilina and it was one of the best tours I've had anywhere in the world. She is a brilliant woman with a sterling pedigree that includes degrees in Pre-Historic Religion and Arts-Mythology. She is no mere tour guide, she is a master of Greek history and she makes it come vividly alive as she time-travels you back to antiquity and forward to modern Greece bridging the distance in a way that will fascinate and enlighten you beyond anything you expected. If you are at all considering Marilina's tours, consider no more....BOOK IT! You will be so grateful you did. I will never forget the day I spent with her and the knowledge and images she planted in my mind. They will live and bloom there always. You are the best of the best Marilina! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Marilina was invaluable in planning our family's trip. It was a special occasion, and she helped make sure it was a trip of a lifetime. From hotels to tours to recommendations of amazing restaurants. She made us feel like royalty. Not only did she take care of every detail of our trip, but once we met in person, we became fast friends. That is priceless. They live up to their travel philosophy of integrating Mind, Body, and Spirit! You will have lifelong precious memories with her help!

We took a tour of Heraklion, Knossos Palace, and the museum with Marilina from Elissos, and they were all fantastic! She was so knowledgable and friendly. We all wanted to spend more time with her learning about Crete. I highly recommend Elissos Travelling Philosophy.

I am so glad we booked a tour guide for this - we would have had no idea what we were looking at otherwise. We got so much insight into the palace, what happened there, when everything was built and why, etc. Our experience of the museum also benefited from a tour guide. We learned so much and it was so nice to be able to ask questions.

If you have limited time, and want to truly experience ancient (and modern) Crete as a researcher, or time traveller, this is the best way! If you want to feel like a tourist, this is not for you. I spent 7 separate days on a completely personalised and fully serviced tour around Crete with Marilina. I was particularly interested in the role of the goddess, the minotaur myths, and the everyday life of the ancient Minoans. I highly recommend letting the team know in advance why you are interested in ancient Crete. Marilina took great care and flexibility in planning an itinerary around my particular curiosities. We visited numerous ancient sites, and also learnt from other experts in the elissos community. With Marilina’s vast knowledge and passion for this subject, I was completely immersed in the ancient stories, lifestyle & culture. In addition to the in depth exploration of the archaeological evidence, we also made wonderful memories on the road, traversing through the rainy weather, feasting on mouthwatering local cretan cuisine, discussing art and dance, rest stops at stunning mediterranean beaches, and learning conversational greek from our driver George (ευχαριστώ Γεώργιο!). Marilina also arranged outstanding accomodation and travel well within my humble budget. I was welcomed by Marilina and all around Crete with such warmth and generosity, these might be the nicest people on earth. Dear Marilina, I can't thank you enough! I will forever treasure this adventure, and look forward to the next! xx

Marilina Paters, owner of the travel agency Elissos Travelling Philosophy and a first-rate Licensed Professional Tourist Guide of Greece, offers wonderful study tours of the landscapes, sacred precincts, and mythologies of ancient cultures in pre-Hellenic Greece for individuals and groups. In October, Marlina led a dozen of us in in exploring the pre-Olympian Athens Acropolis, Eleusis, Delphi, and the southernmost part of mainland Greece known as the Peloponnese. We also toured the National Archeology Museum of Athens, the Cyclades Museum, and the Acropolis Museum. - The Temple of Eleusis, in the town of Elefsina near Athens, was home to the Eleusinian Mysteries, a world religion for more than 2,000 years until the site was closed by the Christian Emperor Theodosius in 394 CE. - At the time of Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey, Delphi was as sacred to the Greek-speaking world as the Vatican was for Europe during the Middle Ages. For 2,000 thousand years, the destinies of nations, cities, and individuals from all walks of life turned upon words spoken by the Pythia: the voice of God at the time and perhaps even more powerful than any pope. While exploring the Peloponnese we stayed for three nights in the beautiful port town of Naplion, near Epidaros and Mycenae--two major archeology sites that originated in prehistoric times. - Epidaros was celebrated as a healing center from 6th century BCE to mid-5th century CE, even after the introduction of Christianity and the silencing of the oracles. The ancient Greek theater at Epidaros is regarded as the most perfect of the country’s ancient theaters because of its symmetry, beauty, acoustics, and aesthetics. - The Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae features the magnificent Lion Gate, royal tombs containing beautifully fashioned golden burial treasure, a palace complex, and massive Cyclopean walls. Mycenae was the central stronghold for the first warrior society on the Greek mainland and where mythology marries with history. These were the men of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Called Achaeans by Homer, the Myceneans dominated the Hellenic world during 1600–1100 BCE. Marilina Paters’ exceptional organizational skills, attention to itinerary details, and indepth knowledge of Greek history and mythology were absolutely first-rate. She provided a highly articulate account of Greek history and mythology at every stop and responded to every question with authority and insight. Marlina’s beautiful personality, her grasp of thousands of years of Greek history, and her love of country was evident at every step of our wonderful journey.

Our 12-day trip with Marilena exceeded our expectations— her deep descriptions of pre-Hellenic and Hellenic mythology and history is excellent. She’s clearly done years of study and research to offer us this level of knowledge and wisdom. Not only were the sites amazing, but she also included unexpected side trips including a stop at the beaches and harbors, and wine-tasting. She filled in the gaps for us, highlighting the more special artifacts and museums and follow picturesque hotels and delicious restaurants. This is my second trip with her.would go anywhere with her!

Since 2005 Marilina Paters and I have partnered to conduct Goddess-based study tours on Crete and mainland Greece. She is my Professional Tourist Guide and Travel Agent for these study tours. In October of 2018 we traveled with twelve people for twelve days to Ancient Athens, Eleusis, Delphi, Mycenae, Epidaurus, and Corinth, where we focused on pre-Olympian Goddess-based mythology and history. Marilina's skills and experience as a guide and tour organizer are extraordinary, as is her depth of knowledge of Greek history, mythology, sacred sites, architecture, and natural history. She is fun to work with--creative, engaging, flexible, and filled with the Wisdom of Athena! Every member of this tour went home extremely satisfied. When you are thinking about travel for Crete, the Greek Islands, or the mainland--whatever your area of interest in "Things Greek"is, I suggest you think about "Elissos and Marilina" first, and then contact her immediately!

What an amazing person Marilina is. She made our visit to Knossos interesting and relevant and presented enough information for us to take in the history and come alive across the years. Would highly recommend her and her company for any tours. Professional, informative and very relaxed. We also visited old Heraklion and saw things that on our own we would probably have missed. Can't wait to go back and so some of the other things that Elissos offer.

I did a full tour of Knossos with two of my teenage daughters. Marilina was our guide. She was bright, engaging, articulate and fun. My daughters loved her teaching style. I highly recommend Marilina. She has great energy.

If you are interested in learning about Minoan culture, history, and architecture, then you cannot do any better than Marilina. She is a fountain of knowledge and incredibly passionate about the island's history. Would very highly recommend booking her for a tour of Knossos and the general area. Her English is exceptional and she appreciates curious visitors!

Marilina was a tour guide for our tour of Knossos and the archeological museum. She was extremely informative, and exciting to listen to. Her knowledge is extrodinary. With the help of her 3D visuals on provided iPads made the tour even more relatable to what we were looking at. We thoroughly enjoyed our day of history lesson with Marilina and would recommended her highly. Thanks for a a great day. Torquay Aussie group.