Two Days in the Cretan Capital, Heraklion
On the largest island in Greece, Heraklion is the central hub, capital, and has some of the oldest archeological findings in the world. Combined with great restaurants and cafes, Heraklion is perfect for a quick two day trip to begin your Crete adventure!
Logistics:
As Heraklion is the fifth largest city in Greece, there are plenty of hotels or AirBnBs and many different ways to explore the city! In Crete, I relied on an excellent travel blog, Tiny Book, to help plan everything in addition to many google searches for various activities.
By Public Transportation
For ferries, I used Ferryhopper.com to plan and buy our tickets. The website and app are very easy and allows mobile tickets so you don't have to worry about printing.
From either the airport or port, there are cheap public transportation options to reach city center. From the port, the old town is less than a 15 minute walk so we opted to just walk but there are nearby buses.
Each bus has a different cost because of the length and the destination. However, the most expensive ticket is €1.5 and you buy tickets ahead of time. Otherwise, you can buy from the bus driver but it will usually cost another euro. Each bus has a terrific timetable that is updated throughout and usually the bus drivers are friendly and help you find your way!
Travel Tip: If you find a machine, make sure to buy your round-trip ticket there rather than a single journey because it will save you time and headache trying to find a ticket kiosk!
For intercity buses (i.e. Heraklion to Chania, etc.), there are two bus stations in Heraklion with the western destinations such as Chania at Station A near the port and then the eastern destinations near Station B on the other side of the old town from the harbor. Tickets can be bought day of at the counter and seats are generally comfortable.
By Private Hire
While we did not hire a car, we saw plenty of people who hired ATVs, scooters, or cars. Renting a car enables you to explore Heraklion’s wine country or nearby villages. There is a part of us that wonders if we should have rented a car for a day just for wine country!
Lodging
Because we visited for 2-3 days, we wanted an AirBnB where we could rest and relax after island hopping. Plus, we really wanted a washer machine! Thus, we turned to AirBnB and found a really nice one bedroom apartment located within a 5 minute walk of the main high street! The bed was comfortable and we enjoyed having our own space. The bathroom was a little small, but that is quite common in Europe!
Travel Tip: For the Greek islands, I relied on booking.com because Santorini Dave said most hotels are listed on this site.
Food & Drinks
Being the capital and one of the largest cities in Greece, Heraklion has loads of great restaurants and cafes. There are so many to choose from and many are great that I have not listed!
Chickpea: Near our apartment, we accidentally discovered this great falafel place because we were starving after our long ferry ride from Paros. The wrap is very tasty, plus it is all vegetarian which is a big change from the meat heavy Greek food. Each visit was a tasty falafel wrap usually with hummus, salad, and other sides.
Opus: One of the best wine bars in the city, Opus has a lovely outdoor courtyard and offers a fantastic wine tasting. For €10, we had six glasses of local Cretan wine. It was a perfect way to dive into the island’s wine culture!
Perakis: Next door from Opus, Perakis is one of the most famous and best restaurants in Crete. Initially, I wasn’t sure if we would go visit a very popular place as it appeared to be driven by tourists rather than locals. However, I was completely wrong! The atmosphere is fantastic as we walked into an old Cretan home with mood lightning. For appetizers, we had the homemade tzakiki and warm bread. For our mains, we had grandma’s eggplant and mushroom pie and I had the lamb covered in honey and thyme sauce and veggie puree. Every bite was an incredible journey as the lamb melted in my mouth! For dessert, the house brought out the summer bread pudding-type and it was equally as good. Perakis is well worth the hype!I highly recommend making a reservation well in advance! I would advise you to not do a wine tasting and visit here on the same day...
Pasiphae Restaurant: Up the road from Knossos, Pasiphae offers much tasty treats along with much needed shade from the sun! Because we finished Knossos early, we had freshly squeezed orange juice and kalitsounia kritis, a pastry stuffed with sweet Crete cheese!
