Guided Attraction Tours in Heraklion
Guided tours from Heraklion centre on Minoan sites, with a few longer coach excursions to the south and east of Crete. Tours are run by local operators, and this page only describes what to expect. Entry tickets to state sites are usually paid separately, so ask what a tour price includes.
Knossos with a guide
Knossos is about 5 km south of the city, and licensed guides wait at the gate. Their prices vary, so agree the fee before you start. A guide helps because much of the palace was rebuilt in concrete by Arthur Evans between 1900 and 1931, and the Central Court, Throne Room and Grand Staircase make more sense with an explanation. The site is part of the UNESCO-listed Minoan Palatial Centres. Entry is EUR 20, or EUR 10 reduced, and there is no combined ticket with the museum.
Allow two to three hours on site. Summer hours run to 20:00, and from 1 November the site closes at 17:00. Last admission is 15 to 20 minutes before closing, and the site can close early in bad weather.
Archaeological Museum tours
The museum at Xanthoudidou 2 is where the finds from Knossos are displayed. Entry is EUR 20 from 1 April to 31 October and EUR 12 from 1 November to 31 March. A tour is most useful here because labels are short, and the Phaistos Disc, the Snake Goddess figurines and the Bull-Leaping fresco are easy to walk past. On Wednesdays the museum opens late in summer (13:00) and at 10:00 in winter, so plan a morning tour for another day.
Phaistos and the Messara Plain
Excursions to Phaistos run south for about 60 to 75 km, roughly 1.25 to 1.5 hours each way by road. Phaistos entry is EUR 15, or EUR 8 reduced. Tours often add Gortyn, and sometimes Matala, where the caves cost about EUR 5 in cash. Public buses to the south leave from KTEL Station B at Chanioporta, which is useful if you want to go without a group.
Wine villages
Archanes and Peza are the wine villages inland from Heraklion. Winery visits there are usually booked as a half day, and tastings are the main activity.
Long coach days
Coach tours to Spinalonga and Samaria Gorge are offered from Heraklion, but both are very long days. Spinalonga boats leave from Plaka, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos, not from Heraklion, so the coach ride is 65 km or more each way. Island entry is EUR 20, or EUR 10 reduced, and the boat is extra. Samaria tours run 12 to 17 hours, and the gorge is closed from 1 November. Both need a full, tiring day, and many travellers prefer to base themselves nearer the sites.
Read more: Day trips from Heraklion lists the same destinations for self-drive and bus travel.
Where to check
Prices and hours for the sites are on the Knossos page of the Ministry of Culture and the Phaistos page . To compare operators, try Viator .