Duration: 7 hours
At first , we are going to visit Knossos. We will see the Minoan Palace which covered 20.000 square meters before it was destroyed. Especially interesting are the building materials such as the colored mortars , the wall paintings and the unprecedented architectural constructions. There are air shafts , supporting beams and the most complete sewage and water supply systems at that time.
The area was settled initially in the Neolithic period. At the end of the pre-Palatial period the first big palace was built , which was possibly destroyed by an earthquake in 1700 B.C. The second palace , parts of which are preserved to this day, was built on the remains of the old one. Around 1450 B.C. it was partly destroyed and the area was inhabited by Mycenaeans. It was destroyed once and for all in 1350 B.C. by a wildfire.
The findings of Knossos are on display at the Archeological Museum of Heraklion.
Heraklion is the fourth largest Greek town and the capital of Crete. It has rich history and plenty archeological sites that someone can see while wandering around the city. The town was fortified by Venetians, while they also constructed the castle at the entrance of the old port and many historical buildings in 1450. The historical museum, the natural history Museum, the fortifications of Heraklion and the tomb of Kazantzakis which lies on the Jesus Bastion, the Venetian fortress at the old port , the church of Agios Titos, Venetian loggia , the basilica of Saint Marcus , Matthew the Apostle and more.
The Heraklion archeological museum is one of the most significant museums in Europe and one of the largest and most important in Greece.
It houses artifacts from all the periods of Cretan prehistory, from the Stone Age until the Roman times. The largest part of the exhibition however comes from the Minoan times and , thus , it is considered the Minoan civilization museum.
It is built on a site previously occupied by the -now destroyed -Roman Catholic monastery of Saint-Francis (Netokratia) in the heart of Heraklion.
The tomb of the great Cretan writer , Nikou Kazantzaki , is located on the Martinengo Bastion of the city walls , a place that has view across the city.
Nikos Kazantzakis died on the 26th of October in 1957. His tomb has a plain wooden cross and the epitaph “ I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free”.
The Agios Minas cathedral serves as the Archbishop of Crete. The church was completed in 1895 and he is the patron saint of Heraklion.
It is one of the largest cathedrals in Greece and the largest in Crete. The architecture involves a three-nave basilica.
- 35,00 € (taxi 1-4 seats)
- 60,00 € (mini van 1-8 seats)