Heraklion is the capital and largest city of Crete, a lively port of about 180,000 people on the island's north coast and the fourth-largest city in Greece. Behind its harbour lies a historic centre ringed by massive Venetian walls, with fountains, churches and busy market streets, and just outside the city stands Knossos, the great Minoan palace.
Many visitors see Heraklion only on the way to a beach resort, but the city rewards a stay of its own. Its Archaeological Museum holds the great majority of finds from Knossos and other Minoan sites, a waterfront walk leads from the Koules fortress to the beach at Ammoudara, and its tavernas, markets and squares are full of everyday Cretan life. It suits history lovers, food lovers, families who want sights and beaches in one base, and travellers arriving or leaving by air or sea. Vacation rentals include apartments in the centre, seaside flats in Ammoudara and village houses in the hills to the south.
The historic centre, inside the Venetian walls, puts Lions Square, the Archaeological Museum, the market streets and the harbour on foot. It is busy and can be noisy, but it is the easiest base without a car and has the widest choice of apartments. Streets near the old harbour and the Koules fortress add sea views and evening walks along the breakwater.
Ammoudara, on the western edge of the city, has a long sandy beach backed by apartments and holiday homes, which suits families who want the sea within reach of town. To the east, Nea Alikarnassos, one of the districts founded by refugees from Asia Minor, is close to the airport and practical for short stays. For a quieter, rural feel, look south to wine villages such as Archanes, in the hills beyond Knossos. A car or the city's buses connect all of these areas.
The Heraklion Archaeological Museum began in 1883 as a small collection of antiquities and now holds the great majority of finds from Knossos and other Minoan sites, which makes it the essential first stop for understanding the civilization. Frescoes, pottery, seals and gold jewellery fill its galleries, and seeing them before visiting the palace brings the ruins to life.
Knossos lies on a low hill just south of the city and is easy to reach by city bus or taxi. The area around it has been inhabited since at least 7000 BC, and in Minoan times it was the largest centre of population on Crete. Heraklion itself takes its name from an ancient port, Heracleium, that served Knossos. The Historical Museum of Crete, near the waterfront, continues the story from early Christian times to the 20th century and shows two paintings by El Greco, who was born on Crete.
In AD 824 Arab exiles from al-Andalus founded the Emirate of Crete and built a fortress here surrounded by a moat; its Arabic name was later rendered in Greek as Chandax. Venice renamed the city Candia and made it the capital of its Kingdom of Candia. The Venetians built enormous fortifications, with walls in places up to 40 m thick and seven bastions, and most are still in place. They withstood a siege of 21 years, from 1648 to 1669, before the city fell to the Ottomans.
The Koules, or Castello a Mare, guards the old harbour; it was completed in 1540 on a platform enlarged with sunken ships. In the centre, the Morosini Fountain of 1628 stands in Lions Square beside the Venetian Loggia of 1626 to 1628 and the basilica of Saint Mark. The novelist Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek and a native of the city, is buried on the Martinengo Bastion, looking out over the mountains and the sea.
Under Ottoman rule the harbour silted up and much shipping moved to Chania, and in 1856 an earthquake destroyed most of the city's houses. Two landmark churches date from this era: Saint Titus, built in 1869 as a mosque, and the large cathedral of Agios Minas, completed in 1895. After the autonomous Cretan State was created in 1898 and union with Greece followed, Heraklion grew again and became the island's capital once more in 1971.
Today the city is a university town as well as a port, home to the University of Crete and the Hellenic Mediterranean University. Kalokairinou Avenue and the streets around Lions Square are its shopping heart, and tavernas serve Cretan staples built on olive oil, wild greens, cheese and raki. Statues of El Greco, Kazantzakis, the poet Vitsentzos Kornaros and the statesman Eleftherios Venizelos appear around the centre.
Heraklion International Airport Nikos Kazantzakis (HER) sits on the eastern edge of the city, about 5 km from the centre, so arrivals are quick by bus or taxi. A new airport is being built at Kastelli, about 40 km south-east. Ferries connect the port with Piraeus and other islands. Within the city, the urban bus network and taxis cover most needs; the centre is best explored on foot.
Short trips are easy. Cretaquarium, a public aquarium near Gournes, is about 15 km east. Dia, an uninhabited island about 13 km offshore, is visible from the waterfront. Archanes, with its vineyards, makes a pleasant half-day in the hills, and the Minoan site of Phaistos and the Roman ruins of Gortyn lie to the south across the island. For the beaches of the far west or the bays of the east, a rental car gives the most freedom.
Heraklion has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. Because it lies further south than Athens, its winters are warmer, while the sea keeps its summers slightly cooler. Summers are long, dry and sunny, and strong northerly winds can blow along the coast in July and August. Most rain falls in winter, when the mountains inland often carry snow.
May, June, September and October are the most comfortable months for sightseeing, with warm days for Knossos and the museums and a sea pleasant for swimming at Ammoudara. July and August are the busiest time, when ferries and flights are full and the sites are crowded at midday. Because Heraklion is a working city with year-round residents and universities, it stays open in winter, which makes it a practical Cretan base for an off-season visit.
The walled historic centre is best without a car, with the museums, Lions Square and the harbour on foot. Ammoudara, on the western edge, suits families who want a sandy beach. Nea Alikarnassos is handy for the airport, and villages such as Archanes offer a quiet rural base.
It is worth at least a day or two. The Archaeological Museum holds most of the finds from Knossos and other Minoan sites, Knossos is minutes away, and the Venetian walls, Koules fortress and waterfront make a good walk. Its markets and tavernas also show everyday Cretan life away from the resorts.
Heraklion International Airport Nikos Kazantzakis (HER) is about 5 km east of the centre, on the edge of the city. Buses and taxis make the trip in a short time, which makes Heraklion a convenient first or last night on Crete.
Knossos is just south of the city and is easily reached by city bus, taxi or car. Visit the Archaeological Museum first or afterwards to see the frescoes and objects found at the palace, and go early in summer to avoid the midday heat and crowds.
One or two days cover the Archaeological Museum, Knossos, the Venetian walls and the old harbour. With three or four days, add the Historical Museum of Crete, Cretaquarium, the wine village of Archanes and a day trip south to Phaistos and Gortyn.
Yes. Throughout Greece, private homes let for short stays must be registered with the tax authority, AADE, in its short-term rental registry, which issues an AMA number for each property. That number has to appear clearly in every listing; licensed hotels and guesthouses show their own licence number. Check the current rules.
Yes. Ammoudara, on the western edge of the city, has a long sandy beach, and a seafront path of about 3 km runs there from the Koules fortress. Many more beaches lie along the north coast east and west of the city, reached by bus or car.
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