Heraklion

Museums & Exhibitions

Experience Ancient Crete at your own pace with a combined e-ticket for the island's top two archaeological attractions, the Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Experience two captivating self-guided audio tours on your smartphone. Receive your ticket in a separate email from our local partner, and download the app and audio tours onto your phone prior to your visit. Then travel back in time to experience the grandeur of Crete from the Minoan period to Roman times. Put on your headphones and discover the Palace of Knossos and the exquisite artifacts exhibited in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Through the power of storytelling, learn interesting facts and hear little-known stories from ancient times. The content of the tours is the result of in-depth research, squeezed into brief original stories that will make your visit both engaging and informative. The audio tours can be used repeatedly and anytime, before or after your visit. This is an unmissable opportunity to gain valuable insights into ancient Crete and the Minoan civilization, and to engage with your surroundings in an entirely original way.

Join a guided tour of Knossos, a complex of more than 1500 interlocking rooms, once an astonishing palace built for a mighty king of the Bronze Age. Knossos is considered Europe’s oldest city. As you wander through the labyrinthine ruins, get the chance to see the original throne of ‘’Minos”, the mystifying sanctuaries, the luxurious domestic quarters of the royal family, Crete’s treasures pantries, and the water-management systems. The first palace of Knossos was erected soon after 2000 BC. In 1700 BC, a catastrophic earthquake destroyed the Palace. A new palace was built immediately, the most monumental of all, and for over 300 years it represented the pre-eminent center of power in Bronze Age Crete. The new palace was an imposing complex with important architectural innovations, splendid frescoes adorning the walls, hundreds of rooms distributed in four storeys, impressive storage areas, specialized workshops, and spacious courts hosting ceremonies and feasts. Learn how during the last decades of the 14th century BC, a series of earthquakes led to the final destruction of the palace. 

Benefit from skip-the-line access to the Palace of Knossos. Once inside, you are free to explore this Minoan archaeological site at your own pace, including the Grand Palace which dates back to the year 2000 B.C. As you wander through the site, discover what remains of living quarters, workspaces, and storerooms that have stood for centuries. Learn more about the city which is thought to have been the capital and political center of Minoan civilization and culture. Get a sense of what the building was like originally from the extensive restorations that have taken place throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. See colorful restored murals, which were typical of the time, and the throne room of the legendary King Minos, which is still intact.

Experience Ancient Crete at your own pace with two tickets for the top archaeological attractions, the Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, and two captivating self-guided audio tours on your smartphone. Receive your e-tickets by email, download the app and the audio tours on your phone, prior to your visit, and travel back in time to experience the grandeur of Ancient Crete. Put on your headphones and discover the most well known archaeological attractions of Crete through the power of storytelling and learn historical information and uncommon stories and anecdotes from the ancient times. The content of the tours is the result of in-depth research, squeezed into brief original stories that will make your visit both engaging and informative. The audio tours can be used repeatedly and anytime, before or after your visit. This is an unmissable opportunity to gain valuable insights into ancient Crete and the Minoan civilization and relate to your surroundings in an entirely original way.

Venture into the ocean’s depth with a 1-day admission ticket to the CRETAquarium. One of Europe’s largest aquariums, over 2,000 sea creatures lice the CRETAquarium's 60 diverse habitats. Delve into the caves and crevices of the Mediterranean, where stingrays and rock-like scorpionfish slither about. Pop out into the open ocean, where menacing sharks circle, waiting to be fed. Get up close and personal with jellyfish and schools of vibrant tropical clownfish through shallow, open-topped tanks, which allow a new viewing perspective of well known species.  Above all, gain a new appreciation for the unending diversity of the world’s most mystifying environment. When you’ve had your fill of looking at the ocean’s residents, why not pop in for a dip? The CRETAquarium is, fittingly, right on the beach.

