Heraklion, Greece: travel guide
Crete's main city, with Minoan Knossos and a Venetian harbour
Largest city and capital of Crete, gateway to the Minoan palace of Knossos.
About Heraklion
Heraklion is the largest city on Crete and its main gateway, a lively, working place with a Venetian harbour fortress and a busy old town. It is best known as the base for visiting Knossos, the great Minoan palace site just inland.
Things to do in Heraklion include exploring Knossos, visiting the Archaeological Museum, which holds a superb collection of Minoan finds, walking the old Venetian walls and the harbour and sampling Cretan food in local tavernas. The city is also a useful starting point for beaches, mountain villages and other parts of the island.
Heraklion suits history lovers and those passing through to the rest of Crete. Spring and autumn are comfortable for sightseeing, while summer is hot.
- Country
- Greece
- Currency
- EUR
- Time zone
- Europe/Athens
- Nearest airport
- HER
Last updated
Top places to visit in Heraklion
Palace of Knossos
Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 2 h · entry €15 (≈ ₹1,600)
The 3,800-year-old Minoan palace complex — one of Europe's oldest and most significant archaeological sites, with Arthur Evans' 1900 reconstructions and the legend of the Minotaur's labyrinth.
Chania Old Town (Day Trip)
Cultural · 4.8 rating · about 8 h · check the fee at the gate
The most beautiful city in Crete — a Venetian harbour town 140km west of Heraklion, with the finest lighthouse in Greece, winding lanes and the best seafood restaurants on the island.
Heraklion Archaeological Museum
Museum · 4.7 rating · about 2 h · entry €15 (≈ ₹1,600)
The world's finest collection of Minoan art — the Phaistos Disc, the Bee Pendant, the Bull's Head Rhyton and frescoes from Knossos and Akrotiri, in a 1952 neoclassical building.
Rethymno Old Town (Day Trip)
Cultural · 4.7 rating · about 6 h · check the fee at the gate
The most architecturally intact Venetian town in Crete — between Heraklion and Chania, with a 16th-century fortress, a minaret intact from Ottoman rule and the best tavernas on the northern coast.
Venetian Old Harbour
Cultural · 4.6 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
The 15th-century Venetian harbour with its distinctive sea walls, small fishing boats, seafood restaurants and the Koules Fortress reflections in the morning calm.
Lions Square & Morosini Fountain
Cultural · 4.5 rating · about 0.5 h · check the fee at the gate
The social heart of Heraklion since 1628 — the Venetian Morosini Fountain with four marble lions, surrounded by the most characterful café terraces in the city.
Spinalonga Island & Elounda
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 4 h · entry €15 (≈ ₹1,600)
The former leper colony island in Mirabello Bay — a Venetian fortress island used as a leper colony until 1957, depicted in Victoria Hislop's The Island, in the most beautiful bay in Crete.
Cretan Beaches East Coast (Hersonissos)
Beach · 4.1 rating · about 5 h · check the fee at the gate
The main Cretan beach resort 30km east of Heraklion — with sandy beaches, Stalis, Malia and the ancient Minoan palace nearby, plus the aquapark and the liveliest nightlife strip in eastern Crete.
Koules Fortress (Castello a Mare)
Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 1 h · entry €6 (≈ ₹640)
The 16th-century Venetian sea fortress guarding the old harbour entrance — the most impressive medieval structure in Heraklion, with the Lion of St. Mark carved above its three gates.
Balos Lagoon & Gramvousa Peninsula
Beach · 4.7 rating · about 6 h · entry €12 (≈ ₹1,280)
The most photographed beach in Greece — a remote northwest Crete lagoon with shallow turquoise water and pink sand, accessible by 4WD track or daily boat from Kissamos.
Phaistos Minoan Palace
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 2 h · entry €12 (≈ ₹1,280)
The second-greatest Minoan palace — superbly sited on a hilltop above the Messara plain with views to the White Mountains, less reconstructed than Knossos and more atmospheric.
Venetian Walls of Heraklion
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 1.5 h · check the fee at the gate
The 16th-century fortification walls encircling the old town — among the best-preserved Renaissance-era city walls in the Mediterranean, with 7 bastions walkable at the top.
Things to do
- Knossos Palace Tour Historical Tour · 2.5 h · from EUR 23 per person
- Old Town Walking Tour Walking Tour · 2 h · from EUR 14 per person
- Cretan Cooking Class Cooking Class · 4 h · from EUR 47 per person
- Heraklion Wine and Tapas Tour Food Tour · 3 h · from EUR 41 per person
- Spinalonga Island Boat Trip Day Trip · 6 h · from EUR 32 per person
- Cretan Folklore Evening Show · 2.5 h · from EUR 29 per person
- Phaistos & Gortyna Day Trip Day Trip · 7 h · from EUR 41 per person
- Cretan Wine Tasting Food Experience · 3 h · from EUR 29 per person
Where to stay in Heraklion
Hotels
- Domes of Elounda Autograph 5-star · INR 35,000 to INR 130,000 per night
- Blue Palace Resort Spa Elounda 5-star · INR 32,000 to INR 120,000 per night
- Elounda Beach Hotel and Villas 5-star · INR 30,000 to INR 110,000 per night
- GDM Megaron Hotel 5-star · INR 11,000 to INR 25,000 per night
- Aquila Atlantis Heraklion 5-star · INR 9,500 to INR 19,000 per night
- Megaron Hotel Heraklion 5-star · INR 10,500 to INR 22,000 per night
Where to eat
- Peskesi greek, cretan, traditional · about EUR 30 per person
- Ippokampos greek, seafood, traditional · about EUR 35 per person
- Parasies greek, cretan, traditional · about EUR 25 per person
- Marilena greek, cretan, traditional · about EUR 45 per person
- Migomis greek, mediterranean, modern · about EUR 85 per person
- Avli greek, cretan, traditional · about EUR 55 per person
- Ouzeri Tou Terzaki greek, traditional, small_plates · about EUR 22 per person
- Kyria Maria greek, cretan, traditional · about EUR 25 per person
Getting to Heraklion
Airport: Heraklion (HER)
Getting around
- Bus
- Walking