One day in Heraklion is all most visitors ever get to spend in the capital of Crete. It’s the main arrival point on the island – and many only linger long enough to see the Knossos Minoan palace site, and perhaps the Archaeological Museum.
Heraklion isn’t one of the most beautiful cities you’ll visit – but I’ve found that, like an archaeologist, the deeper I’ve dug, the more I’ve wanted to find out.
In this guide to spending a day in Heraklion, I’ll show you all the options available, including Knossos. I’ll suggest two structured itineraries to help you see the best of the city, and suggest places to eat and stay. I’ll also show you other places to see in the city, and places to visit near Heraklion if you have more time.
I hope you find it helpful. Enjoy!
Why Visit Heraklion
The capital of Crete is home to one of the most important sites in Ancient Greece – the Minoan Palace at Knossos – and one of the best museums in Europe, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
Heraklion’s Old Town is also well worth exploring, with treasures including several Venetian fountains and the stunning Agios Titos Church.
Heraklion is also a great place to eat out, with plenty of excellent restaurants to choose from, and a great beach in the city’s western suburbs.
One Day In Heraklion Planning Tips
Heraklion is a major transit point, the main gateway to Crete, and a day is the most that many visitors get to spend in the city.
Most visitors get to see the two main sights – Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum – and don’t get a great deal of time to explore further.
It’s not the most attractive city at first glance, but there are pockets of beauty to be discovered. Which is where we come in.
And Heraklion is also a great city for eating out.
Heraklion In One Day Itinerary
Morning 8.00 am to 11.00 am
I strongly suggest beginning the day at Knossos. The Minoan Palace complex – the home of the legendary Minotaur – is on the southern outskirts of Heraklion, with frequent buses leaving from outside the main bus station.
I advise getting to Knossos as early as possible in the day. The complex opens at 8.00 am, and early arrival means you will have time to see everything before 10.00 am and avoid the worst of the heat of the day. There is very little shade around the site, and queuing to enter certain parts (such as the Throne Room) means that you have to stand outside in the heat for 10-15 minutes at a time. It’s far from ideal.
Two hours is ample time to see Knossos. Much of the site consists of foundations of buildings (many more than 3,500 years old) and there are some rebuilt (re-imagined may be a better word!) sections, including the iconic North Propylaeum entrance and bull fresco. Replicas of several famous artworks – including the Three Blue Ladies and Prince of the Lilies) – which were discovered at Knossos are also on display at the site.
Bear in mind that the joint ticket covering Knossos and Heraklion Archaeological Museum no longer seems to be available.
Knossos Tours And Tickets
I suggest getting at least an audio guide for your visit to Knossos, if not booking a full guided tour. There is some information on boards around the site, but you need more than this to make sense of it all.
This e-ticket gives you entry to the Knossos site at a designated time, and includes the option of an audio guide, for which you will need your own headphones.
A guided tour gives you even more insight into the history of the Knossos palace site – and this option is one of the best.
You may prefer to see the city as well as Knossos by guided tour – in which case this combined Knossos and Heraklion tour could be just for you. It includes pickup from various resorts along the north Crete coast, including Hersonissos and Malia.
11.00 am – Return to Heraklion and Old Town Walk
Several of the main Heraklion sights are concentrated around Lions Square. Heraklion Art Gallery is housed in the beautiful Basilica of St Mark, a church originally built in the 13th century, and later used a s a mosque. A few steps further along the street, the Venetian Loggia – now serving as the City Hall – is one of the finest buildings in Heraklion.
Continue around the corner to the right, and you’ll reach Plateia Agiou Titou (St Titos Square), and the magnificent Agios Titos Church. This is one of the most beautiful churches in Crete, an Ottoman-era mosque that was later turned into a church. It houses the skull of St Titus, a disciple of St Paul and one of the earliest saints from the New Testament period.
If you have an urge to go shopping, you’re in the right area. As you walk back out of the square onto the main street, 25th Augusts Street leads down the hill towards the harbour – there are some excellent craft, food and souvenir shops along here.
Or, if you turn left as you leave the Square, continue past Lions Square until you reach the turn for Dikeosinis. Go left here and take an immediate right onto Odos 1866 (1866 Street), which serves as Heraklion’s Central Market.
