best greek cooking classes

To travel all the way to Greece without partaking of the diverse tapestry of cuisines the country has to offer is some kind of crime. Well maybe not a crime, but it would be tragic—tragic! There’s more to Greek dining than what is offered at your friendly local gyro shop.

In fact, depending on where you are in Greece, the delicacies totally change. Cretan cooking is different from Athenian cuisine. It’s why whole tours are available where all you do is travel the country tasting different dishes. There are also cooking classes you can take.

Cooking classes in Greece are often hosted in a Greek person’s home where their recipes have likely been handed down through the family for hundreds and hundreds of years! Now, you could tell everyone how awesome authentic Greek food is and show them pictures from your trip, but we’ll do you one better.

You could leave Greece with more than just the memories by learning how to recreate those fantastic meals yourself. If you are already vacationing in Greece, why not take a few hours out of your schedule to take part in one of the best 8 cooking classes in Greece?

We chose four of the top regions for authentic Greek delicacies and found the best classes for you to take. Plan on being in Mykonos, Crete, Santorini, or Athens? We’ve got you covered – pick one city or pick all four to stun your friends and family when you come back home able to prepare Greek food like they’ve never had it before!

8 Best Cooking Classes in Greece


Best 2 Cooking Classes in Athens

3-Hour Group Eat and Drink Cooking Class in Athens - $89

For less than a hundred bucks you can learn how to prepare a traditional Greek main course after trying your hand at four different traditional Greek appetizers with the Small Group Athens Cooking Class from Athens Walking Tours. Unlike many cooking classes in Greece that are held in a home, here you’ll meet up at a tavern in the heart of Athens.

You’ll start your class by sipping on a traditional alcoholic beverage called Raki. Then, after you’ve met and greeted the other 13 people in this small 14 person group class, you’ll begin learning from an expert local chef. All dishes are made up of fresh herbs, vegetables, and meats from the land and sea.

When you’ve finished all four dishes, you’ll dig in! Everyone enjoys this hearty meal while sampling a nice Athenian wine and gabbing it up with your fellow students. FYI, tips are all up to you but 10% of the cost of your class is standard. And any additional drinks you order are on you too.

Before you leave, you’ll get a free printout of the recipes you mastered in the class to take home with you! The group meets at Chocolat Royal Tavern: Apostalou Pavlou 27, Athens 118 51, Greece.

4-Hour Athenian Cooking Class with Market Visit - $68

If you are interested in the nitty gritty of Greek cooking, we found an even more affordable cooking class that includes a walk to a local food market during this four hour Athens Cooking Class from The Greek Kitchen. It’s a bigger group than our first pick, but it’s still pretty intimate – only 15 to 22 people max are allowed in a group.

First you have to decide if you want to take the morning class which starts at 9:30am or the afternoon class that starts at 3pm. You’ll do all the same things in either class but you want to make sure it links up with your itinerary. The class takes place at The Greek Kitchen, Athinas 36, Athens 105 51, Greece. That’s where you’ll meet your instructor and your group.

Next you’ll take off for a 30 minute walk to the Central Food Market to buy the ingredients you’ll need. On the way, and while you’re there, your instructor will tell you all about the history of Greek cuisine. Once the shopping is done, you’ll walk back to The Greek Kitchen to start the class.

In this cooking class, you won’t just learn how to cook a great Grecian meal, you’ll also learn all about the ingredients that go into it. When everything is done, your group will sit together sipping wine and gobbling up the fruits of your labor.

Best 2 Cooking Classes in Crete

7-Hour Cretan Street Food Cooking Class and Workshop - €125

One of the most expensive cooking classes on our list gives you so much insider knowledge of Cretan cuisine that it takes a 7 hour workshop to fit it all in. The One Day Gastronomy Class from Crete Travel is filled to the gills with stuff to do including a trip to the market, vegetable picking, tastings of some of the best wines in Greece, and a menu that can be tailored for each attendee!

The coastal city of Chania in Crete is the location for this excursion. The price depends on the number of people in your group. There is a minimum of four people to a group but you could come with a private group that includes only one to three people, but it’s going to cost you--€380!

That money pays for all of the ingredients you’ll buy at the market, some raki, your recipe book at the end, snacks along the way, two different award-winning Cretan wines, and of course, your cooking lesson where you will learn to prepare a four course Greek meal.

What’s truly remarkable about this cooking class is that, once you book your slot, you will be given the chance to make requests to the menu so that it can be tailored to your taste. This workshop is available every Saturday year round.

All-Day Cretan Cooking Class at Award-Winning Restaurant - €85

Crete Travel doesn’t say exactly how long this cooking class is, but we feel safe in saying you’re going to need to carve out most of the day for this one. During the Cooking Lesson at Rethymno restaurant you have the chance to take part in three to five cooking sessions over the day, learning all about Cretan food and the ingredients that go into it.

Also located in northern Crete, this cooking class and workshop takes place in a restaurant that has been awarded the gold standard for their wine and the food is certified top quality in Crete. Here they show off everything they know, taking you on a history tour of Greek cooking from the past all the way up to the present.

