Top places to visit in Heraklion

• Palace of Knossos

  Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 2 h · entry €15 (≈ ₹1,630), Adult €15; separate from Heraklion Archaeological Museum; bus 2 from city centre (30 min)

  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 (≈ ₹1,630), Adult €15; combined Knossos + Museum ticket €20; under-18 free

  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 (≈ ₹1,630), Adult €15 (island entry + boat from Elounda); 2.5hr drive east of Heraklion

  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 (≈ ₹650), Adult €6; combined tickets with other Heraklion sites available

  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 (≈ ₹1,300), Boat from Kissamos DKK 12 (shared boat); car park access track is 4WD only

  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 (≈ ₹1,300), Adult €12; combined with Agia Triada €14; bus from Heraklion (2hr)

  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 around

• Bus main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

More in Greece

• Santorini
• Athens
• Mykonos
• Rhodes
• Chania
• Thessaloniki