Heraklion to Knossos Palace

[orgutierrez]

Hello folks, I together with my family will be on the Noordam, departing the 15th August from Athens and stopping in Heraklion (Crete). I have decided that we will DIY (do it yourself), and I was wondering if it is possible to get to Knossos Palace by a public bus, or if it's possible to get a taxi and what would be the approximate price?

 

If not, could anyone recommend me a beach relatively close to Heraklion that is worth a visit?

 

Best Regards, Oriol.

[Langoustine]

Heraklion to Knossos by bus is easy; about 20 minutes. Go to Bus station A near the harbour. At the bus station look for the KNOSSOS ticket office. The bus that goes there is Line 2.

[UKBayern]

BEWARE! 15th of August is a religious holiday (Feast of the Assumption of Mary). Everything may be closed, and public transport might be running on a reduced Sunday service or not at all.

 

The Hop on Hop off buses go directly from the port to Knossos. The town of Iraklio is fairly small.

 

Loads of beaches nearby, Crete is one of the top package holiday destinations for European tourists. Check out this website for beaches: http://www.cretanbeaches.com/Beaches/Heraklion/

Some beaches near Heraklion are small or have black sand. Stay clear of Chersonissos or Malia, those are the party hotspots for young badly behaved Europeans (think Spring break).

[msmoxie]

Oriol,

 

Did you make it to Knossos? How easy was it to find/take the bus? Any other recommendations for things to do at Heraklion? I'll be there in September.

[orgutierrez]

Oriol,

 

Did you make it to Knossos? How easy was it to find/take the bus? Any other recommendations for things to do at Heraklion? I'll be there in September.

Hello, just arrived home after a lovely 11 night cruise on the Noordam, and yes, we finally did it to the Palace of Knossos from Heraklion. A free shuttle bus will be provided to you from the dock to the entrance of the port, the shuttle will drop you right in front of the taxi station, there is a big sign with the prices and the tours that all taxis offer:

- 50 euros (Port-Knossos-Port). That's what we opted for, the taxis can carry four people, we had a very agreeable taxi driver, so he brought us to the Palace, there was a very very long line to get in the palace, but thanks to him we were able to skip the queue and we didn't have to wait for a single minute, he told us that we would wait for us there for an hour and then we would come back. Normally, the taxi driver takes you back to the port, but we asked him if he could leave us in the Koules Venetian Fort, he didn't have any problem, so we visited the Fort (worth taking a look), then we walked through the old touristic street with the market in Iraklion and we returned to the ship walking (10 min).

- 80 euros (Port-Knossos-St. Minas-Kazantzakis Grave-Market-Port). We opted for the first option as we had had two very intense days before this stop in Israel.

Be aware that these tours are offered on normal taxis so that they can only carry 4 persons.

 

There is also a public bus to Knossos and a Hop On Hop Off bus, but being a family of 4, the taxi was more than worth for us, if you take a bus you will have to make a very long line (about 1 hour) and if you take a taxi you won't have to wait for the line.

 

I hope I have been able to help you to plan out your day in Iraklion! We enjoyed a lot!

[ShopperfiendTO]

Hello, just arrived home after a lovely 11 night cruise on the Noordam, and yes, we finally did it to the Palace of Knossos from Heraklion. A free shuttle bus will be provided to you from the dock to the entrance of the port, the shuttle will drop you right in front of the taxi station, there is a big sign with the prices and the tours that all taxis offer:

 

I hope I have been able to help you to plan out your day in Iraklion! We enjoyed a lot!

 

Hi,

 

Did you enjoy the Knossos Palace? What was the admission price, which I assume is in addition to the taxi price? Did you think it was worth it? Have you been to other sites (e.g., Ephesus, Pompeii) and how does this compare?

 

Trying to decide if we should do Knossos Palace on our port day in Crete.

 

Thanks!

[ItaliaBella20]

 

I hope I have been able to help you to plan out your day in Iraklion! We enjoyed a lot!

 

I will be going to Crete next year and was wondering whether its worth doing Knossos Palace on your own or with Celebrity. Celebrity is charging $92 for an 8 hour tour to Knossos and Heraklion Town. I understand that part of the 8 hour tour is the 2.5 hour drive each way from the port.

 

Also, what is good to buy in Heraklion/Crete? The kind of things I like to pick up are glassworks and such.

[Hlitner]

I will be going to Crete next year and was wondering whether its worth doing Knossos Palace on your own or with Celebrity. Celebrity is charging $92 for an 8 hour tour to Knossos and Heraklion Town. I understand that part of the 8 hour tour is the 2.5 hour drive each way from the port.

 

Also, what is good to buy in Heraklion/Crete? The kind of things I like to pick up are glassworks and such.

 

The answer depends on how important you view money and your personal preference. Personally, we would not even consider paying $92 per person for that tour. We might take the local bus out to Knossos (only a few Euros) where we would either explore on our own, rent an audio tour, of perhaps jump on a tour organized at the ruins (should not cost more then 10 Euros). In the past we have even rented a car in Heraklion (for less then 100 Euros) and driven ourselves which allowed us to enjoy a few other places (we once went hiking in a cave).

 

That being said, there are a fair number of cruisers who only feel comfortable on a large tour...and for those folks the excursions do make a lot of sense.

 

Hank

[orgutierrez]

Sorry for the late reply, having been to Pompeii and Ephesus I can say that the Palace of Knossos is not a must, but anyway I think that if you are in Heraklion, it's the most adequate thing to do. If you compare Knossos to Ephesus or Pompeii, it's just different, and in my opinion worth a visit. The Knossos Palace is only 8 Km away from the town so the ride is quite short. The admission price was 6 euros, even though my 14 year old son and 9 year old daughter got inside for free.

 

Hope to have helped you when deciding your day in Heraklion!

[msmoxie]

Hope to have helped you when deciding your day in Heraklion!

 

Thanks for your updates and tips!