Heraklion

Heraklion is the heart of Minoan Crete and the island’s busiest region. Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum are the two places almost everyone visits, and they work well together on one day. In the south, the wide Messara plain holds the palace of Phaistos, the Roman ruins of Gortyna and the famous caves above the bay of Matala.

Heraklion town itself is a real working city, not a resort. Walk the Venetian walls, have a bougatsa near the Morosini fountain and finish at the harbour fortress of Koules. Along the north coast, Hersonissos, Malia and Gouves are the big holiday resorts, with long beaches, water sports and plenty of nightlife, while Agia Pelagia and Fodele to the west are calmer bays with clear water.

Inland it gets quiet fast. The wine villages around Archanes and Peza are easy half-day trips with tastings, and the villages on the slopes of Psiloritis and the Asterousia mountains still feel like old Crete. Down south, Lentas, Kali Limenes and the beaches below the Asterousia are wild and often almost empty.

Good to know: Heraklion airport (HER) is the island’s main gateway, just east of the city. Combine Knossos and the museum on the same day, and go early in summer.