Explore Heraklion on an open bus tour with a 48-hour ticket. See city’s famous landmarks and visit the famous beach of Ammoudara. Use the ticket for 2 days and board the bus at various points around the city.  Familiarize yourself with the Cretan civilization, history, and architecture and learn all about the old and modern city of Heraklion in your own language with the commentary on board, available in 8 languages.  Admire the view of the streets and the landmarks from a safe distance, Hop on and off at all the bus stops to visit major attractions such as Knossos Palace, the Archaeological Museum, Ammoudara Beach, the Venetian Port, the Market, and many others.  The 8 bus stops along the route are: • Old port square • Historical Museum of Crete • Knossos Palace • Heraklion Archaeological Museum • Grave of Nikos Kazantzakis • Venetian Walls • Port bus station • Jesus Gate

Experience the Heraklion Archaeological Museum at your own pace with a skip-the-line e-ticket and a fascinating self-guided audio tour on your smartphone. Receive your ticket by email, download the app, and the audio tour on your phone, prior to your visit, and travel back in time to experience the masterpieces of Minoan art. Put on your headphones and explore representative artifacts from all periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering a chronological span of over 5,500 years from the Neolithic period to Roman times through the power of storytelling and learn historical information and uncommon stories and anecdotes from the ancient times. Get an engaging and informative visit with in-depth research, squeezed into brief original stories. The audio tour can be used repeatedly and anytime, before or after your visit. Gain valuable insights into one of the oldest and most important museums in Greece that is rightly considered as the Museum of Minoan Culture par excellence.

Start your day with pickup from selected regions in Crete and first head to Heraklion for a guided tour of Knossos Palace. Walk through this Minoan palace with your guide and find out how people lived here 4,000 years ago. The Throne Room, the frescoes, and the Minoan columns will allow you to imagine how the Minoans once lived. Continue towards the city center of Heraklion where you can visit the Archaeological Museum and the town itself. The Archaeological Museum brings together findings from all over Crete, covering over 5,500 years of the island's history.   Head to the Heraklion town center and walk through Daidalou Street to Lion Square and the famous Morosini Fountain of the Venetian era. Explore the permanent outdoor market of the town and the Valide Mosque, a remnant of Turkish influences. Explore the Venetian Loggia and head to the sea and the Koules Fortress before being dropped back off at your hotel.  

Take the hassle out of visiting Crete's capital and the Palace of Knossos with transport arranged for you. Relax on a day tour including hotel pickup, a transfer to the palace, then Heraklion, and drop-off back at your hotel in Rethymno. Take your time exploring the attractions at your own pace. After hotel pickup, head straight to the first stop, the Palace of Knossos. Marvel at the ruins of the neolithic settlement and explore the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization. Discover where thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Minotaur and labyrinth, were born. Next, stop at Heraklion, where you will have 3 hours of free time to spend as you wish. Explore the city and visit the archeological museum. Buy some souvenirs. Grab a coffee, or tuck into a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. Then, climb back on the bus to be returned to your hotel in Rethymno.

Morning Pick-up: We will start collecting participants from pick-up points in the morning. Depending on the place of your hotel/apartment the bus drive will differ. Bus Drive: 1 hour 1st stop: The Palace of Knossos – 1 hour 20 minutes Visit Knossos, the mythical labyrinth and ancient capital of Minoan Crete, 5000years ago. Our participants will enter the Archaeological Site with our Representative in order to attend a Guided Tour for about 1 hour & 20 minutes and then enjoy some free time to take photos and admire the historic Minoan place. People, have to wait in line, in order to receive their tickets and enter the Palace. The waiting time is different during high-season months and peak times within the day. Bus Drive to City Center: 30 minutes 2nd stop: City Center of Heraklion – 3hours Walking Tour & Free time Visit the capital of the Region and enjoy a guided tour in the center and the historical part of Heraklion, followed by 2 hours and 30minutes free time at the old market, the city center or visiting the archaeological museum. Participants will have plenty of time to walk, do some souvenir shopping or just take photos. Optional: Archaeological Museum of Heraklion For those who wish to visit the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, the choice is optional and will be without a guide as the Covid Regulation for visiting the museum as a group makes the procedure complicated and time consuming for the participants. End of the tour – Return to resorts: Embarkation in the buses and drive back to the hotels where we gathered participants in the morning. Depending on traffic and on the pick-up places of each one, the time of journey back to the hotel will differ. Bus Drive: 1 hour