Worth a DetourSpinalonga
Lasithi
About 32 miles away
A Venetian island fortress off Elounda, later a leper colony, reached by small boat.
Guide Coming Soon
Knossos
The great palace of the Minoans, partly rebuilt, at the heart of the legend of the Minotaur.
- Open
- Every day; longer hours from April to October
- Price
- €20; buy online on the official Greek heritage ticket site
- Time Needed
- 2 to 3 hours
- Address
- Knossos archaeological site, Knossos, HeraklionDirections
- Getting There
- About 20 minutes by city bus or taxi south of central Heraklion.
Why Go
Knossos was the largest of the Minoan palaces, a maze of courtyards, storerooms and halls built and rebuilt from about 1900 BC, and the likely source of the myth of the labyrinth. Arthur Evans dug it from 1900 and rebuilt parts in concrete, with painted columns and copies of the frescoes, which is why it looks so complete.
Look for the Throne Room with its gypsum seat, the Grand Staircase, the Royal Road and the copy of the Bull-Leaping fresco. The original frescoes are in the archaeological museum in town.
Tips
- Go at opening time: by mid-morning the tour groups arrive and the heat builds.
Go Next
1–3 of 6
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