Charging Bull Fresco

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This famous fresco adorns Sir Arthur Evans’ restored elevated, colonnaded west bastion of the north entrance of the palace.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • June 10, 2017: Visitors at the ancient ruins of the Minoan Palace of Knossos. 1033165021 ancient, antique, archaeological, archeology, architecture, art, building, civilization, columns, crete, culture, destination, europe, famous, fresco, greece, greek, heraklion, historic, historical, knossos, labyrinth, landmark, mediterranean, minoan, minos, minotaur, monument, mythology, old, painting, palace, people, pillars, place, reconstruction, relief, ruins, sightseeign, site, sky, stone, structure, summer, tourism, travel, visit, wall

    Palace of Knossos

    0.04 MILES

    Crete’s most famous historical attraction is the Palace of Knossos, the grand capital of Minoan Crete, located 5km south of the city of Iraklio. The…

  • the ancient city of Gortyna or Gortys, to the south of Heraklion prefecture.; Shutterstock ID 2228390937; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 2228390937 aerial photography, amphitheater, ancient, ancient greece, ancient site of tylissos, antiquity, archaeological, archaeological site, archeology, architectural, architecture, attraction, bronze, building, city, civilization, cretan, crete, culture, destination, details from the air, documentary tylissos, educational photography, famous, gortyna, gortys, greece, greek, history, island, king minos, mediterranean, minoan, minoan culture, minoans, old, outdoors, past, picturesque, ruin, sightseeing, site, stone, summer, theater, tourism, touristic, traditional, travel, vacations

    Gortyna

    20.36 MILES

    Gortyna (also Gortyn or Gortys) has been inhabited since Neolithic times but reached its pinnacle after becoming the capital of Roman Crete from around 67…

  • Ruins of the ancient Minoan Palace of Phaistos (Festos) with the Messara mountains in the background. 354488120 aegean, age, ancient, archaeological, architecture, backdrop, background, blue, bronze, building, city, civilization, cretan, crete, culture, faistos, famous, festos, greece, greek, history, horizontal, island, landscape, legacy, mediterranean, messara, minoan, mountain, old, outdoors, palace, past, phaestos, phaistos, place, plain, plateau, remains, romantic, ruin, scenic, site, sky, stone, summer, temple, tourism, travel, tree, view, wall

    Phaestos

    26.1 MILES

    Phaestos was the second-most-important Minoan palace-city after Knossos and enjoys an awe-inspiring setting with panoramic views of the Messara Plain and…

  • Aerial view of the ruins of the Minoan palace in Malia, Crete, Greece 1253264969 aerial, historical, malia crete, excavation, stone, building, tour, wall, landscape, archeology, greek, mediterranean, antiquity, sight, touristic, destination, famous, cretan, archaeological, site, hellenic, ruin, historic, heritage

    Palace of Malia

    18.56 MILES

    The Palace of Malia, 3km east of Malia, was built at about the same time as the great Minoan palaces of Phaestos and Knossos. The First Palace dates back…

  • Ruins of the ancient Greek city of Lato,2500 years old near Kritsa, Crete. Lato was one of Crete's most important Dorian city-states, considered the most well-preserved city of the classical Hellenistic period. Built between two hills, in a strategic location, offers defensive coverage to the entire city. 1676789477 civilisation, archeology, archeological, dorian, cretan, classic greece, lato, ancient town of lato

    Ancient Lato

    28.94 MILES

    The fortified hilltop city state of Lato is one of Crete’s best-preserved non-Minoan ancient sites and worth the trip for the rural serenity and stunning…

  • Historical Museum of Crete

    Historical Museum of Crete

    3.52 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…

  • Tourists looking at the Phaistos Disc inside the archaeological museum of Heraklion in Crete that hold the most important and complete collection of the Minoan civilisation of Crete on the 28th of August 2022 in Crete, Greece. Many of the artefacts in the museum come from Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on the Greek island of Crete. (photo by Andrew Aitchison / In pictures via Getty Images) 1245671474 aitchison, greek, heraklion, neolithic, phaistos disc, archaeological, artefacts, ceremonial, civilization, culture, explore, holiday, remains, statues, tourists, viewing

    Heraklion Archaeological Museum

    3.17 MILES

    This state-of-the-art museum is one of the largest and most important in Greece. The two-storey revamped 1930s Bauhaus building makes a gleaming showcase…

  • The path to the cave of Zeus; Shutterstock ID 1827561248; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 1827561248

    Ideon Cave

    19.88 MILES

    Although just a huge and fairly featureless hole in the ground, Ideon has sacred importance in mythology as the place where Zeus was reared by his mother,…

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Nearby attractions

1. Throne Room

0.02 MILES

Behind an antechamber, this beautifully proportioned room is separated by a pillar from a sunken basin that may have been used for purification rituals…

2. Fresco Gallery

0.02 MILES

Replicas of the ancient site's most famous artworks are displayed here.

3. Lustral Basin

0.02 MILES

In the northwestern corner, this reconstructed columned structure shelters a below-ground basin that archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans believed was where…

4. Central Court

0.02 MILES

At the heart of the palace, the Central Court was hemmed in by high walls during Minoan times. Rooms facing the western side of the courtyard had official…

5. Magazine of the Giant Pithoi

0.03 MILES

Covered storerooms in the east wing hold giant clay jars decorated with ornamental relief that once held oil, wine and other staples. They were…

6. Piano Nobile

0.03 MILES

From the Piano Nobile you can get a view of the clay storage vessels in the west magazines.

7. Drainage System

0.03 MILES

Remnants of a drainage channel and underground clay pipes show that the Minoans had developed a sophisticated water-supply and sewage system.

8. Grand Staircase

0.03 MILES

The impressive grand staircase leads down to the royal apartments.

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