12 Great Things To Do In Heraklion – Crete’s Vibrant Capital
If you are traveling to Crete, odds are that you’ll spend some time in Heraklion. It is the island’s capital city and largest population center. In fact, it’s the largest city in all of the Greek Islands. Its airport is the #1 gateway for travelers to Crete. And Heraklion’s central location on this large island provides a convenient launching pad for discovering everything Crete has to offer. We spent a full week in Heraklion as part of our own Crete itinerary.
I’ve previously written a post comparing our time in both Heraklion and Chania – Crete’s two most popular tourist cities. And frequent readers may remember that I preferred Chania. But that doesn’t mean you should skip visiting Heraklion too. In fact, Heraklion and its surroundings have a lot to offer. Here’s a look at my personal top 12 things to do in Heraklion
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Hang Out In Old Town
While Heraklion’s Old Town isn’t nearly as charming as many others in Crete (like Chania and Rethymno), you’ll definitely want to spend some time hanging out there. Compared with the Venetian architectural style still found in those other cities, Heraklion looks and feels more like a modern Greek city with its own unique vibe.
Not much of Heraklion’s classical architecture remains. A lot of it was destroyed over time by earthquakes, and also by extensive bombing during WW2. But some of it still does, including Old Town’s focal point – the 16th century Venetian Lion’s Fountain (also known as the Morosini Fountain).
But for the most part Old Town Heraklion has a modern feel to it. Maybe that’s why I found Heraklion to be the most vibrant and energetic city we visited during our time in Crete.
The streets were always filled with people shopping along the center’s many pedestrianized streets, like the 25th of August Street – a wide thoroughfare that stretches from the Lion’s Fountain to the Harbor.
And Old Town’s many restaurants and cafes were always hopping, especially in the evenings – when the city especially comes to life.
So despite no great abundance of “sites”, this overall vibe makes hanging out in Old Town one of the top things to do in Heraklion.
Spend Time At The Venetian Harbor
The Venetians ruled Crete for almost 500 years, beginning in the 13th century. And they built a strategic harbor adjacent to the city. Visiting this Venetian Harbor is another of very best things to do in Heraklion
The Harbor is only a 10 minute walk from the Lion’s Fountain. Because our Airbnb apartment was located centrally in Old Town, it was easy for me to walk down to the Harbor at least once daily.
One of the most important features of the Harbor is Koules Fortress – an impressive defensive structure built in the 1500s. It’s very well-preserved and you can go inside for closer inspection (current price 10 Euros). I was satisfied with simply admiring it from the outside.
The harbor was also my very favorite place to enjoy the sunset in Heraklion. You’ll find various walkways and places to sit, allowing you to easily observe the coastline & Aegean Sea at this scenic time of day.
Stroll The Sea Wall
Another of my favorite things to do in Heraklion was stroll the Harbor’s Sea Wall.
This is a long sea wall and paved promenade that extends for 2 km beyond the Fortress and out to a small lighthouse. Every time I visited the harbor, I noticed lots of locals getting their daily exercise along this lengthy harborside pathway. And I loved it too! It’s a great way to observe all the shipping activity inside the harbor. And you can climb on top for some pretty amazing views out to sea.
Plus various art projects are displayed along its length – including sculptures and a long section of murals celebrating Crete’s history.
Visit An Amazing Museum
Crete is rich in history and delving into Ancient Crete should absolutely be an important part of your visit. In fact, if pressed to choose a favorite, I would say that the Heraklion Archeological Museum tops my list of great things to do in Heraklion. In fact, it’s now one of my all-time favorite museums.
Crete was home to the Minoan Civilization from about 3100 BC to 1100 BC. The Minoans are considered the first civilization in all of Europe after the Neolithic Period. The Heraklion Archeological Museum contains the world’s greatest collection of Minoan treasures. And they blew my mind! I’ve never taken so many photos in a museum before.
Here’s a taste of some of the amazing things we saw inside the museum, just to give you an idea.
An intricately decorated and colorful Minoan sarcophagus made of stone….
The Phaistos Disc – a nearly 4000 year old clay disc with symbols from a still-undeciphered Minoan language, possibly representing a prayer or hymn…
And this very cool helmet made of boar tusks…
I could fill a blog post with photos from the Archeological museum. Clearly you need to visit Heraklion and go check it all out yourself.
Tour Knossos Palace
A lot of the artifacts housed within the Museum come from Knossos Palace. Knossos Palace happens to be Greece’s second most-visited archeological site (behind only the Acropolis in Athens). And it’s located just a few miles outside of Heraklion. So of course it belongs on any list of great things to do in Heraklion.
