Knossos Palace and Heraklion Old Town Guided Group Tour

The Palace of Knossos: the heart of Minoan Crete

Knossos lies about 5 kilometres south of Heraklion, on a low hill above the Kairatos valley. People lived here from the Neolithic period, and around 1900 BC the Minoans built a vast palace complex that was rebuilt after an earthquake around 1700 BC and remained the leading centre of Bronze Age Crete for centuries. Its maze of courtyards, corridors and storerooms is thought to lie behind the ancient legend of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur.

Excavations in the early twentieth century uncovered the palace and partly reconstructed some sections in concrete and colour, which is why parts of Knossos look so vivid today. Is Knossos worth visiting? It is the most visited archaeological site in Crete, and a guide makes the difference: without explanations the ruins can feel confusing, while with the right stories they turn into a living palace.

Inside Knossos: Throne Room, frescoes and red columns

Your guided visit lasts about an hour and a half. You enter by the west court, pass the huge clay storage jars that once held oil and grain, and reach the Central Court, the heart of the palace. On the west side is the Throne Room, with its stone seat flanked by painted griffins, often described as the oldest throne in Europe still in its original place.

Highlights include the Grand Staircase descending several levels into the royal apartments, the Queen's Megaron with its dolphin fresco, the theatral area and the paved royal road, as well as the striking red columns that taper towards the base. Most frescoes on site are faithful replicas; the originals are in the museum in town. Knossos opening hours are longer from April to October and shorter in winter, and there is little shade, so the morning visit is the most comfortable.

Heraklion old town: Lion Square and Agios Titos

After Knossos, the coach takes you into the walled centre of Heraklion, the capital of Crete. Your guide leads a short walk along Daidalou Street, a lively pedestrian lane, to Lion Square, where the Venetian fountain of 1628 with its four stone lions has been a meeting place for centuries. Nearby stands the elegant Venetian Loggia, today the town hall.

The walk ends at the church of Agios Titos, dedicated to the patron saint of Crete. Built in the Venetian era, it served as a mosque during Ottoman rule and became a church again in 1925, a building that reflects the layers of the city's history. Along the way your guide explains how Heraklion grew from the Arab-founded fortress town of Chandax into a Venetian port and later an Ottoman city.

Heraklion Archaeological Museum

During your free time you can visit the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which holds the richest collection of Minoan art in the world. Here you see the original frescoes from Knossos, including the bull-leaping scene and the blue birds, the mysterious Phaistos Disc covered in stamped symbols, the snake goddess figurines and the bull's-head ritual vessel carved in stone.

The museum is a five-minute walk from Lion Square, and about an hour and a half is enough to see the Minoan galleries. Seeing the originals right after the palace helps everything you heard at Knossos fall into place. Entrance tickets for the palace and the museum are bought on site; non-EU visitors under 18 and EU citizens under 25 enter free with a passport or ID card.

The Venetian harbour and Koules fortress

If you prefer the open air, use your free time to walk down to the Venetian harbour, about ten minutes from the centre. At its entrance stands Koules, the sea fortress built by the Venetians in the sixteenth century to guard the port, with the winged lion of Venice still carved on its walls. Along the quay you also see the great arched Venetian shipyards where galleys were once built and repaired.

The 1866 market street, lined with stalls selling cheese, herbs, honey and olive oil, is a good place for local products. Halal food in Heraklion is limited, but grilled fish, salads and vegetarian Cretan dishes are easy to find, and our team can advise you. The coach then takes you back to your hotel in the early afternoon.