Palace of Knossos

[AEGBRG]

Hi everyone,

 

We stop at Aghios Nikolaos and have the Palace of Knossos excursion booked with the ship. Was wondering if it is worth seeing or not. On TripAdvisor it get fairly mixed reviews. For those of you who have been there, is it worth seeing, or is it more of a tourist trap?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Hlitner]

Tourist trap? No. Is it worth seeing? Well that depends on you. DW and I went there on our first visit to Crete (been to that island several times since) and thought the ruins were quite interesting....but we generally enjoy seeing historic ruins. We know folks who do not even bother to get off the cruise ship in most ports because they have no interest in anything ashore and love being on a ship when its empty. Another words, its just one of those different strokes for different folks kind of thing.

 

You need to decide what kind of sites or activites best please you and decide accordingly.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

I'm not sure why someone would call it a tourist trap. Yes, it has been largely reconstructed (and one can argue with the methods used), but then so have Pompeii, Ephesus, the Roman Forum, and most other popular ruins.

 

I really enjoyed it. I was there early in the morning and during the off season, so the crowds weren't too bad. The site is small and it can get very crowded, so much so that it is hard to get around.

 

In my opinion, it is worth seeing, but then I am very interested in history and knew quite a lot about the site before going. I think it is best seen together with the museum in Iraklion which houses most of the finds from the site. The frescoes in the museum put the on-site reproductions to shame; they are so much more beautiful and elegant.

[cberge]

Hi everyone,

 

We stop at Aghios Nikolaos and have the Palace of Knossos excursion booked with the ship. Was wondering if it is worth seeing or not. On TripAdvisor it get fairly mixed reviews. For those of you who have been there, is it worth seeing, or is it more of a tourist trap?

 

Thanks in advance.

I did not go to Knossos when in port due to walking problems,but spent the day in town walking all over and loved every minute of the port itself.So whatever you choose it should be fine.

[bw333]

We used Lefteris Nikforakis last year in Crete for an all day tour, and Knossos was the highlight of the trip! You do need a private guide to explain what your looking at, and to explain all the history. I purchased a book on Knossos, The Minoan Civilization while we were there. Knossos for me was special, because it is the oldest place I have ever seen anywhere in Europe. The Minoan's lasted over 1500 years, from 2600-1100 BC! Enjoy Crete! :)