Knossos was the most important city of Ancient Minoan Crete. It was situated inland from Heraklion, but Heraklion served as the port for Knossos.
Knossos Palace was a large complex of buildings constructed in about 1900 BC. Minoan palaces were not royal residences. Instead, they served a multi-faceted function – residential, administrative, and religious.
It was a massive structure as you can see from this model inside the Heraklion Archeological Museum…
This is what Knossos Palace looks like today….
Much of the foundation and some of the levels, stairways, and rooms still exist. And when you visit Knossos Palace, you can walk through quite a bit of it. I was quite awe-struck as we walked along nearly 4000 year old hallways, stairways, and plazas.
However, you should know that in the early 20th century, a British archeologist named Sir Arthur Evans undertook a rather extensive (and controversial) restoration of Knossos using modern materials, techniques, paints, and questionable historical interpretations. In my opinion, this does detract from the site somewhat. However, spending time exploring Knossos is still a must.
We visited Knossos Palace in April and it was not crowded. I’m sure it’s packed in peak season though. So I would recommend that you purchase your timed-entry tickets ahead of time (here’s the official ticketing website).
If you don’t have a rental car, it’s easy to reach Knossos via Heraklion’s city bus system (more on that below). A taxi can also take you to Knossos for a fixed price – a price that is clearly posted at various taxi stands around town. You should be aware that Uber is not available in Heraklion.
Eat Classic Cretan Food At Peskesi
When we first arrived in Heraklion, our Airbnb host told me that she believed Food would be a highlight of our visit to Heraklion. And she was spot on. It was!! Eating great food is unquestionable one of the very best things to do in Heraklion. In fact, Heraklion is one of UNESCO’s World Cities of Gastronomy (as is Merida Mexico – our prior 2025 travel destination.)
I will always take a local’s advice when it comes to choosing great places to eat. And our host recommended a restaurant named Peskesi as one of her very favorites. I’m so glad we followed her advice! We ate some of our best meals in Crete at Peskesi.
Peskesi is located in central Old Town, not far from the Lion’s Fountain. It focuses on serving classic Cretan dishes using organic farm-to-table ingredients, many from its own farm outside the city.
Examples include these baked rolls of phyllo stuffed with local cheese and served with fig marmalade
And their “Grandma’s Rooster” – the most tender chicken we’ve ever eaten, cooked in a tomato-based sauce and served over homemade local pasta.
We visited Peskesi twice for lunch, and could have gladly eaten there several other times – just so we could try all the great items on their menu. But I do like to eat at a variety of restaurants everywhere we travel. And overall, as our Airbnb host predicted, all the Food we ate in Heraklion did not disappoint.
(If you want to read about another great food experience we had in Crete, then check out my post on Ntounias – an unique mountaintop restaurant near Chania.)
Eat Greek Street Food At Kalamaki
When you visit Heraklion, you shouldn’t limit your eating to only restaurants. You’ll find lots of great street food options as well. We generally prefer to eat our bigger meal at lunch. Consequently, quick and easy street food is often my evening go-to.
One of my favorite places was Kalamaki, located only a few steps from the Lion’s Fountain. You’ll see several Greek Street Food places in the same vicinity, but Kalamaki always had the longest line of locals. In my mind, that’s the ultimate recommendation.
And what can expect when you grab street food at Kalamaki? You’ll find freshly grilled souvlaki (chunks of meat) served however you want it. Including the version below – wrapped in a pita along with fried potatoes, and tzatziki sauce. Absolutely delicious! Eating Kalamaki’s souvlaki and grilled vegetables was one of my favorite culinary things to do in Heraklion. Despite what I just wrote above about restaurant variety, I grabbed food from Kalamaki almost every night.
(Note that this isn’t technically a Gyro in the photo. Traditionally, gyros are made with shaved meat from a rotisserie, not with souvlaki. But otherwise, it’s pretty close. And tastes just as good!)
Eat Bougatsa at Kirkor
Kirkor is a 100 year old cafe located adjacent to the Lion’s Fountain. It’s an iconic Heraklion institution, famous throughout Crete for its Bougatsa. In fact, the only items on the menu are various varieties of Bougatsa and coffee.
So, what is Bougatsa? It’s a type of cheese pie. Thin layers of phyllo, stuffed with a generous amount of Mizithra cheese, and topped with honey and walnuts. It is so good!
Kirkor does offer other versions of Bougatsa. These include versions stuffed with cream instead of cheese, and some with savory ingredients as well. But I stuck with the classic. And eating this classic Bougatsa at Kirkor next to the Lion’s fountain is definitely one of the very best things to do in Heraklion.
