4.9out of 5 on Google
Crete· Ηράκλειο
Heraklion & Knossos
The island's capital and its airport, with Knossos on the edge of town and the Archaeological Museum that holds everything found there.
- 🏛️ 7 attractions
- 🏖️ 6 beaches
- 🍽️ 6 restaurants & tavernas
- 🛏️ 7 where to stay
- 🍸 3 beach clubs & nightlife
- Culture
- Nightlife
- City break
Most visitors land here and leave immediately, which is a mistake on the first trip and defensible on the second. Knossos is five kilometres from the centre, and the Archaeological Museum in town holds the frescoes and the Phaistos disc — see the museum first and the palace makes far more sense.
As a base it is practical rather than pretty: the airport is ten minutes away, the ferry to Santorini leaves from the port, and the motorway runs east and west. The resort strip at Hersonissos and Malia, half an hour east, is the island's loudest nightlife.
🏛️ Heraklion & Knossos
Attractions · Heraklion & Knossos
4.9out of 5 on Google
4.7out of 5 on Google
4.5out of 5 on Google
UNESCO4.3out of 5 on GoogleArchaeological site
Minoan Palace of Phaistos
Kamilari7,457 reviews
Open · until 19:30
🎟️ Tickets & tours
UNESCO4.3out of 5 on Google
UNESCO4.3out of 5 on Google
4.3out of 5 on Google🏖️ Heraklion & Knossos
Beaches · Heraklion & Knossos
🍽️ Heraklion & Knossos
Restaurants & tavernas · Heraklion & Knossos
🛏️ Heraklion & Knossos
Where to stay · Heraklion & Knossos
🍸 Heraklion & Knossos
Beach clubs & nightlife · Heraklion & Knossos
Hotels on the map · Heraklion & Knossos
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, studios and villas — so you can judge the distance to the beach, the port or the village from here rather than guess from an address.
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Tours and day trips from here
Boat trips, guided tours of the ancient sites and tickets bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
- Balos lagoon & GramvousaThe boat from Kissamos avoids the long dirt road to Balos and adds the Venetian fortress on Gramvousa.See boat trips →
- Samaria Gorge hikeA long, all-day downhill walk to the Libyan Sea, open only in the warm season. Organised trips solve the logistics at both ends, including the boat out.See guided tours →
- Knossos, skip the lineThe Minoan palace outside Heraklion is busiest mid-morning; a guide makes sense of the partial reconstructions.Check tickets →
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Where to stay
The other parts of Crete
Chania & the westThe Venetian harbour, the Samaria gorge and the lagoons of the far west — Balos and Elafonissi. The prettiest base on the island, and the furthest from Heraklion airport.6 attractions · 6 beaches · 8 restaurants & tavernas · 4 where to stay · 5 beach clubs & nightlife- RethymnoA Venetian old town with a Fortezza above it and a long sandy beach running east from the edge of the centre. The middle of the island, so nothing is far.7 attractions · 13 beaches · 8 restaurants & tavernas · 11 where to stay · 3 beach clubs & nightlife
- Lasithi & the eastAgios Nikolaos and Elounda on the Mirabello gulf, the palm forest at Vai, and the emptiest roads on Crete once you pass Sitia.4 attractions · 7 beaches · 4 restaurants & tavernas · 4 where to stay · 3 beach clubs & nightlife
Before you go
Car hire from local firmsIsland rental companies rather than the international desks — usually cheaper, often with full insurance and no card deposit. On Crete, Kefalonia or Naxos a car is what gets you to the beaches the buses do not reach.Compare local cars →Scooter, ATV & bike hireThe classic island runabout for coves and hilltop villages. Wear the helmet, check what the insurance excludes, and be honest about gravel roads — they are where most rental accidents happen.Find a scooter →Car hire, budgetAn aggregator that tends to surface the lowest headline prices. Read the fuel, insurance and ferry clauses — many contracts do not allow the car on a boat.Compare prices →
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