Heraklion - what to do after Knossos

I was looking at 2 possible tours we could do in Heraklion.

Both go to Knossos which we are very excited about. Afterward we were looking at 2 options - one is to see the archeology museum, and the other is to visit a Cretan village called Arolithos.

Can anyone comment on either? We are interested in the mythology and history of Knossos, but the traditional village and crafters sounds very interesting, too. we won't have time to do both.

Cannot comment on the village but the archeology museum was very well done and nicely laid out. By the way, this can easily be done OYO rather than by tour. We cabbed to Knossos but caught the bus back to town and followed the crowd off to the museum. Buy the combined ticket. At Knossos we hired a guide and joined 6 others for a tour. After the museum you can easily walk back to the ship.

I second the recommendation to see the museum. It was recently redone, so the layout is quite nice.

Minoan art is hugely important, and some of the best pieces are there. Even if you're not majorly interested in art, the good news is that the art from Knossos (and other bronze age sites on Crete) is fabulously ALIVE and interesting to look at. Seeing the real frescoes at the museum puts the crude imitations at the Knossos site to shame. Wonderful statuettes, jewelry, even pots that almost 'vibrate' with the energy of the people and animals on them.

I like museums, and this one is one of my favorites. Looking forward to going there again next month.

We "third" the recommendation for the museum....which is perfectly complements your prior visit to Knossos. The Museum actually houses many artifacts that were unearthed at Knossos and in some other nearby digs. And the museum is within walking distance of cafes and shops in town as well as the port.

Hank

Knossos was a disappointing waste of time to me but the downtown museum associated with it was excellent. The museum was no where near Knossos but it was on the public bus line coming back from there.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Knossos was a disappointing waste of time to me but the downtown museum associated with it was excellent. The museum was no where near Knossos but it was on the public bus line coming back from there.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Bummer that you did not enjoy the port. Just a good example of "different strokes" like most ports. We have a friend who hated Paris France because he said the city was "too old." There is simply no way to please everyone. Personally, we have enjoyed Crete on multiple visits. It is a huge island (over 3000 square miles) that takes weeks to fully explore. Perhaps we enjoyed the island because we do not take tours (we do things on our own) but that is another topic for another day :).

Hank