Palace of Knossos
The Minoan palace of 1900 BC, and the labyrinth that gave rise to the Minotaur.
Duration
2 hrs – 3 hrs
Best time
At opening
Open
Every day
Entry price
12 EUR
Knossos was the largest Minoan palace, occupied from 1900 BC, with over a thousand rooms on several levels linked by corridors and stairs — that complexity probably fed the labyrinth myth.
Arthur Evans excavated it from 1900 and did far more than excavate: he rebuilt columns in concrete, repainted frescoes, reinvented storeys. Those reconstructions are disputed by archaeologists, but they let you grasp the volume of the building. The original frescoes are in the Heraklion museum, and you need to see both.
Getting there
Five kilometres south of Heraklion. City bus number 2 from the port, twenty minutes, frequent departures.
What the price covers
paid entry, rate to be confirmed; a combined ticket with the Heraklion museum exists
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- 1.5 L of water
- Cap
Rules on site
A combined ticket covers the site and the Heraklion archaeological museum, where the original frescoes are: the two complete each other. There is no shade on the site, and it sometimes closes in the afternoon during heatwaves.
Checked on 29 August 2026 at Greek Ministry of Culture — Knossos