Afternoon – 2.00 to 5.00 pm
I recommend spending the afternoon visiting Heraklion Archaeological Museum. You could head straight there from Knossos, but I suggest breaking the day up a bit so that you benefit from being indoors and avoid the worst of the afternoon heat.
It’s one of the outstanding Museums of the Ancient World, by far the best place to learn more about the Minoan civilization that developed in Crete almost 4,000 years ago.
Many of the artefacts on display were unearthed at Knossos, but also from the palace complex at Malia and elsewhere around Crete. The exhibition also includes such wonders as the Agia Triada sarcophagus, and a collection of amazing funerary monuments from the Roman period.
Even if you’re relatively new to this period of history, you could easily spend two to three hours there.
Heraklion Archaeological Museum Tickets And Tours
You can book your Museum ticket and audio guide here. Bear in mind that you need to book a specific time slot in advance and can arrive between 15 minutes early and 15 minutes late for this.
You may also wish to book a private tour of the Museum along with the Knossos palace site – which you can book through this link.
Evening – 5.00 pm onwards
I suggest finishing your day in Heraklion around the historic Venetian harbour. The Koules – also called the Rocca a Mare or Castello del Mare – is a 16th-century Venetian fortress that was a major part of their network of forts built to defend the island.
It’s a formidable fortress, with thick, stout walls and a single tower. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in Crete, well worth the visit just for the harbour views from the rooftop.
The Koules is open until 7.00 pm during the summer months (April to October), and a great vantage point for seeing the city in rich late evening light.
As for dinner, I ate at several places around Heraklion old town and harbour, all of which were very good. However, my favourite Heraklion restaurant has to be Avli Tou Defkalonia, which is located at Prevelaki 10, just behind the Historical Museum of Crete.
Heraklion One Day Itinerary Summary
Morning – 8.00 – 11.00 am – Knossos
Late Morning to Early Afternoon – 11.00 am to 2.00 pm – Heraklion Old Town
Afternoon – 2.00 pm to 5.00 p m – Heraklion Archaeological Museum
Evening – 5.00 pm until late – Venetian Harbour, Koules and dinner
More Than 1 Day In Heraklion – More Things To Do In Heraklion
There are enough things to do in Heraklion to keep you there for at least two days. A second day in the city gives you time to get further under its skin, and find more of its hidden gems.
The city walls are one of the most prominent features of Heraklion and it’s well worth exploring sections of them. You can climb to the highest point, near the Martinengo Bastion, for superb city views. This is also the site of the grave of Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis, whose works include Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ. The latter meant that he was condemned by the Greek Orthodox Church, hence his burial on unconsecrated ground.
His grave is close to the intriguing area of Lakkos. This was once the seedy underbelly of Heraklion, but the area has been revived in recent years, with some great cafes, bars and murals telling the story of its past.
I also recommend seeking out some of Heraklion’s historic fountains. One of the best of these is the Bembo Fountain, on Plateia Kornarou. It’s decorated with a headless ancient Roman era statue, but the fountain is from the 17th century. You may well also come across the Priuli Fountain, hidden away on a side street close to Nearchou Square and the seafront.
There are several more museums in Heraklion. These include the Historical Museum of Crete, the Museum of the Natural History of Crete (you can’t miss the dinosaur outside!) and the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology on Epimenidou.
And finally, there is, of course, the beach. Ammoudara Beach is a 10-minute bus ride to the west of the city centre, and there are plenty of cafes and bars along the seafront. It’s a pleasant city beach, and you can hire an umbrella (which comes in a package with two sunbeds) and relax there for a few hours.
Day Trips From Heraklion
Heraklion is ideally placed as a base for day trips around Crete – you can see much of the centre of the island from there, including the south coast.
To the west of Heraklion, it’s less than an hour to the popular Bali Crete beaches. Bali is a pretty resort village with five beaches, the best of which is at the far end of the village. It’s a magical setting, but if you plan on a day on the beach, get there early to grab yourself a bed and umbrella.
If you have an interest in the history of Crete, I recommend a visit to Arkadi Monastery. This was the scene of a heroic last stand against overwhelming odds during the Cretan Revolt. 259 soldiers and around 70 refugee women and children died there, opting to perish in an explosion at the gunpowder store there rather than face capture by Ottoman Turkish forces.