Visit the Nearby Town of Archanes
Now let’s switch gears just a little. Some of my favorite things to do in Heraklion aren’t located directly in the city, but nearby, in the surrounding countryside. In order to see these things, it would be best for you to rent a car. And good news! Renting cars in Crete is inexpensive and driving in Crete isn’t hard. In fact, I have a blog post all about Driving in Crete if you would like to learn more (this post includes my recommendation of a great Heraklion car rental company).
I very much wanted to experience rural Crete, away from the city. And if you are based in Heraklion, the town of Archanes is the ideal place. It’s only 30 minutes away from central Heraklion by car. And you could take a public bus as an alternative.
Archanes is considered by many to be the most beautiful village in Crete. And this small town has also been given an award designating it as one of the best-restored villages in all of the EU.
We spent several hours one day wandering its narrow streets, admiring its colorful houses, and discovering hidden churches…
Plus, we enjoyed a long Greek lunch in the town’s central square…
I very much recommend spending a half day in Archanes when you visit Heraklion.
Learn About Olive Oil
Olive Oil is a big deal on the island of Crete. In fact, there are more olive trees per capita on Crete than anywhere else in the world. And one of the best things to do in Heraklion is enjoying an olive oil tasting at an olive farm.
During our week in Heraklion, we drove out to the family-owned Kleanthi Olive Farm, which is located only 20 minutes from the city center. Our tour included a walk through some of their olive groves, and a complete education on how their olive oil is produced.
Afterwards we enjoyed an amazing spread of food which included two different types of Kleanthi olive oil, accompanied by cheeses, vegetables, yogurt, fruit, olives, and bread. They served us so much! This spread really could have taken the place of lunch. And the entire experience only cost 16 Euros each. (Check their website in the link above for current pricing and availability).
Taste Wine At A Vineyard
In addition to olive farms, you’ll find many vineyards in the rural areas south of Heraklion. So naturally, another of the great things to do in Heraklion is a wine tasting at one (or more) of these.
We visited the Stilianou Winery which is a small family-operated winery about 30 minutes south of Heraklion (we did this as part of our Archanes day trip.)
During our time at Stilianou Winery, one of the family members taught us all about wine production in Crete, while giving us a tour of the facility.
Afterwards, we tasted 5 different Stilianou wines on their patio, which offers spectacular views across their vineyards and the surrounding countryside. What a way to spend an afternoon when you are visiting Heraklion!
(If you would rather take a tour of a couple wineries with a driver, then check out this wine experience on Viator)
Go To The Beach
And finally….the Beach! I’ve managed to list 11 great things to do in Heraklion without mentioning the beach yet. But Crete’s beaches are one of the top reasons people visit the island.
Because we visited Crete in April, we didn’t spend any significant time at the beach. It’s a bit too cold at that time of year. But we did check out Ammoudara Beach – which is located just a few kilometers west of Old Town. And I’m sure this beach would be a great place to hang out in the summer.
If beach-going sits near the top of your Things To Do In Heraklion list, then you may want to check out this summary of 35 beaches near Heraklion written by a local. Yes 35 different beaches!!
Getting Around Heraklion
Finally, I thought I’d add some advice about getting around Heraklion. Even though Heraklion is the largest city in the Greek Islands, it’s still relatively small. And the Old Town center is especially compact and walkable. We only rented a car for 2 of our 7 days in town (for a weekend of exploring the nearby countryside).
As I mentioned earlier, we did use the city bus for getting to Knossos Palace. It only took about 20 minutes. The routes, bus stops, and times are indicated on Google Maps. Plus each bus stop conveniently offers a QR code which you can scan for up-to-the-minute arrival times. (The bus to Knossos is Bus #2)
You can purchase bus tickets from street side ticket machines located across the street from the Archeological Museum (be sure to buy your return tickets too.)
This is also the location of a taxi stand – where you can grab a taxi to Knossos if you would prefer. Prices are pre-set. Remember…Uber and other ride share platforms are not available in Crete.
Also, if you will be using the island’s longer range buses to travel between some of Crete’s larger cities, then be sure to check out my post about our experience riding the bus from Chania to Heraklion.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, you will not run out of great things to do in Heraklion. Crete’s capital city is absolutely worth visiting. This vibrant place is full of energy, history, scenic places, and great food. Plus the surrounding countryside offers some outstanding experiences as well. Don’t hesitate to include quality time visiting Heraklion in your Crete itinerary.
If you would like to read even more about our travels in Crete and Greece, then be sure to check out these posts:
18 Great Things To Do In Chania
Kritsa Crete – 5 Things You Shouldn’t Miss When Visiting