This was the main staircase that led to the 'piano nobile', where important rooms such as reception areas were located.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Palace of Knossos
18.68 MILES
Crete’s most famous historical attraction is the Palace of Knossos, the grand capital of Minoan Crete, located 5km south of the city of Iraklio. The…
Heraklion Archaeological Museum
20.35 MILES
This state-of-the-art museum is one of the largest and most important in Greece. The two-storey revamped 1930s Bauhaus building makes a gleaming showcase…
Spinalonga Island
13.96 MILES
Tiny Spinalonga Island became a leper colony in 1903 and catapulted into pop-cultural consciousness thanks to Victoria Hislop's 2005 bestselling novel The…
Koules Fortress
20.45 MILES
After six years of restoration, Iraklio’s symbol, the 16th-century fortress called Rocca al Mare by the Venetians, reopened in August 2016 with a brand…
Palace of Malia
0.08 MILES
The Palace of Malia, 3km east of Malia, was built at about the same time as the great Minoan palaces of Phaestos and Knossos. The First Palace dates back…
Ancient Lato
12.05 MILES
The fortified hilltop city state of Lato is one of Crete’s best-preserved non-Minoan ancient sites and worth the trip for the rural serenity and stunning…
Dikteon Cave
9.39 MILES
According to legend, Rhea hid in this cave to give birth to Zeus, far from the clutches of his offspring-gobbling father, Cronos. A slick and vertiginous…
Archaeological Museum of Arhanes
19.33 MILES
This small museum displays many important finds from regional excavations, especially from Minoan times. Among the highlights are clay larnakes (coffins)…
Nearby Iraklio Province attractions
2. Central Court
0.01 MILES
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…
3. Altar Pit
0.01 MILES
Believed to be an altar where animals were sacrificed (many bone remains were found here).
4. Pillar Crypt
0.01 MILES
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.
5. Hypostyle Hall
0.02 MILES
The hall was a large room with six pillars, presumably supporting a second floor and/or roof. Many decorated ceramics were found here, leading…
6. Theatral Area Staircase
0.02 MILES
These four surviving steps of a large staircase may have been used as a theatre.
7. East Magazines
0.02 MILES
The east magazines (storerooms) once contained stacks of giant pithoi (pots) containing liquids and staples.
8. Kernos Stone
0.02 MILES
This disc with 34 impressions around its edge is on the western side of the Palace of Malia's Central Court. Archaeologists believe it probably had a…