10 essentials: what to see and do in Heraklion (Crete) in 1 day

Heraklion It is one of the most interesting cities to visit in a sightseeing trip on the island of Crete.

Located in the central part of the north coast, it is the main entry point to the island of which it is capital, whether by air or sea.

Therefore, any tour of Crete must pass through this city.

Heraklion It is not a particularly beautiful city as a whole.

He suffered greatly from the German bombings during the World War II, a disaster that came after different earthquakes and pirate attacks throughout history.

But its historical Center It is very pleasant for the visitor because of its atmosphere and with several places that are very interesting to visit.

For this reason, one or two days can be perfectly dedicated to it during a Crete island tour.

We must not forget that in Heraklion the two meet most important cultural attractions of Crete.

This is the Knossos Palace, located about five kilometers away from the center, and the Archaeological Museum, one of the best in all of Greece.

Both places allow us to delve into the Minoan culture, maybe the oldest civilization in Europe.

What are the different names of Heraklion

It must be said that the name of the city can be found with different spellings.

In addition to Heraklion. we will see written also Heraklion, Herakleion o Iraklio.

On the other hand, we will also sometimes find that it is mentioned by its previous names such as Megalo Kastro o Candia. This last name was also applied, centuries ago, to the entire island.

The best things to see and do when visiting Heraklion in Crete

Heraklion It is a city of about 150.000 inhabitants but during our visit we will probably not leave the historical Center, defined by the remains of the Venetian walls.

Beyond the minoan era, the city has been important to both the Romans, Arabs, Byzantines and Venetians.

With the Venetians it became one of the most important ports in the world. Eastern Mediterranean and in the capital of Region of Candia.

Some important buildings remain from this period, part of the great wall and the seven bastions that protected it.

How to visit and what to see in Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Right next to the walls is the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which is the most important place to visit within the urban area.

It is one of the largest and most important in all of Greece, something really worth highlighting in a country with so many museums.

It takes a journey of 5.500 years through the history of the island, from the Neolithic to Roman age. Although the most attractive thing for visitors is always everything related to the Minoan culture.

This museum is the necessary complement to the visit to the archaeological site of Knossos.

Possible buy a joint ticket for both places, valid for three days, which is cheaper than buying both separately.

A complete visit to the museum takes several hours, which can be done with a stopover at the cafe.

If you do not have much time, you should focus on the masterpieces of the Minoan culture.

Among them we must highlight a curious board made with ivory inlays, blue glass paste and rock crystal, decorated with gold and silver, and where ivory pieces were played.

One of the most enigmatic objects in the museum is the so-called Phaistos disk, for the place where it was discovered. It is a piece of clay engraved with symbols that have not yet been deciphered.

El sarcophagus of Agia Triada It also tells us about the importance of other sites besides Knossos.

Everyone stops at the paintings from the Knossos frescoes, with already very famous images such as The blue ladies y The prince of lilies.

Plateia Venizelou Square in Heraklion

About 500 meters separate the Archaeological Museum from Plateia Venizelou, the square that we can consider the center of old Heraklion.

The walk can be done on the Daidalu Street: Daedalo, completely pedestrianized.

Plateia Venizelou It was the Venetian Piazza delle Biade, where the grain market was held.

Morosini Fountain of Lions in Heraklion

In the square stands out the Morosini Font, from the 17th century, although the lions belong to an earlier monument.

The batteries are of Byzantine origin and were added later. The place is quite lively with passersby, terraces and kiosks.

In this square is the old St. Mark's Church, which was later a mosque and is now an exhibition hall.

Venetian Market of Heraklion

If we continue down the street we immediately arrive at the Venetian Market. The building we see today is an exact copy of the original, which was destroyed during the World War II.

Inside we see several discs with the effigies of different characters related to the city, mainly prominent artists and politicians who were born in Heraklion.

Among them we find Doménikos Theotokópoulos, the painter we all know as El Greek.

There are also several writers, such as Odisseas Elytis, who won the Nobel Prize in 1979, and Nikos Kazantzakis, which could also have been obtained perfectly.

Church of Agios Titos in Heraklion

A short distance from this street we find, on the left, the park dedicated to El Greco, and to the right the church of Agios Titos.

In this place there was a Byzantine church that was destroyed.

The building we now see is that of the mosque that was built in the 19th century and later converted into a church.

Venetian castle Rocca al Mare in Heraklion

If we continue along the street that we have taken from the square with the fountain of the lions, we will end up reaching the Venetian Harbor.

What stands out here is Rocca al Mare, 16th century Venetian castle.

It is located at the end of the breakwater that protects the port. Right in front, on dry land, are the arsenals.

If we continue along the coast towards the west, we reach another bay.

Historical Museum of Crete in Heraklion

In it is the Cretan Historical Museum, which continues the history of the island beyond the period covered in the Archaeological Museum.

The museum is located in an attractive neoclassical building. Inside we can see the only two paintings by El Greco which are preserved in Crete.

Also interesting are the rooms dedicated to Nikos Kazantzakis, the most influential Cretan writer of the 20th century and author, among others, of the novel Zorba the Greek, Yet the Battle of Crete during the World War II.

Venetian walls in Heraklion

If you have time you can go until venetian walls., whose seven bastions They are preserved quite well.

In one of them, the Martinengo bastion, Is the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis. His epitaph can be translated as: “I wish for nothing, I hope for nothing; I am free".

Church of Agios Minas, Heraklion Cathedral

On the way to the walls we can pass through the church of Agios Minas, heraklion cathedral and one of the largest temples in Crete.

Knossos Palace in Crete

Although it is not located in Heraklion itself but five kilometers away, no visit to the Cretan capital can miss the palace complex of Knossos.

This is the main archaeological site of Crete and one of the most important and visited in all of Greece.

Part of what you see is reconstructed by Arthur Evans, the archaeologist who excavated this site in the first decades of the 20th century.

With his works he wanted to bring to light an area overflowing with mythological resonances such as the labyrinth, the minotaur and Ariadne's thread.

To do this, he carried out different reconstruction works, perhaps too daring for the criteria of current archaeology, but which are already part of the history of Knossos.