Top Crete Pottery Classes

A not to be missed hidden gem off the beaten path July 2026 I booked this retreat almost blindly, since I’d just found the site. Was looking for an interesting way to spend a few days in Europe and was I in for an amazing experience! I booked the full week retreat which meant 2 hours instruction and 2 solo but also included the stay and all meals. I can’t speak highly enough of Ioanna as an instructor but of Ioanna as perfect host. The meals were way better than I imagined, all healthy and delicious. The site is completely out of the beaten path in the Cretan mountains, the additional activities such as a wine tasting and a dinner at a taverna in the adjoining village were all excellent. I wish for you to gift yourself such an amazing experience!

I booked this retreat almost blindly, since I’d just found the site. Was looking for an interesting way to spend a few days in Europe and was I in for an amazing experience! I booked the full week retreat which meant 2 hours instruction and 2 solo but also included the stay and all meals. I can’t speak highly enough of Ioanna as an instructor but of Ioanna and Xenophon as perfect hosts. The meals were way better than I imagined, all healthy and delicious. The site is completely out of the beaten path in the Cretan mountains, the additional activities such as a wine tasting and a dinner at a taverna in the adjoining village were all excellent. I wish for you to gift yourself such an amazing experience!

Tour guide was phenomenal, knowledgeable of the island chania and its culture. She is also very personable. She brought the tour to a local restaurant with local signature dishes and they are reasonably priced.

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 (😉)

We booked the pottery workshop as a wedding anniversary celebration and it was a wonderful experience. It was lovely to hear the instructors story and then have her excellent tuition as we experienced our first try on a potter’s wheel. We are excited to return in a few days to collect our creations! We would definitely recommend a visit to Koumoulia 😊

I had my first wheel-throwing class with Ioanna today. It was very great. I already have experience with pottery. But not with the wheel. I made 4 small plates in the 2 hours. 2 with help and 2 on my own.For those who have not done pottery yet, I recommend regular hand pottery, without the wheel. This way, you get a better feel for the clay. Furthermore, the pottery items cannot be taken home immediately. They need to dry for a few days before they can be fired for the first time. (Bisque firing) Otherwise, they could explode in the oven due to moisture. Since I am not in Crete long enough to wait for the drying process and the first firing, I will have the items sent home at my expense. Anyone who has plenty of time can come back again and paint/glaze the items after the first firing. This will then be fired again (glaze firing).Only then will the items be finished as you know them.All in all, a great experience. Thank you very much.

What a great time me and my wife had up in the mountains in the peace and quite of Koumoulia pottery workshop. We were made welcome and got straight to work. We have done some pottery before but was given some great new tricks to use. We made a slab based butter bell while I threw a raki set. Now it's left to the kiln gods to see how they turn out. Thank you for our super lesson with great equipment and great teacher.

What a fantastic experience! Ioanna is an incredibly talented artist who made our family's pottery class a highlight of our trip. She speaks fluent English, French, and Greek, which was a huge plus. Our kids absolutely loved getting their hands dirty with the clay and proudly created their own unique masterpieces. The studio is an adventure to get to, perched on a hill with a magnificent view. We also couldn't resist her charming little shop, full of stunning, unique art at very fair prices. Highly recommend!

It's a very nice experience and it's surprising because you get caught up in the game as soon as you touch DE earth on the turn. It's a job but we quickly manage to enjoy thanks to our hoste who accompanies us with great sympathy and DE gentleness. To admit it all and to be honest with you, I had a lot of apriori about this activity and finally instead DE bored I had a surprising, very funny time... it was just great. And yet I am a man of action...but you have to know how to open up to everything...it is a beautiful lesson where my reward was up DE my ignorance. To do EN group is TOP.

Again a fabulous stay in Koumoulia. We had already come in love in 2019 and I had trained with Ioanna. I had already taken filming lessons in France but the days with Ioanna were really the best! Every time I turn around the house now I think of his advice. The stay was so great that we decided to come back in June this year (2025) but with our 2 children. We slept again in the red house next to the pottery workshop which is perfect as a family (there is all the necessary equipment and the air conditioning is very effective in case of heatwave). The welcome was amazing and we were really well settled. We received wise advice to visit with family and share very pleasant moments with Ioanna and her husband. Whether you are alone or as a couple or as a family, I highly recommend spending a few days in this extraordinary place. They say “never 2 without 3” so I think we will surely come back!

Thank you to Ioanna for this great experience! We went there to discover because we had never done one and we are satisfied! I would definitely come back if I came back to Crete! I highly recommend to all!

Loved the classes!! Ioanna is the best! You should definitely visit!! :) located in a beautiful village, nice view, beautiful energy. It was really relaxing and really creative experience

A quiet but wonderful location to do some pottery. If you are a beginner or advanced here is the place to learn more about it. Ioanna love to share her experience/knowlege about het passion. Thank you so much for the experience!

Great lesson, highly recommend!! We had loads of fun and learned a lot about the great art of pottery!

The class was great. The teacher was very helpful. We learnt so much more than we anticipated. A short introduction to crete style pottery and also about the special crete clays that exist here. Being at the wheel was an amazing experience but especially with such a patient and enthusiastic teacher with you every step of the way. We have signed our pieces and paid a small fee for our postage for the safe return of our special items we made.What an experience. Thanks so much for this.

My friend and I had a great 2 hours pottery lesson. Under the guidance of Ioanna we worked for the first time on the wheel and had such a nice experience. The atelier is on a wonderful spot and near to the Heraklion airport - so we could get the lesson before flying back. We highly recommend this workshop and we're looking forward to more pottery classes!