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Heraklion Tour: Explore Minoan Civilization
4.3
51 Ratings
Heraklion
Explore the captivating city of Heraklion, Crete’s capital, on a historical tour that includes a visit to the legendary Knossos Palace and the bustling Old Market. Uncover the secrets of Minoan civilization and immerse yourself in the rich history of this vibrant Mediterranean city.
Explore the captivating city of Heraklion, Crete’s capital, on a historical tour that includes a visit to the legendary Knossos Palace and the bustling Old Market. Uncover the secrets of Minoan civilization and immerse yourself in the rich history of this vibrant Mediterranean city.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Heraklion - We will start collecting participants from pick-up points in the morning.
Depending on the place of your hotel/apartment the bus ride will differ. -
The Palace of Knossos - Knossos, the mythical labyrinth and ancient capital of Minoan Crete, 5000years ago.
Our participants will enter the Archaeological Site with our Representative…
-
Heraklion - We will start collecting participants from pick-up points in the morning.
Depending on the place of your hotel/apartment the bus ride will differ. -
The Palace of Knossos - Knossos, the mythical labyrinth and ancient capital of Minoan Crete, 5000years ago.
Our participants will enter the Archaeological Site with our Representative in order to attend a Guided Tour for about 1 hour & 20 minutes and then enjoy some free time to take photos and admire the historic Minoan place.
Participants have to wait in line, in order to receive their tickets and enter the Palace. - Heraklion - After leaving the Palace of Knossos, our bus will take us to the city of Heraklion. There participants will attend a guided tour in the city center and the historical part of Heraklion followed by 2h30min free time at the old market for walking, photos and shopping.
Optional: The visit to the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, is optional and will be a without tour guide as the covid regulation for visiting the museum as group, is very strict and would take too much time and high cost.
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Heraklion - Embarkation in the buses and drive back to the hotels where we gathered participants in the morning.
Depending on traffic and on the pick-up places of each one, the time of journey back to the hotel will differ.
What's Included
- Liability Insurance Coverage by ALLIANZ for our tour participants
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Professional Driver
- Tour Guide
- All fees and/or taxes
- Liability Insurance Coverage by ALLIANZ for our tour participants
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Professional Driver
- Tour Guide
- All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
- Snacks
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
- Snacks
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
Heraklion, the capital of Crete, is among the Mediterranean’s most captivating and lively cities, boasting numerous historic landmarks to explore. It offers a wealth of places to uncover, including Knossos, the legendary labyrinth and ancient capital of Minoan Crete from 5,000 years ago. Embark on this tour to experience both the city center and the Palace of the Minoan Civilization.
Heraklion, the capital of Crete, is among the Mediterranean’s most captivating and lively cities, boasting numerous historic landmarks to explore. It offers a wealth of places to uncover, including Knossos, the legendary labyrinth and ancient capital of Minoan Crete from 5,000 years ago. Embark on this tour to experience both the city center and the Palace of the Minoan Civilization.
Location
Heraklion
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(51 Ratings)
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Andrewns4988yy
Oct 23, 2025
Well worth the time - Our trip started with transfer from my hotel. A wellkept minibus was on time and the driver was very helpful. In the city all transfer bus passengers were sorted by preferred language so we could get a guide we could understand. Our guide was Soula. She is multilingual. She was able to converse and assist other passengers outside our group as well. Soula is very qualified and has a great sense of humour.
The tour timing is just enough to see the palace and in the city see the archeological museum (which is awesome and has more security than the Louvre). The central meeting point in the city is adjacent to Liberty Square, the archeological museum and the Astoria. The square is great for lunch. Those of our group who went with Soula on a walking tour of the city had no time for the museum.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightsee66336731671
Aug 28, 2025
Very nice but a little expensive - Very nice guide who spoke very good French (Maria).
For the price, I think it's consistent but a little expensive knowing that if you're under 25 years old the entrance to the site is free but after 25 years you have to pay 20 euros. I think that including the price of the tour in the 45€ pp would be more consistent, knowing that the visit of the old hard top chrono 15 big minutes. And then it's free time so certainly we pay the transfers in air-conditioned van and the bus that takes to the site and city but it's still quite expensive especially the free time part where we have to pay our own means.
Beyond that very nice excursion, very beautiful archaeological site. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sylvia
Aug 15, 2025
Hot day, lots of info - The tour was well organized. We were picked up on time and even if the arrival from our hotel was long, that was fine due to the air conditioning. Our teenagers were asleep... Our guide studied archaeology and history and had knowledge accordingly. At the same time, she was very friendly and helpful. For proof of identity for free admission to Knossos for under 24s from the EU also take the passport or something, student ID was only accepted with good persuasion...
And cap and water, there is hardly any shade there!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen_j
Aug 13, 2025
An enjoyable excursion. ... - An enjoyable excursion. Christina, our tour guide was friendly and very informative and Such a lovely person
Review provided by Viator
Colinf1048
Jul 30, 2025
this place is amazing, - we booked with a tour guide, who showed a group of about 20 of us round, and im so glad i did, it was so interesting to hear the stories from the old minoan civilizations, and then the greeks, the remains are really well preserved and its a huge place, took us nearly 2 hours to get round with the guide, make sure you take a hat and drink as there is not much shade, if its hot. it cost us 20 euros to get in and kids are free, this is a must see if you are visiting heraklion, its about 20 mins drive from the town
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ynnial
Sep 6, 2025
Nice sight! - Intensely enjoyed the fort.
Nice view of the water and Heraklion city. Nice sight to have been.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tiffany29
Jun 20, 2025
A Must See - Lovely to have an air conditioned coach for the trip as it was a very hot day. Being "the" place to go on the island the site is, of course, very busy and there are queues to view some of the sites. Being part of a large group (over fifty) was a bit of a problem in that you were often way at the back and not viewing what was being described. The earpieces were an excellent idea. I would say if you are going to take this trip that taking a bottle of water along and a sun hat or parasol are a most as the area is very exposed and there is little shade. Definitely a "must see" if you visit Crete. Guide very informative but walked very fast - given that there are plenty of trip hazards I would say a little less information and a more measured issue of information might have been better. Glad we visited but would say definitely not a trip for anyone with mobility issues.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louise_l
Aug 31, 2025
Ok day - Knossos Palace was really interesting but there’s a lot of standing around and due to queues to get in and to see a certain part once in, you then aren’t left long to explore the full site. The Heraklion city tour was a disappointment, was 15 minutes of showing two things before you are left to explore yourself for 3 hours. Wouldn’t recommend this specific tour
Review provided by Viator
Jill_s
Oct 11, 2025
Long day on the bus - This activity was poorly organized and we spent more time in the bus going to and from Heraklion than we spent there. There were too many people on this tour and it took 1.75 hours to pick each group up from their hotels and the same on the way home. With this many people, the pick ups should have been grouped into smaller vans. We were happy to visit the palace and Heraklion but we should have been able to do much more in a 10 hour tour.
Review provided by Viator
Carl_r
Sep 7, 2025
palace was impressive.... - palace was impressive. guide was very conscientious. group was too large as guide was way ahead and we were in single file. the guide’s accent was too strong. Check your records as i have been on many Viator tours- disappointed as not up to your usual quality
Review provided by Viator
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