Hersonissos · Crete
Acrobats, dancers and singers play Achilles, Hector and the gods, and your phone vote steers the story.
Pick a side, Greek or Trojan, then cheer each time your army gains ground.
Troy at a glance
Troy is a dinner show, not a lecture on Homer. Acrobats, dancers and singers bring the heroes, gods and goddesses of the Trojan War to the stage while you eat. The production's own site calls it a show for all the family and offers a children's menu, so it suits a table that spans kids and grandparents.
Each table has a QR code. Scan it with a phone and you can take part in games that follow the show, choosing between the Greeks of Achilles and the Trojans of Hector. The booking page says the vote can change the course of the story. Phone play is optional, so the evening still works if nobody at your table wants a screen.
The theatre stands in the middle of Hersonissos, a resort on Crete's north coast, and the show belongs to the summer season. That fits neatly around a beach holiday: you can meet at the venue, or use pickup from listed hotels along the coast. Dates shift from one summer to the next, so look at the calendar when you book.
The beats of the Trojan War that a show like this can draw on, as the ancient sources and Wikipedia tell them. This is the myth, not a running order: what the production stages on your night, and in what order, is for the production to decide.
The apple
The war starts at a wedding. Eris, left off the guest list, tosses in a golden apple marked for the fairest, and Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claim it. Zeus sends the Trojan prince Paris to judge on Mount Ida. He picks Aphrodite, who has promised him Helen of Sparta.
The siege
Paris takes Helen from her husband Menelaus. Menelaus's brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, leads the Greek expedition, and Wikipedia gives the siege as lasting ten years. Cretans are in the story too: Idomeneus, a Cretan king, sails to Troy with eighty black ships.
The quarrel
The Iliad centres on the wrath of Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors. He quarrels with Agamemnon over a captive woman and withdraws from the fighting. His friend Patroclus fights in his place, wearing his armour, and is killed by Hector.
Hector
Hector is the first-born son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba and commands the Trojan army. Achilles kills him in single combat outside the walls. The last lines of the Iliad are given to Hector's funeral, which is why the poem leaves some readers sympathising with the losing side.
The horse
The Iliad ends before Troy falls and never mentions the horse. The Odyssey refers to it briefly, and Virgil's Aeneid gives the fullest account: a huge wooden horse built after the fruitless siege, Greeks hidden inside, and the city taken by that ruse. The most famous line about it is Laocoön's warning about Greeks bearing gifts.
The outline comes from the Iliad and later retellings, not from the production. The booking page names heroes, gods and goddesses, and a choice between Greeks and Trojans; it does not list scenes.
One ticket covers dinner and the show. The calendar shows a start time against every date. Below is the shape of the evening as the booking page and the production's own site describe it; the programme and its order are the production's to set.
The booking offers pickup from listed hotels in the Heraklion, Hersonissos and Gouves area, or you can meet at the venue. The production's own site says the venue is within walking distance or a short taxi ride for much of Hersonissos.
Each table carries a QR code. To play, you scan it, enter the password shown on the big LED screen and follow the instructions on the screen and your phone. The production's own site says smartphone use is optional.
Dinner is part of the ticket. The production describes a menu where ancient tastes fuse with modern Greek cuisine, suitable for guests of all ages, with a children's menu available. The menu is published as images, so this guide lists no dishes.
Guests pick a side in the war: the Greeks of Achilles or the Trojans of Hector. After that your table has something to cheer for, and the games on the phone give the choice some weight.
Acrobats, dancers and singers play the heroes, gods and goddesses. The booking page uses the phrase statuary acrobats for the acrobats. Read it as the promoter's description of the cast, not as a programme.
The production's own site invites guests to change the course of history through the phone games, and the booking page says the vote can turn the story. Prizes can be won. Whether your side wins on the night is the show's secret.
Pick a date on Viator's calendar to see open seats, the start time and today's price in your own currency.
Ancient Greek vases and statues, a Trojan horse replica in Turkey, and the beach at Hersonissos. None of these photographs shows the show, its theatre or its performers.
Where the theatre sits, and what surrounds it, shapes how you plan the day.
The production's own site gives the venue's address as Eleftherias and Aristotelous, in Hersonissos. The same site lists summer dinner shows, so the season runs through the warm months and the calendar decides the exact nights.
