Heraklion Things to Do

Is situated in the centre of the city in Venizelou square.Inaugerated by the Venetian administator Fransesco Morozini.Water issues from spouts in the mouths of four Lion's,dating from the 14th century the eight troughs of the fountain are decorated with scenes from Greek Mythology.Unfortunately the troughs were being restored and not on display when we visited Crete,hope the picture gives you some idea though.

2 more images

This church is one of the most important buildings in the centre of the city,it is set in a lovely square with cafe's and bars.
In 961,Nicephorus Phocas drove the Arabs from Crete,bringing the island back under the wing of the powerful Byzantine Empire.This is when the first Orthodox church of St.Titus must of been built,to rekindle the Christian faith and tradition in Crete,which had declined to the corsair conquest of the island.Saint titus was a deciple of the apostle Paul and the first Bishop of Crete.The first church dedicated to him was that in the old capital Gortyn,which also housed the metropolitan see of the island until its destruction by earthquake and the Arab transfer of the capital to Heraklion in 828A.D.Modifications were done to the church by the islanders in 1925.

4 more images

On the Western Pier of Heraklion harbour is a formidible Venetian Fortress with the today name Koules.During Venetian rule it was known as Ricca a mare or Castello a mare,meaning fort of the seas.The name that finally prevailed is Koules from the Turkish name 'Su Kulesi'but was built by the Venetians.In the first years of Venetian rule it served to protect the harbour and city which was of great startegic importance in the region.The initial edifice was low,got destroyed by an earthquake in 1303 and repaired.
The fort is the shape of a square.The structure of which consists of strong thick walls.The width of the three sides of the exterior walls at ground level are up to 8.70m thick and the other side 6.9m thick.The roof of the ground floor is vaulted where large air vents and light wells have been contructed leading up to the dome.Over the passing years Koules became the trademark of Heraklion.
Open tues till thur 8.30am-7pm,Admission price is 2 Euros.

The Palace at Knossos is the second most popular tourist site in all of Greece (Second only to the Acropolis), so please do not visit Crete without allowing several hours for Knossos and the Archeological Musuem of Heraklion. But, be advised before you go that it will become very difficult to differentiate fact from fiction. It is very obvious that an ancient, yet remarkably advanced, civilization was located here. Both archeologists and students of mythology throng to Knossos to research and envision what must have, or just may have happened here.
King Minos is common to both fact (?) and myth so let's start with him. He was ruler of the Minoan civilization and built a labyrinth, which most obviously did exist, as parts of it have been unearthed and other parts built around the theories of the archeologists. According to Greek mythology, there was a monstrous beast with the head of a bull and the body of a man which lived in this Minoan labyrinth. This beast is known as the Minotaur.
The tourist's freedom to wander is a bit less now than when I lived on Crete but I spent many hours wandering through the labyrinth and climbing the walls of Knossos and dearly loved every one of them.
There will always be excavation and/or construction at the Palace of Knossos but I would always expect parts of it to be accessible. The Archeological Museum of Iraklion is long overdue for renovation, and that is being done at present, but it is still worthy of a few hours, even if it is only partially available.
The area around the original palace at Knossos was a metropolitan city in virtually every way: political, social, mercantile, etc. At least one of the more prominent archeologists to explore the Minoan civilization argues that it had a much more prominent feminine influence than most early civilizations did.

From their web site, listed below: "Knossos is the site of the most important and better known palace of Minoan civilization. According to tradition, it was the seat of the legendary king Minos. The Palace is also connected with thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth with the Minotaur, and the story of Daidalos and Icaros. The site was continuously inhabited from the Neolithic period (7000-3000 B.C.) until Roman times. The Linear B tablets (Mycenaean script) of the 14th century B.C. mention the city as ko-no-so."

I had learned about this place in high school, so had always wanted to visit it. I was not disappointed; the site is in incredible shape and there was much to see. It's also in a beautiful setting with great views over the countryside. There were guides at the main entrance available, so we hired one. She was extremely knowledgeable and we learned a few more things. We saw the ancient plumbing system in place, thousands of years before the rest of Europe.

Built around 1900 BC, the original Palace of Knossos was destroyed by an earthquake in about 1700 BC but was soon rebuilt. In its time it was the capital of Minoan Crete and was the largest of the island's palaces with over 1000 rooms, elaborate drainage systems, flushing toilets, and paved roads.

Today what visitors see is a sprawling set of ruins, much of it restored by Sir Arthur Evans between 1900 and 1929. Keep in mind as you walk around that what you're seeing is Evans's interpretation of what the palace may have looked like, so it's hard to say how accurate the restored structures really are.

In addition to seeing Knossos, be sure to visit Heraklion's archeological museum, where artifacts from Knossos and other Minoan settlements are displayed.

2 more images

We usually spend quite a bit of time just walking, not visting specific tourist sites, but just taking a stroll, maybe following the crowds to see where they are going, or maybe taking a right turn onto a smaller alley or AWAY from the noisey and crowded streets. Whatever our choice may be we always enjoy seeing the "small" things.

The most important Greek writer and the most eminent son of Crete, has his own museum, in his homeland.
"My father's stock", writes Kazantzakis in Report to Greco, "hails from a village called Varvari, two hours from Megalo Kastro".Now known as Myrtia, fifteen kilometres from Heraklion, that same village is home to the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum, one of the first museums in Greece dedicated to a personality.
The museum was inaugurated on 27th June 1983 by Melina Mercouri, Culture Minister at the time.The Museum was renovated from the ground up in 2008.
The visitors have the unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the author's personality through his letters and diaries, his personal effects and mementoes from his travels, rarely seen photographs and many more.