Distance from Heraklion: 5 km
Distance from Chania: 143 km
Opening hours: 08:30-17:00 (last time to enter the site 16:30)
Information: The ticket is also valid for the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. Access for the disabled.
Amenities: Parking lot, souvenirs, cafés
In Knossos, the visitor’s heart beats in a different way and his mind is filled with questions…”
NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS
The Minoan palace is the most famous and most visited place in Knossos, a very important city-state in antiquity. The first excavations were made in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos, a merchant from Heraklion. More excavations that revealed the entire palace were carried out later on by the Englishman Sir Arthur Evans (1900-1913 and 1922-1930).
The first traces of habitation date back to the Neolithic period (7000-3000 BC). The habitation continued in the pre-palatial period (3000-1900 BC), at the end of which the area was leveled off so that a large palace could be constructed on. This first palace was probably destroyed by an earthquake around 1700 BC. A second, more majestic palace was built on the ruins of the old one. After a partial destruction around 1450 BC, the Mycenaeans arrived to settle in Knossos. The palace was permanently destroyed around 1350 BC by a large fire. The area it covers was inhabited again from the late Mycenaean period to the Roman era.
The most important monuments of the archeological site are:
- The Palace of Knossos
- The Little Palace
- The Royal Villa
- The Frescoes House
- The Caravan Serai
- The Unexplored Mansion
- The Tomb of the Temple
- The High Priest’s House
- The Southern Mansion
- Dionysus’s Mansion
To get the best experience, the visitor should combine the visit to Knossos with a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, where all the original findings that show the greatness of Minoan life in the palace of Knossos are exhibited.
