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Things to do in Knossos Palace
Seeping in history, mystery, and with a strong connection to Greek mythology, the ancient Knossos Palace is an enigmatic archaeological site located about 20 minutes south of modern-day Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete. Knossos Palace dates back to 1900 BC and is believed to have been the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization. Knossos is also considered by some to have been the first city in Europe.
Knossos Palace is heavily associated with the Greek myth of the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull creature imprisoned in a labyrinth commissioned by King Minos and built by famed architect Daedalus. The palace is also connected to the story of Daedalus and Icarus.
Evidence suggests the area surrounding Knossos Palace was first settled by humans in the Neolithic period around 7000 BC. The palace itself was constructed in 1900 BC and mysteriously destroyed around 1380-1100 BC. The ruins were left abandoned until being discovered, excavated, and restored in the early 20th century by a team led by British archaeologist Arthur Evans.
Our recommendations in Knossos Palace
Tour of Knossos Palace and Heraklion museum from Chania
Enjoy a tour of the Knossos Palace and Heraklion museum from Chania onboard of a premium-class vehicle and relax during a traditional Cretan wine tasting.
en, fr, de, ru, nl
Self-guided virtual tour of the Palace of Knossos
Discover Knossos from home with a virtual tour.
en
Tour of Knossos Palace and Museum with wine routes tour of Heraklion
Discover Knossos Palace and Heraklion museum from Heraklion onboard of a premium-class vehicle and enjoy a traditional Cretan wine tasting.
en, fr, de, ru, nl
VIP Zeus Cave and Knossos Palace Private Tour from Heraklion and Elounda
Discover Knossos Palace and the Cave of Zeus from Heraklion and Elounda during this tailored-made private tour.
en, fr, de, ru, nl
Tour of Knossos Palace and Heraklion museum from Chania
Enjoy a tour of the Knossos Palace and Heraklion museum from Chania onboard of a premium-class vehicle and relax during a traditional Cretan wine tasting.
en, fr, de, ru, nl
Self-guided virtual tour of the Palace of Knossos
Discover Knossos from home with a virtual tour.
en
Tour of Knossos Palace and Museum with wine routes tour of Heraklion
Discover Knossos Palace and Heraklion museum from Heraklion onboard of a premium-class vehicle and enjoy a traditional Cretan wine tasting.
en, fr, de, ru, nl
VIP Zeus Cave and Knossos Palace Private Tour from Heraklion and Elounda
Discover Knossos Palace and the Cave of Zeus from Heraklion and Elounda during this tailored-made private tour.
en, fr, de, ru, nl
Private tour of Knossos Palace and Cretan villages from Chania
Discover Knossos Palace and the Cretan villages privately during this VIP tour with pick-up from Chania.
Knossos Minoan Palace & mountain pottery village
Visit the famous Knossos Minoan Palace and see how traditional pottery is produced.
en, fr, de, ru, nl
Knossos Palace and Heraklion foodie tour with transportation
Set off on your very own Cretan adventure with a guided tour around the marvelous Knossos Palace and a delicious food tasting experience.
en
Private tour of Knossos Palace and Cretan villages from Heraklion
Discover Knossos Palace and the Cretan villages thanks to this private tour with guide and skip-the-line accesses to the archaeological areas.
How to get there
Knossos Palace
Heraklion
Greece
Reviews Knossos Palace
“Mealtime somewhat chaotic Drinks prices exorbitant Staff generally good trip to from airport too long Adequate but could have been better”
“Very long trip, but clean and comfy coach Group too big to get benefit from tour guide. Headset keep cutting out and couldn't really see what guide was talking about. Long queues as many groups at same time. Site itself ok, but historically disappointing as a lot of work done not necessarily historically accurate. Town tour nothing really interesting apart from museum.”
“The guide was clearly very unsure of himself and looked lost, he left people standing in the sun for prolonged periods with no direction as to what was going on. This lead to people then filtering off to use the toilet facilities and extending this wait further. This could have been managed if he had given a time to move into the museum and allowed people to manage their own needs and find shade etc. The audio tour was very hard to understand. We spoke to guide and left the tour halfway through.”
“The guide was very knowledgable and good. However, when you say a trip is 4-8 hours long, I don't expect it to be nearly 11 hours long. You crammed too many hotel pickups ups in which ruined the whole day.”