Palace of Knossos: Entry Ticket + Digital Hellenic Heritage Guide

We visited in November - a great time to go, as it was so quiet. We had a very knowledgeable guide - definitely worth booking a real person. It was a much more extensive site than I’d anticipated.nBooking tickets was easy on the official site.nIt’s a glimpse into the life of a peaceful and advanced civilisation - the birth place of many Greek myths. Including, of course, Theseus and The Minotaur. Fascinating and beautiful.nHow sad that we didn’t base our civilisations on this one…nWe also loved the resident peafowl and were blessed to see a majestic vulture overhead.nLoads of parking and a short drive from Heraklion.

It is a historical site worth visiting for sure!nIt is not a museum per se, so do not expect to see a lot of artifacts or monuments/art. The palace and its archeology are very interesting to learn more about via the explanatory stands and QR codes for more details. We were lucky the weather was perfect so we truly enjoyed our walk without being bothered by too much heat or rain.nnGood to know:n-Try to buy tickets online as you can guarantee to go in at the day/hour of your choice. You can buy your tickets directly on the site on an automated screen (card payment), but you might need to wait for your turn to go in (we had to wait for 45 mins for our turn to start the visit).n-There are toilets, snacks and drinks space, as well as a souvenir shop on premises.n-Wear comfortable shoes and clothes because you will have to walk, and sometimes you have to go up or down stairs. Be aware that the palace is entirely outdoor.n-Make sure you pass by the Throne Room, even if you have to wait a dozen of minutes in line to see it, it is worth it 😉n-Arrive as early as the opening hours if you are going by car because the parking space can be full very quickly. We had to circle round many times until we eventually parked at the restaurant a couple of steps before the parking lot. They were very kind and sweet, they didn’t accept to take money and asked us to take coffee/smoothie or have lunch at the restaurant in return which we gladly did 🥹nnHappy visit! ☀️

This place is amazing. Overwhelmed. One can ask a simple question- how would they build without having today’s technology and tools?nYou can explore it on your own, taking a local bus from downtown Heraklion for over 2 euros- 2nd zone. Early afternoon there are less people. If you like you can hire a local guide or use your phone to download valuable information. I recommend 2-3 hours of your time. There is a toilet before the gate - nothing inside. There are few benches you can sit while walking around. There is a cafe and souvenir shop with not expensive basic guidebooks in different languages. There is a huge parking lot, I believe for free. We did not need it, since we used a bus.