City Walls

Iraklio


Iraklio burst out of its walls long ago, but these massive fortifications, with seven bastions and four gates, are still very conspicuous, dwarfing the concrete 20th-century structures around them. The Venetians built the defences between 1462 and 1562. You can follow the walls around the heart of the city, though it’s not a particularly scenic trip.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Iraklio attractions

1. Natural History Museum

0.35 MILES

In an imaginatively recycled power station, a 10-minute walk west from 25 Avgoustou along the waterfront, this museum uses huge dioramas and a terrarium…

2. Agios Minas Cathedral

0.38 MILES

One of Greece’s largest cathedrals, with space for 8000 worshippers, Agios Minas was constructed (with interruptions) between 1862 and 1895 and dedicated…

3. Museum of Christian Art

0.39 MILES

Housed in a 13th-century monastery that was later a mosque, this tiny but fascinating museum features well-displayed historic religious artworks from…

4. Historical Museum of Crete

0.49 MILES

If you’re wondering what Crete’s been up to for the past, say, 1700 years, a spin around this engagingly curated museum is in order. Exhibits hopscotch…

5. Grave of Nikos Kazantzakis

0.5 MILES

A simple tomb in the well-preserved Martinengo Bastion south of the city centre honours Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957), Crete’s most acclaimed 20th-century…

6. Morosini Fountain

0.52 MILES

Four water-spouting lions make up this charming fountain, the town's most beloved Venetian vestige. Built in 1628 by Francesco Morosini, it once supplied…

7. Turkish Sebil

0.52 MILES

Iraklio's only remaining Turkish-era pump house once supplied drinking water to the local population.

8. Bembo Fountain

0.54 MILES

Iraklio's first fountain was cobbled together in the 1550s from antique materials, including Venetian coats of arms and a statue of a Roman official found…

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