Kirkor: Next to the iconic Lion Square, Kirkor is an old time cafe with breakfast treats. We ordered fresh coffee while enjoying another Cretan kalitsounia kritis. Perfect for people watching, we definitely stayed there for a long time!
Click here for Greece Google map pins for all of our hard research of the top food and drink spots!
Activities
Compared to the other Greek cities where we sat on the beach or swam in the cool water, Heraklion is not famous for those activities. We were back to city life!
- Knossos: One of the oldest archeological sites in the world, Knossos requires a visit! I would arrive really early to beat the heat and crowds!
- Heraklion Archeological Museum: Next on the to-do list is the famous archeological museum that holds most of Knossos’ treasure. Be prepared to see many artifacts!
Travel Tip: You can buy a combo ticket to Knossos and Archeological Museum for €20!
- Lion’s Square: Settled in the middle of town, the famous Lion fountain was built in Venetian rule. Thankfully, the fountain survived WW2 when Italians attacked Greece and Cretans wanted to destroyed anything Italian.
- 1866 Street: Known for cheap shops, this shopping street is perfect for a stroll and to buy Cretan goods!
- Wine Tasting: While we went to Opus for a great wine tasting, I highly recommend getting out of the city to see the vineyards!
- Venetian Harbor: Outside the city center, the Venetian harbor is really pretty and worth a visit!
- COVID Test: While not a tourist activity, it is worth noting it in these strange times! We went to Creta Interclinic and the test was €180.
Fixed Costs:
- Ferry from Santorini: €100
- AirBnB for 3 nights: €145
- Knossos & Archeological Museum Combo Ticket: €20 per person
- Wine and Food: AMAZING and Priceless
Exploring Minoan Kingdom
On our first day in Heraklion, we immediately began to explore the ancient Minoan Kingdom!
History of Knossos
The first settlement goes back to the Neolithic, about 7000 BC. The palace was built around 1900 BC and it is proof of the advanced economic and social structure of the civilization. Knossos was a palatial complex with sanctuaries, residences, workshops, and storage chambers. There were also royal rooms, terraces, and shelters. During that period, the area was the capital of the state of King Minos, which included dozens of other cities as well as the current Cycladic islands. The first palace belong to 19th – 17th centuries while the second ones date back to between 16th – 14th century (BC).
A massive quake wrecked important parts of the complex in 1700 BC. But the palace and the city underwent immediate reconstruction. Its final destruction is thought to be due to a Mycenaean invasion from Greece. However, Knossos was a prosperous city until the end (1370).
Greek Mythology (kind of) Confirmed
The myth of Theseus is one of the most famous Greek myths involving Crete. One of its versions tells that King Minos, from Crete, had won a battle over Athens. Therefore, every 9 years Athens had to send 7 boys and 7 girls to Crete to feed the Minotaur. The Minotaur lived in a Labyrinth inside the palace and it was half man and half bull.
Theseus volunteered to reach Crete and try to kill the monster. He promised his father, Aegeus, that in case of victory he would have returned with white sails, but if he had been killed, the sails would have been black.
On Crete, he fell in love with Ariadne, King Minos’ daughter. She gave him a ball of thread to find his way out of the Labyrinth. The hero managed to defeat the beast, left the Labyrinth, and sailed away with Ariadne. But he abandoned her in the Naxos on his way back.
In despair for the loss of Ariadne, Theseus forgot to change the sails of his boat. His father, seeing his ship approaching with black sails, believed him dead and he threw himself in the sea – in Cape Sounion. He died and thus gave his name to the Aegean sea. When Knossos was discovered in the late 1800’s, the myth was finally coming to light!
Onto Knossos
Arriving at Knossos, from Heraklion city center, it is remarkably easy to reach Knossos by bus. Using an excellent bus timetable, the Knossos bus leaves the harbor every x:00, x:20 and is only €1.5 per person one way! We easily picked our seats and within 30 minutes, we were at Knossos!
