Knossos Palace Entry Ticket with Optional Audio Guide Heraklion

The Palace of Knossos and the Minoan world

Knossos was the greatest centre of the Minoans, the Bronze Age civilisation of Crete. The first palace rose soon after 2000 BC on a low hill in the valley of the Kairatos stream; destroyed by an earthquake around 1700 BC, it was rebuilt on an even grander scale, with several storeys, light wells, workshops and painted halls around a vast central court. A city of thousands of people surrounded it, and the palace remained the heart of Minoan Crete until its final decline in the fourteenth century BC.

Excavations began in 1900, and parts of the palace were restored with concrete columns and copies of the frescoes, which helps visitors imagine the original building. The site is also tied to the legends of the labyrinth and the Minotaur. In 2025 Knossos was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with other Minoan palace centres of Crete.

Highlights inside the palace

The Throne Room is the most famous space at Knossos: a small chamber with a gypsum throne still in place on its original spot, benches along the walls and painted griffins guarding the seat. Nearby, the Central Court was the stage for ceremonies, and the North Entrance is crowned by a copy of the charging bull relief. In the east wing, the Grand Staircase descends several floors into the royal quarters, where the Queen's Megaron is decorated with the well-known dolphin fresco.

Along the west side, the storerooms still hold rows of giant clay jars, called pithoi, that kept oil, grain and other goods, and you can see stone channels and clay pipes from one of the earliest drainage systems in Europe. The frescoes on site are copies; the originals are in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which makes a perfect second visit on the same day.

Planning your visit: tickets, opening hours and getting there

Knossos opening hours start at 08:00 every day, with closing in the evening during the summer season and in the late afternoon in winter. Entry works by time slot, and you must enter within 15 minutes of the slot you book. Allow one to two hours on site. There is little shade, so the best time to visit Knossos is an early slot or the late afternoon, especially from June to September; spring brings wild flowers and gentler heat.

Many visitors ask how to get to Knossos from Heraklion. City bus line 2 runs regularly from the centre and the port and stops at the entrance in about 20 to 30 minutes; a taxi takes around 15 minutes, and there is a car park beside the site. Baby strollers and large luggage are not allowed inside, so plan to leave them at your hotel or in the car.

Heraklion city with your audio tour

Heraklion, the capital of Crete, is a lively port city with a history that runs from the Arab and Byzantine eras through four centuries of Venetian rule. Your ticket includes an English self-guided audio tour of its centre, which you can use the same day or later. The walk takes in the Venetian harbour and the Koules fortress, the Lions Fountain on Lions Square, the arcaded Venetian Loggia, now the town hall, and the Church of Saint Titus.

Highlights also include the massive Venetian city walls, among the best preserved in the Mediterranean, the market street of 1866 Street and the large Cathedral of Saint Minas. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum, with the original Knossos frescoes, is a short walk from Lions Square. Combining a morning at Knossos with an afternoon in the city gives the best day trip in central Crete.