Visit Knossos and Museum of Heraklion

Enjoy this  private guided experience with your qualified guide and explore  the marvels of the oldest civilization in Europe, the Palace of Knossos and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.

Visit along with the team of Experts, licensed guides the palace – Cradle of the Minoan Civilization –  Palace of Knossos and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, one of the best museums of Greece .

Your qualified guide will take you through the palace of Knossos, a a maze complex of more than 1500 interlocking rooms, a true labyrinth, was more than a cage of the gruesome Minotaur… It was an astonishing wealthy decorated palace, built for a mighty king of the Bronze Age- ruler of the Mediterranean. As we wander through the labyrinthine ruins of Knossos,  you will see the original throne of ‘’Minos”, in situ – at the same place –  after 3,500 years; the main sanctuary, the luxurious eastern  Royal quarters of the royal family, with the impressive canalization system, impressive wall paintings!

Knossos, the capital of Minoan Crete is located about 7 km  south of the modern port and town of Heraklion and is considered Europe’s oldest city. To be honest only 7 % of the city has been excavated and Knossos of course , so there is a lot to be discovered , hopefully in the future.  In the seventh millennium BC a small community of hunters and farmers set the foundation of the islands long history, which lasted for thousands of years. The strong fleet the Minoans organized very early, provided the advantage to control the whole are and the commerce. The peak of the Minoan culture lasted about six hundred years, from 2000-1400 BC. The first palace of Knossos, close to the Kairatos river, was erected soon after 2000BC. Influenced from the Egyptians but from the Santorians, the Minoans took the elements they needed to create their own style .

The wealthy palace, seat of the ruler and the civil/religious authority was the perfect arena of power display in the elaborate palatial feasts with exotic materials shipped from the Aegean, Levant and Egypt. The happy life of its residents came to an abrupt end around  1700 BC when a catastrophic earthquake destroyed the Palace but did not reverse the cultural dynamics of Minoan Crete.

Enjoy this private tour with your qualified licensed guide at your own pace. Take the time you take pictures to ask questions and understand the Minoans.

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. The Heraklion Museum is rightly considered as the museum of Minoan culture par excellence worldwide.

The museum, located in the town center, was built between 1937 and 1940 by architect Patroklos Karantinos on a site previously occupied by the Roman Catholic monastery of Saint-Francis which was destroyed by earthquake in 1856. The museum’s antiseismic building is an important example of modernist architecture and was awarded a Bauhaus commendation. The colours and construction materials, such as the veined polychrome marbles, recall certain Minoan wall-paintings which imitate marble revetment. The two-storeyed building has 27 galleries, a gallery for audio-visual displays, extensive modern laboratories, a cloakroom, a cafeteria and a museum shop that sells museum copies, books, postcards and slides. The collection was recently reorganized , 2014 and since then a must see highlight while on Crete .

The private tour can be arranged as a tour – transfer, starting from the south of Heraklion ( your accommodation in the area of Matala – Kamilari – Kalamaki – Pitsidia – Sivas etx  for example  ) and you can be dropped off at Heraklion airport for your flight out .

The tour is upon request, so please contact us and specify the starting point and the number of participants.

Inclusions :

• Transportation
• Guiding Services of a professional licensed English speaking guide.
• All taxes and VAT 24 %  –  Invoice will be provided
• Bottle of water per person
• Maps and plans of the sites
• The cost of the tour depends on the number of participants

Exclusions :

• Entrance fees ( paid locally – but we can arrange the skip the line entry )
• Gratuities
• Lunch is not included