Explore Crete
Minoan Palace of Knossos
Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and is considered Europe's oldest city. The palace of Knossos was undoubtedly the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. It appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and storerooms close to a central square. An approximate graphic view of some aspects of Cretan life in the Bronze Age is provided by restorations of the palace's indoor and outdoor murals, as it is also by the decorative motifs of the pottery and the insignia on the seals and sealings.
Heraklion Archaeological Museum
The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of the largest and most important museums in Greece, and among the most important museums in Europe. It houses representative artefacts from all the periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering a chronological span of over 5,500 years from the Neolithic period to Roman times. The singularly important Minoan collection contains unique examples of Minoan art, many of them true masterpieces.
Morosini Fountain
Situated by 25th of August Street just across the Basilica of St. Marco, the imposing fountain of Morosini (popularly known as the “Lions”) is the ‘belly-button’ of the city and common meeting place for locals and visitors. The fountain was commissioned in 1628 by Francesco Morosini, the Venetian Governor of Crete, to deal with the water shortage of the city. Through a complex network of pipes, the mouths of the four lions gushed water transferred from the mountain of Yuchtas. Apart from the lions (symbol of Venice) the fountain is adorned by mythological representations and sea creatures (such as dolphins). Initially there was a statue of god Poseidon in the center of the fountain which is now missing. The most dominant theory says it was probably destroyed by an earthquake.
Koules Fortress
The "Castello a Mare" is a fortress located at the entrance of the old port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was built by the Republic of Venice in the early 16th century. The fortress was completed in 1540. In 1630, the fort was armed with 18 cannons on the ground floor, and 25 cannons on the pathway leading to the roof. During the 21-year long Siege of Candia (Heraklion), Ottoman batteries easily neutralized the fort's firepower. The Ottomans eventually took the fort in 1669, after the Venetians surrendered the entire city. The fortress has been restored, and it is now open to the public. Art exhibitions and cultural activities are occasionally held at the fort.
Venetian Walls & Nikos Kazantzakis Tomb
Venetian fortification is still standing today, embracing the old town was designed in line with the rules of the new defensive system with bastions. The outside perimeter was surrounded by a deep ditch. Construction was completed in the early 17th century. Thanks to its new walls, Candia was able to resist the siege by the Ottoman army for over 20 years (1648 -1669).
Nikos Kazantzakis tomb, the famous Greek writer tomb, is situated on the highest point of the Venetian fortification, at the Martinengo Cavalier.
Nikos Kazantzakis Museum
The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum pays tribute to the important intellectual, author, thinker, philosopher, politician and traveller Nikos Kazantzakis. The Museum is made up of a cluster of buildings in the central square of the historical village of Varvari, now known as Myrtia. The Museum holds manuscripts and notes by the author; samples of his correspondence with major thinkers, politicians and authors of his time; first editions of his works in Greek and other languages; rare photographic material etc.
Minoan Palace of Malia
Malia Crete is one of the ancient Minoan palaces which testify to the magnificent civilization which grew up on the island. The site is situated about two miles (3 km) to the east of the modern resort of Malia. It has been excavated mainly by the French School of Archaeology since the early 1920's. Because the site was abandoned at the end of the 2nd millennium BC and no one else every used it, there are no other building or other remains to cause confusion.
Lassithi Plateau
The "Castello a Mare" is a fortress located at the entrance of the old port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was built by the Republic of Venice in the early 16th century. The fortress was completed in 1540. In 1630, the fort was armed with 18 cannons on the ground floor, and 25 cannons on the pathway leading to the roof. During the 21-year long Siege of Candia (Heraklion), Ottoman batteries easily neutralized the fort's firepower. The Ottomans eventually took the fort in 1669, after the Venetians surrendered the entire city. The fortress has been restored, and it is now open to the public. Art exhibitions and cultural activities are occasionally held at the fort.
Spinaloga
Spinalonga is an arid and barren rocky islet with an area of 8.5 hectares lying at the mouth of the natural port of Elounda in the Lasithi prefecture of Crete. Due to its strategic location, it was fortified and served a variety of roles and purposes over the centuries. Here, on an island where lepers from Crete and the rest of Greece had been kept in isolation until 1957, a story about love and pain, separation and fear was born.
Dia Island
Dia island is 6 miles northeast of the city of Heraklion. It is a virgin island that hosts seabirds and various species associated with its seafront slopes. It is one of NATURA protected areas because of its particular habitat and its endemic plants. According to myth, Dia was a colossal marine creature that approached Crete and at the last moment Zeus turned it into stone with a strong lightning, creating the island.