Learn about how raw foods are used safely in Greek dishes as well has how the food works with your gastronomy. Since the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest, you are going to go home with a folder chock full of all of the stuff you learned as well as recipes to bring back home.

Pricing is based on group size with two person groups being the most expensive and the largest groups (up to 20 people) costing the least. That price pays for your appetizers, a Greek salad, the main course that you will prepare, and dessert.

Best 2 Cooking Classes in Santorini

6-Hour Santorini Wine Tasting and Cooking Class - €160

You may not realize this, but Santorini is known for its world-class wines. It is why when you take the 6-Hour Santorini Cooking Class from Wine Tours Santorini, wine tasting is a big part of it. Over six hours, you will visit two different popular wineries sampling as many as eight different wines that have been made from fruits raised in volcanic dirt, which is what gives Santorini wines their unique flavor.

 After you’re finished tasting wines, you’ll head back to a Santorini restaurant where you will watch and assist while a local Cretan chef shows you how to cook a three course traditional Santorini meal. After everything is done, you’ll sit together with your group at the restaurant and enjoy your meal with a local wine of your choosing, followed by a traditional Cretan dessert.

The maximum number of people in a group is only 8 but private tours are also available. Although it’s more expensive than our other classes on this list, it is all inclusive and pays for all of your wine sampling, your lunch and your expert guide. You won’t have to hoof it everywhere either. The cost of the class includes hotel pickup and drop-off as well as a driver to shuffle you around from vineyard to vineyard in a nice, comfy mini-van.

5-Hour Wine, Vineyard, and Food Tour of Santorini - €150

This five hour event is more than a cooking class – it is a food and wine tour basically! When you book the Food & Wine Road Tour from Safowi, you have unleashed a barrel of excitement and exploration of Santorini unlike any other. This is one of our favorite options because the program is so hefty.

Over five hours, you will tour local vineyards, including an ancient one that goes back a thousand years! Your wine tour includes three different vineyards where an instructor will tell you everything about the wines you will be sampling and how they pair with local Greek foods.

Once you’ve explored and sampled over 15 different wines from the local vineyards, you will head over by private car to an open air cooking class. Here you will learn how to cook a smattering of local specialties. At the end of the day, you will be fed a light lunch and then returned to your hotel.

​You won’t be going back empty handed though – you get a free recipe book to take home with you. There is a 6 hour tour available that includes dinner and wine and for 40 Euros more, you could reserve a private tour for two people only.

Best 2 Cooking Classes in Mykonos

6-Hour Mykonos Culture and Cuisine Cooking Class - €130

Do you love to cook? If so, this is the cooking class for you! We found a kickass cooking class in Mykonos, Greece where your cooking class will run the gamut from specifically Mykonos cuisine to Greek and Mediterranean dishes from other regions in this Six Hour Cooking Class from Grek Addict.

One of the things we love the most about this cooking class is that it is made for foodies – people who really love food and love to cook! If you love Greek, you’ll love this class. You’re going to learn how to make some of the most popular Greek dishes known around the world. 

The menu you’ll prepare includes two appetizers, a traditional Greek salad, a veal dish as the entrée, topping it all off with some local fruit preserves and honey kissed yogurt. Of course, no Greek meal is complete without a glass of Raki or ouzo. Be careful though – additional drinks will cost you extra.

Your day begins at 10am on a farm where you will be driven by car to meet your instructor, and wraps up at around four in the afternoon. Anyone over 13 pays the full price but if you have kids under four (which is totally allowed here) they get in free! Those in the middle get half off. Oh and, bring a bathing suit – you’ll get a chance to visit the beach and swim during this cooking class!

6-Hour Intro to Traditional Mykonos Cooking - $150

We love the Grek Addict tour but our next one is no slouch. For $150 you can take the very popular 6-Hour Mykonos Cooking Class from Mykonian Spiti. It’s all about tradition with this one. As is tradition, your class will take place inside an authentic Greek family home where the chef (also hostess) will guide you as you prepare a delicious meal along with some of the most popular dishes out of Greece.

You’ll get an up close and intimate view of traditional Mykonos life and culture, including some of the best kept secrets of Mykonian cuisine. You get fed plenty on this adventure too, including sampling many traditional snacks exclusive to Mykonos while sipping on local wines and Raki.

Your chef and guide welcomes you into her home where you will check out her garden before using those fresh veggies to prepare your meal. The meal includes a couple of appetizers on top of the main course – beef orzo. Once the meal is prepared, you’ll sit down together and enjoy your fantastic creation!

Options include day or evening classes where you’ll make either lunch or dinner. When the class is over, you’ll receive a goodie bag filled with treats to take back home plus a group picture to memorialize the day. Bring your bathing suit here too – your admission includes a free beach towel and time to take a dip before you go!

We chose four of the top regions for authentic Greek delicacies and found the best classes for you to take. Plan on being in Mykonos, Crete, Santorini, or Athens? We’ve got you covered – pick one city or pick all four to stun your friends and family when you come back home able to prepare Greek food like they’ve never had it before! #cooking #cookingclass #greece #travel #greekfood #greek

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