Wikipedia places Hersonissos about 25 kilometres east of Heraklion and describes it as a resort area. Several of its beaches hold Blue Flag status, and the same article lists an aquarium, a theme park and a dinosaur park among its attractions.
Wikipedia calls the ancient town of Chersonesos an important seaport from Classical Greece through Byzantine times. The modern pleasure port was built over a Roman port, and a Roman fountain with fishing-scene mosaics still stands on the seaside street.
| The evening | How it goes | It suits you if |
|---|---|---|
| A story-led dinner show like Troy | Eat while acrobats, dancers and singers act out a myth, and join in by phone | You are travelling with children, or you like theatre with your dinner |
| A village taverna with live music | Order from a menu, listen to local musicians and linger over wine | You want a slower night and a local feel |
| A beach sunset and a late swim | Watch the light change on the sand, then eat wherever the evening ends | You want a night with no booking at all |
Troy is a seasonal show. The production's own site lists summer dinner shows. The Viator calendar lists open dates with their start times.
The booking page lists wheelchair access, strollers welcome, service animals allowed and infant seats. The production's own site says the show suits all ages. The evening runs about three hours, so think about the youngest guest's bedtime.
The vote runs through a QR code at your table and a password on the LED screen. The production's own site says phone use is optional, so charge a phone if you want to play, and expect the show to carry on either way.
You can meet at the venue, or book the option with pickup from listed hotels in the Heraklion, Hersonissos and Gouves area. The production's own site says transfers from farther away are arranged through its own booking form.
Dinner is part of the Viator ticket, and a children's menu is available. The menu is shown only as images on the production's site, so compare dietary needs with the booking page before paying, and let the venue know about allergies as you sit down.
If you cancel a day or more ahead, Viator returns the full price; book once your holiday dates are firm.
Start here
Is the Troy dinner show in Crete good for kids, and how does the phone voting work? What the show is, who it suits and what the ticket covers.
Read the full guideThe comparison
Troy or Spectacular: which Crete dinner show is for you? Two shows in one Hersonissos theatre, compared by audience age, format, food and finish.
Read the full guideThe story
The Trojan War in brief: the golden apple, Helen, Achilles, Hector and the wooden horse, with what the ancient sources say and what they leave out.
Read the full guideThe town
Where Hersonissos is, how to reach the Troy show from Heraklion, the old port, the beaches and a loose family day around an evening dinner show.
Read the full guideThe dinner
What dinner means at the Troy show in Crete: what the ticket includes, the children's menu, allergies and what ancient Greek cooking looked like.
Read the full guideThe ticket
How to book the Troy dinner show in Hersonissos: what the Viator ticket covers, pickup or your own way, picking a night and what to bring.
Read the full guideYes, for most families. The production's own site calls it a show for all the family, suited to all ages, with a children's menu available. The booking page adds strollers welcome and infant seats. It runs about three hours in the evening, so consider bedtimes.
Each table has a QR code. You scan it, enter the password shown on the LED screen and follow the instructions on screen and phone. Guests choose between the Greeks of Achilles and the Trojans of Hector, and the booking page says the vote can change the story.
No. The production's own site says smartphone use is optional. Without a phone you still see the acrobats, dancers and singers, and you can still back a side out loud.
Yes. The Viator ticket covers the show and dinner, which the production describes as ancient tastes fused with modern Greek cuisine, suitable for all ages. A children's menu is available. The production's site also lists a drinks-and-show option without dinner, which is a different ticket.
The booking page gives about three hours from arrival to the end of the show. The Viator calendar shows a start time against every date.
The booking offers pickup from listed hotels in the Heraklion, Hersonissos and Gouves area, or you can meet at the venue. Check the hotel list on the booking page before choosing the pickup option.
Wheelchair access, strollers, service animals and infant seats are all listed on the booking page. For specific mobility needs, ask the operator through Viator before your night.
Troy is a seasonal show for the summer months, and exact dates change from one year to the next. Open dates appear in the Viator calendar, so confirm a date at booking instead of assuming a night.
No. Crete Dinner Show Guide is an independent guide, not affiliated with the venue, the operator or the performers. Bookings are made with Viator, which may pay this site a small fee when you book through one of its links. Your price does not change.