Things to do in Heraklion

Heraklion is Crete's capital and largest city, home to roughly 180,000 people in the city and over 200,000 across the municipality, and the seat of the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean.

Most visitors pass through on the way to Knossos, 5 km away, but the palace displays only replicas of its frescoes; the originals hang in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in the city centre. The Venetian walls, built during a siege that lasted twenty-one years (1648-1669), one of the longest in recorded history, still ring the old town, and Nikos Kazantzakis is buried on their ramparts.

Heraklion airport (HER) remains the island's main gateway; the new Kastelli airport is still under construction and takes no flights. This is a working port capital, not a beach resort.