Beyond there, Crete’s third city, Rethymno, is just about manageable as a day trip from Heraklion. The most beautiful city in Crete, Chania, is an hour further west. But there are far too many things to do in Chania to see it in a few hours (with a long bus ride either way). It makes sense to stay in Chania for a few days as it’s such a great base for exploring the western part of Crete.
The island of Dia, off the north coast of Crete, is a popular Heraklion day trip. It was an important port in ancient times, but is now an uninhabited wildlife haven.
The coast east of Heraklion – especially around Hersonissos and Malia – is the most touristed part of Crete. There are some great family attractions, including Dinosauria Park and CretAquarium in Gournes, and Water City in Anopolis. The Malia beaches are mostly bigger than the Hersonissos beaches, with Potamos Beach, east of the town, one of the best beaches in Crete for families.
Further east, we recommend the gorgeous harbour village of Sissi, and the mountain village of Kritsa near Agios Nikolaos. Spinalonga Island – a Venetian fortress that later became a leper colony – is one of the most popular day trips in Crete, a short boat trip from Elounda or Plaka near Agios Nikolaos.
And to the south of Heraklion, Matala Beach – with its cliff full of caves – is one of the most popular beaches in Crete.
Where Is Heraklion
Heraklion is on the north coast of the island of Crete, one of the southernmost Greek islands. It’s in the central part of the island, so getting to the far west (Chania) or furthest east (Sitia) takes a similar amount of time, around 3 hours.
How To Get To Heraklion
Heraklion is the main gateway to Crete.
Airlines from all over Europe fly to Heraklion Airport during the summer season (May to October). The airport is a 10-minute bus ride to the east of the city centre. For flights to Heraklion check the skyscanner website.
Heraklion is also the southern terminus of ferries from Athens (Piraeus). These run regularly year-round, but more frequently during the summer months. The journey takes around 9 hours, and calls at other islands including Mykonos and Santorini en route.
Note that more of the summer ferries from Athens to Heraklion run overnight, arriving in Heraklion early in the morning. Check ferryhopper for ferry times and fares.
Heraklion’s main bus station is a few minutes’ walk from the ferry port, and less than ten minutes’ walk from the old town. Buses run here from all over Crete – Chania and Rethymno in the west of the island, and Hersonissos, Malia, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia and Ierapetra to the east.
Check out the KTEL-Herlas website for bus times.
How To Get Around Heraklion
The local blue Heraklion buses are useful for longer journeys, including Knossos and Ammoudara beach.
However, they’re not particularly useful around the historic old town and Venetian harbour area, as they only skirt the edge of this area. You’re better off walking this area, but do so slowly in the heat of summer, and keep to the shade as much as possible.
Where To Stay In Heraklion
The best area to stay in Heraklion is close to the port – especially if you have an early ferry to catch. It’s also only a short taxi ride away from Heraklion airport.
I recommend the luxury GDM Megaron Hotel on Epimenidou, which is just a couple of blocks back from the seafront. It’s also close to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The Lato Boutique Hotel is also close by.
Further along Epimenidou, the Aquila Atlantis Hotel and Ibis Styles Hotel are also great central Heraklion options. They are also a short walk away from the main bus station down the hill on Efessou.
Best Time To Visit Heraklion
Heraklion can be very hot in the summer months, with 40-degree heat plus the reflection of the heat off light-coloured buildings and surfaces making it uncomfortably hot at times.
I recommend visiting in May/June or September/October when it’s still likely to be hot (30 degrees or so) but not as extreme as in the height of summer.
How Many Days In Heraklion Ideally?
Two days is ample time to see the main Heraklion sights, eat out and get a bit of beach time.
Three days would give you enough time to visit the museums too.
One Day In Heraklion – Final Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed my guide to spending one day in Heraklion, and find it useful if you visit the city.
If you intend staying longer than a day, check out my guide to the best things to do in Heraklion. It’s also well worth looking at my guide to visiting Heraklion Archaeological Museum before you go, as it points you in the direction of the very best exhibits to seek out.
If you’re travelling further afield in Crete, check out my guides to the best things to do in Chania, Rethymno and Agios Nikolaos, the other main cities on the island.
And don’t miss my guide to the best beaches in Crete, which includes the likes of Balos, Elafonissi, Falassarna and Voulisma.
Take a look at more of our One Day City Itineraries In Europe:
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