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.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.67 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…
0.07 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…
12.06 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…
13.97 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…
20.73 MILES
If you’re wondering what Crete’s been up to for the past, say, 1700 years, a spin around this engagingly curated museum is in order. Exhibits hopscotch…
Heraklion Archaeological Museum
20.34 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…
13.13 MILES
This tiny triple-aisled church on the main road shelters Crete's best-preserved Byzantine frescoes. The oldest in the central nave (13th century) depict…
20.44 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…
Nearby attractions
0.01 MILES
This was the main staircase that led to the 'piano nobile', where important rooms such as reception areas were located.
0.01 MILES
The west magazines were the palace's storerooms for agricultural products. It was believed that if there was a bad harvest, these reserves were…
0.01 MILES
These four surviving steps of a large staircase may have been used as a theatre.
0.02 MILES
Believed to be an altar where animals were sacrificed (many bone remains were found here).
0.02 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…
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…
0.02 MILES
These apartments are referred to as the king's and queen's megarons, or royal halls.