Our Trip To The Palace Of Knossos

The mythological king of Crete, Minos was said to keep the Minotaur – a creature with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man – in his palace at Knossos.  Historians speculate that the maze-like structure of the palace led to the myth of the labyrinth, built by Daedalus for King Minos, who also imprisoned the architect so that he would never reveal its secrets.  Cool, right?!

Maze-like structure

The ruins of Knossos Palace are only a 15-minute bus ride from Heraklion, and they are the most visited tourist attraction in Crete. The archaeological site is surrounded by rolling hills covered in olive trees and vineyards. The entrance to the site is only 6€ and we decided to hire a guide, which cost us only 10€. We waited about 10 minutes for other English-speaking people to join the tour. The visit lasted between one hour and one hour and a half, and it was very informative.

The palace is the most well preserved of its kind on Crete (We must admit it looks pretty good for being over 3000 years old!). There are frescoes, pottery, and a general abundance of artifacts and ruins to observe. The throne room is especially impressive, with its pair of griffin frescoes and alabaster throne.

While there is still a lot of debate about the specific history of the area, there is no doubt that it is one of the most rich and interesting historic sites on the island. Anyone with an interest in ancient Greek civilization or archaeology would be remiss in not visiting!

This story has been published in paid partnership with the Greek National Tourism Organization and VisitGreece.gr.  Visit www.visitgreece.gr to begin planning your own vacation.

Artifacts Inside