Iraklio Province
These eight well-preserved circular pits are believed to have been grain silos.
Must-see attractions in Iraklio Province
Iraklio Province
In an enchanting spot 3km west of Phaestos, Agia Triada encompasses vestiges of an L-shaped royal villa, a ramp once leading out to sea, and a village…
Iraklio
This majestic church dominates the eponymous, palm-studded square. It had Byzantine origins in AD 961, was converted to a Catholic church by the Venetians…
Iraklio Province
Matala’s sightseeing credentials are limited to these famous caves where hippies camped out in the 1960s and 1970s (Joni Mitchell immortalised the scene…
Iraklio Province
Also known as Agia Paraskevi Cave, after the chapel built above it, Skotino is one of the largest caves in Crete and deliciously spooky to boot. A gaping…
Iraklio Province
Experts dispute that the tiny village of Fodele is El Greco’s birthplace, and those expecting the real thing on all fronts may be disappointed, but this…
Iraklio Province
Built in the mid-1980s as a way to preserve and showcase Cretan life, Arolithos is a reasonably authentic-looking recreation of a traditional Cretan…
Iraklio Province
Opened in 2015, this tiny museum, housed within a traditional stone cottage, is one of those things you feel you should go to just to support them. It…
Iraklio
A simple tomb in the well-preserved Martinengo Bastion south of the city centre honours Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957), Crete’s most acclaimed 20th-century…
Iraklio
In an imaginatively recycled power station, a 10-minute walk west from 25 Avgoustou along the waterfront, this museum uses huge dioramas and a terrarium…
Iraklio Province
Amid fields just outside Kamilari stands a fenced-in, extraordinarily well-preserved circular Minoan tomb with 2m-high stone walls. Side rooms were used…
Iraklio Province
Emerald green and tree fringed, this small reservoir just northeast of Zaros was created in 1987 to store the town’s natural spring water. It attracts…
Iraklio
The attractively reconstructed 17th-century loggia by Francesco Morosini was the Venetian version of a gentlemen’s club, where the male aristocracy…
Iraklio Province
Anemospilia packs major importance into its small frame. Excavation of this middle-Minoan three-room temple yielded evidence that human sacrifice played…
Iraklio
Iraklio burst out of its walls long ago, but these massive fortifications, with seven bastions and four gates, are still very conspicuous, dwarfing the…
Iraklio Province
This small exhibition hall near the entrance to the ruins features photographs of the excavation work begun in 1915 by Iosef Chatzidakis and continued by…
Iraklio Province
Just west of Zaros, a sign directs you to this monastery at the mouth of the Rouvas Gorge, about 2km up the valley. The church has some fine 14th-century…
Museum of Rural History & Folks Crafts
Iraklio Province
Most visitors to the recreated traditional village of Arolithos arrive on tour buses for a quick wander and a peek inside the small Museum of Rural…
Knossos
The Hall of the Double Axes is a spacious double room, possibly where the ruler both slept and carried out court duties. It takes its name from the double…
Knossos
In the northwestern corner of the Knossos archaeological site, this series of shallow steps may have served as a theatre where spectators watched…
Knossos
In the northwestern corner, this reconstructed columned structure shelters a below-ground basin that archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans believed was where…
Iraklio Province
The Central Court is the main court, measuring an impressive 48m long and 22m wide. On its western side archaeologists discovered one of the Kernos Stones…
Iraklio Province
The hall was a large room with six pillars, presumably supporting a second floor and/or roof. Many decorated ceramics were found here, leading…
Iraklio
Iraklio's only remaining Turkish-era pump house once supplied drinking water to the local population.
Iraklio Province
Watch giant clay pots being churned out at the traditional Nikos Doxastakis workshop. From the centre of Thrapsano, head up to the village’s municipal…
Iraklio Province
Strangely situated and at odds with the rest of the design of the palace, this building has been dated to the 13th century BC, and was probably used by…
Iraklio Province
The west magazines were the palace's storerooms for agricultural products. It was believed that if there was a bad harvest, these reserves were…
Iraklio Province
Called the lustral basin partly because of historical translations into English, this was where 'symbolic cleansing' took place as part of religious…
Iraklio Province
Located behind a stone-paved vestibule within the west wing of the palace, the pillar crypt is believed to have harboured the most important rooms.
Iraklio Province
About 1km west of town, over the headland, there’s a nice long stretch of sand called Diskos (or Dytikos), a naturists' favourite.
Knossos
From the Piano Nobile you can get a view of the clay storage vessels in the west magazines.
Iraklio Province
This was the main staircase that led to the 'piano nobile', where important rooms such as reception areas were located.
Iraklio Province
The east magazines (storerooms) once contained stacks of giant pithoi (pots) containing liquids and staples.
Knossos
Storerooms, and site of the giant pithoi (clay jars) that once held oil, wine and other staples.
Iraklio Province
Believed to be an altar where animals were sacrificed (many bone remains were found here).
Iraklio Province
These apartments are referred to as the king's and queen's megarons, or royal halls.
Iraklio Province
The area known as the North Court was once lined with workshops and storage rooms.
Iraklio Province
These four surviving steps of a large staircase may have been used as a theatre.