Based on the blogs and research, everything pointed to a very hot and crowded day. Thus, we arrived at 8:45am to beat the heat and crowds. However, once we got to the ticket office, we were the only people there. It was very nice!
Into History
Upon entering this ancient site, we began with these giant pits that once contained artifacts to 7,000BC. How amazing!
Coninuing, we went on a maze through the old stones. Knossos is built so you walk through a maze to see all the amazing artifacts. Known to be controversial, the discoverer rebuilt many of the buildings, using the red pillars or other means to distinguish it from the ancient city. While archeologists may not agree, it does help bring to life the old city and to reimagine this powerhouse kingdom. Inside the old buildings, there are repainted frescoes.
Central Courtyard
In the middle is the central courtyard that connects the various sections as well as use to be used for bull fighting - we think! While it helped us reimagine the grandeur of the royal palace, it also meant we were in the middle of Cretan heat!
Throne Room
By far, my favorite room was the throne room, or what they think is the throne room! There are painted frescoes covering the walls and surrounding the tiny throne. Plus, this room was in the shade. They found the throne room in 1900, but they found traces where they repainted it in the 1300s.
Other Findings
Among the ruins we “discovered” ancient drainage pipes throughout the complex. I cannot believe that in the ancient times they had drainage, but in the early 1000s or 1300s there were not any drainage in any city!
There are also other courtyards and markets here in Knossos. Hidden throughout are the ancient promenades and roads leading to the sea. Quite different!
Archeological Museum
Often done in tandem with Knossos, the archeological museum is not for the impatient or a quick visit! Inside the museum, there are many, many rooms holding artifacts from 7000BC to Roman times. Because I want everyone to go see it, I won’t spoil any of the fun facts or things I learned! Just here are some amazing pictures!
Exploring Heraklion
While the city may not be as well known as the other Cretan cities, the capital still has enchanting views of the city. Inside the city, there are long streets made of marble and full of tiny shops and restaurants. Because it is a large city, it is very different from our previous Greek cities. The streets are lined with marble and full of activity! Surprisingly, there are many people in the streets even in COVID times.
Cretan Food & Wine DIY Tour
Because of COVID, our preferred wine and food tour wasn’t running, therefore we had to do it ourselves!
Wine Tasting at Opus
Hidden in a tiny alley in the middle of Heraklion, Opus Wine Bar is well recommended on Google. More importantly, they offer very cheap wine tastings! For €10, we had six wines! We had three white wines, one rose, and two red wines.
Compared to other wine tastings, our server brought us different wines for our tastings. Strangely, I had all the floral or sweeter wines whereas MF had the strong, earthy wines. Unsurprisingly, we both preferred MF’s batch!
A Meal for the Ages - Perakis
Next door to Opus, Perakis is perhaps the most famous Cretan restaurant in Heraklion. Reservations are a must, but it will be well worth the wait! Because we were fairly full after our wine tasting. Nevertheless, we persevered! By far, this was our favorite meal in Heraklion and perhaps Greece! The food was so tender and full of flavors!
COVID Test Time!
For our last morning in Heraklion, we had our COVID tests in preparation for Cyprus! At a local clinic, Creta Interclinic, we didn’t even need reservations. While the test was 180E each, the test would enable us to hit a new country! Compared to my last test in Athens, this was a PCR test and right up the nose! Our nose felt itchy and uncomfortable afterwards.
The UnChartered Summary
In Heraklion, we dove into ancient Minoan history while sampling delicious Cretan food in the capital!
- Knossos offers an unique insight into ancient history. I highly recommend getting there super early mostly to beat the heat. In non-COVID times, you also need to beat the heat! If you prefer guides, you can hire them just outside the ticket office.
- I would highly recommend Perakis for one of the best Cretan meals!
- If you like wine, Opus has great wine tastings!
- Despite our love of wine and food here, Heraklion is a big city and does not have as much charm or beauty as the other cities in Crete. However, it is a great starting point for a Cretan adventure!