HERAKLION: TICKETS TO KNOSSOS & MUSEUM

Enjoy an exciting visit to Knossos, Crete’s most famous historical attraction and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, one of the largest and most important museums in Greece, with a skip-the-line e-ticket.

Visit the grand capital of Minoan Crete, located 5 km south of Heraklion, and see the palatial complex come alive through an engaging narrative that sheds light upon various aspects of Minoan culture. The palace had four wings arranged around a central court, each one with its own entrance. The east wing housed the residential quarters, the workshops and a shrine. In the west wing there were the storerooms, shrines, and the repositories with the throne room and the banquet halls situated on the upper floors. In the West Magazines, where the storage facilities of the palace were located, you will gain an understanding of the well-organized bureaucracy that supported the palace organization, the earliest forms of linear writing, as well as the Minoan economy and trade networks. The north wing consisted of the Customs House with a lustral bin and a stone built theatrical area and at the south wing there was the South Propylaeum, possibly the most imposing building, where you can see the cupbearers and procession frescoes depicting scenes from everyday life and the ceremonial activities in Minoan Crete.

Discover the copy of the “Prince of the Lilies” at the South Entrance Corridor and gaze out on Mount Juktas, perfectly framed by the eroded walls of the palace. Visit the Queen’s Megaron decorated with the famous blue dolphins fresco and equipped with a bathroom and a toilet room.

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is located in the town center and on a site previously occupied by the Roman Catholic monastery of Saint Francis. The two-storeyed antiseismic building that houses the museum is an important example of modernist architecture and its colours and construction materials recall certain Minoan wall-paintings.  In its 27 galleries you will see representative artefacts from all periods of Cretan prehistory and history and, of course, the Minoan collection of some unique examples of Minoan art.

Greca Tip: You will need about two hours in the archaeological site of Knossos and about three hours in the museum of Heraklion, so remember to bring along water, a hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes.