The massive walls encircling the city made mediaeval Iraklion the best defended city in the Mediterranean. You should pause for a while on the Martinego Bastion, on the southern side, the final resting place of the great writer Nikos Kazantzakis.

The Roman prison fortress looms over the entrance to the harbour and offers panoramic views of the city. It was here that the Turks incarcerated the Cretans who rose up against their rule; today it is a venue for cultural events. Walk along to Saint Mark’s, taking the eastern side of the walls, and admire the marble reliefs of the winged lions, as well as the navy yards, the vaulted buildings along the waterfront, where the Venetians constructed their ships.

Make your way up 25 Avgoustou Street, the main street of the city and you will come to the heart of Iraklion, the location of Agiou Titou Square with its long-suffering church – formerly a mosque – and Eleftheriou Venizelou Square, also known as Lions Square from the four marble lions adorning the exquisite Morosini Fountain. The latter, close to the Church of Saint Mark, was built by the Venetian Governor General of the island, Francisco Morosini, for purely functional reasons, but is now one of the city’s main landmarks, and one of its busiest locations.
The Loggia: This former noblemen’s club, under the Venetian occupation, now the Municipal Hall, located at the end of 25 Avgoustou St., is perhaps the most elegant example of Venetian architecture in the whole city. Adorned with rich decorative features, and now fully renovated, it was rightly declared in 1987 the best restored historic building in Europe.

This is one of the largest museums in Greece, and one of the most important in Europe. Its collections are housed in a gem of a building, dating from 1937, an excellent example of Greek modernism, on the site formerly occupied, until 1856, by the Catholic Monastery of Saint Francis. It is home to the world’s finest collection of Minoan antiquities, including the snake goddess, important frescoes from the Minoan palaces, the famous Disc of Phaestus, and also representative examples of all phases of Cretan history and prehistory, covering a period of about 5,500 years. Address: Xanthoudidou and Hatzidaki Streets, tel.: +30 2810 279086

The History Museum is housed in a two-storey, listed, neoclassical building dating from the turn of the century, which is one of the city’s true architectural gems. The creation of the Society for Cretan Historical Studies, the museum contains exhibits which illustrate the entire history of Crete, from the early Christian era to the present day. Soak up the atmosphere of the Crete of old as you admire the frescoes, icons, coins, jewellery, relics of the Cretan Uprising, traditional costumes, embroidery and musical instruments.
Address: 27 S. Venizelou Street and 7 Kalokairinou Street, tel.: +30 2810 283219

Just 5km from Iraklion lies the most important monument to Minoan civilization, the labyrinthine palace (20,000m2) of Minos, King of Crete, uncovered in excavations by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. Marvel at the lavish opulence of the rooms, the colourful frescoes, the pioneering drainage system and the unique architectural layout.
Archaeological site:

More accurately known as the Minoan Palace of Phaestus. This highly important archaeological site, dating from 2000 BC, is 55km south of Iraklion and features royal apartments, storage areas, cisterns etc. The site as a whole also includes the Royal Villa of Aghia Triada, the summer palace of the former King of Greece, on a hill close to the banks of the Yeropotamos River.

Another exceptional archaeological site, this one 40 minutes south of Iraklion. Ancient Gortyn was one of the most important cities of Minoan Crete. Its impressive remains extend over an area of about a thousand acres and include imposing public buildings, still standing, such as the amphitheatre, the Roman Odeon, the Praetoreum, the water cisterns and public baths. Of particular interest are the remains of the Basilica of Saint Titus.

Just a fifteen minute drive from the centre of Iraklion, Archanes is a contemporary example of fine management of the Greek cultural heritage. The picturesque market town of Archanes, at the foot of Mt. Yiouhtas, stands on the site of ancient Minoan settlements dating back as far as 6000 BC. Today, with funding from restoration and protection programmes, the site has been transformed into a model village described, not unjustly, in the tour guides as one of the most remarkable villages, architecturally speaking, in the whole of Crete.

Just a fifteen minute drive from the centre of Iraklion, Archanes is a contemporary example of fine management of the Greek cultural heritage. The picturesque market town of Archanes, at the foot of Mt. Yiouhtas, stands on the site of ancient Minoan settlements dating back as far as 6000 BC. Today, with funding from restoration and protection programmes, the site has been transformed into a model village described, not unjustly, in the tour guides as one of the most remarkable villages, architecturally speaking, in the whole of Crete.