Headout is an authorized and trusted partner of the venue, offering curated experiences to enjoy this attraction.
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The Heraklion Palace of Knossos is an ancient archaeological site, which once functioned as the administrative and political center of the Minoan civilization in the Bronze Age. The palace has a series of labyrinthine passageways adorned with vibrant frescoes depicting scenes from Minoan daily life, mythology, and spirituality. As you explore the court, you'll encounter remnants of Minoan grandeur, from the symbolic Throne Room to storage spaces hinting at a well-organized economy. Read on to know more about the palace, its history, how to book Knossos Palace tickets, and other information to plan your visit.
The Knossos Heraklion archaeological site offers a closer look at one of the earliest advanced civilizations in Crete, which thrived from around 2000 BCE to 1400 BCE. Many Greek myths have referred to this city, especially the legend of King Minos, the minotaur, and the labyrinth.
The Knossos Palace consists of the remains of labyrinthine passages, a complex drainage system, several multi-storeyed buildings, and advanced storage facilities, highlighting the advanced engineering knowledge of the Minoans. There are frescoes on the walls and objects, detailing scenes from the Minoan daily life.
The Knossos Heraklion archaeological site includes a number of monasteries and temples, offering visitors a window into their everyday activities, social customs, religious rituals, and even cooking practices. There are remains of trade networks and imported goods within the palace ruins, suggesting the role of Knossos in maritime trade.
Admire the expansive views of Mount Juktas from the south entrance corridor of the Minoan ruins. Beyond the Minoan Palace of Knossos, you can catch a glimpse of the fortified walls of the Old Town and also go down to the harbor. You can also see the Koules Fortress, known for its stunning views of the Aegean seafront and the city.
The Knossos Palace is one of the most well-preserved and accessible archaeological sites in the world. Although it has been weathered by the passage of time, the frescoes are almost as vibrant as they were in the past. There are top-notch amenities on the site and are easily accessible by bus from Heraklion.
The Royal Villa is a majestic section inside the Knossos Palace. It is filled with elaborate frescoes and storied chambers, showcasing the opulent lives of elite citizens and highlighting the Minoan civilization’s advanced artistry and architectural prowess.
Yes, the Knossos Palace and Heraklion Archaeological Museum combo ticket gives you access to both sites, letting you explore ancient ruins and dive deep into Minoan artifacts.
Certain ticket options include a 90-minute small-group guided tour with an expert English-speaking guide, while others let you add audio guides or self-guided entry for maximum flexibility.
With no more than 16 guests per tour, you avoid large crowds and enjoy personalized attention, deeper insights, and a chance to connect with your guide and fellow travelers.
The entry tickets and guided tours are valid for the day of purchase only, except for the Palace and HOHO combo, which gives you unlimited access to the bus tour for two days.
Absolutely, the audio guides come with offline access and detailed maps, so you won’t need to worry about internet connectivity while exploring.
While entry tickets don’t include transportation, the Palace and HOHO combo provides unlimited hop-on-hop-off bus access around Heraklion, helping you get to and from the palace easily.
Yes, we recommend booking your tickets online in advance, especially during the peak season from June to August, when daily visitor numbers are limited to protect the site, and tickets often sell out quickly.
Early mornings during weekdays, especially outside the peak summer months, tend to be the quietest times to visit.
The primary entrance for visitors is the west entrance, leading directly to the ticket booth and the main areas of the archaeological site. This gate is the most commonly used and is well-signposted along Knossos Avenue.
Yes, there are parking lots near the entrance, such as the Travel Point-We Guide meeting point, which serves both as a parking area and a meeting point for guided tours.
Expect to walk around 2km on uneven terrain, so wear comfortable shoes and prepare for moderate physical activity.
The highlight of my visit was the clarity of the comments and the congratulations on accessing the site. It takes you right back into the history of the container.
The commentaries are very interesting, and we are well guided as we move around the site, which is large. Access to the audioguide is very simple, easy and quick. We really appreciated the service.
Very nice visit, short about 1h because in the end there is no audio in French, just in English or Greek. For the French, it's on the phone and you have to read every step, which isn't very practical with children, a beautiful sun and hands full of cream 😅 however, this place is surprising, it exudes a serene atmosphere despite what it represents. The kids also loved climbing some of the stones, especially the peacocks! I recommend Please note that opening times have changed over the Easter weekend.
You are in the history of civilization, although in itself there is not much to see
Perfect fit because I didn't have a lot of time to visit the sites. The bus stops were in great locations.
The result is very good, but I had great difficulty understanding the start-up. You're confused by unwanted suggestions. As soon as, after long minutes when you're on the verge of giving up, you finally manage to hear the guide's voice, it's a moment of well-deserved happiness.
The audio guide could have used a bit more pizzazz. The myth of the minotaur was barley mentioned. Such a wasted opportunity. But a pleasant experience and a wonderfull location.
We had a phone for two... Not easy to hear over the noise. Why isn't there a simple audioguide that you hang around your neck?
It is a quite remarkable archaeological site. Luckily I got there by 8.30 am, so missed the worst of the crowds. I had difficulty in following the recommended route shown in the guide, and I was put off by the pronunciation of the speaker. You would do better to use a native English person who has some knowledge of history!
Electronic tickets were easy to purchase and made entry to the palace very easy. The Pslace is incredible. Enjoyed seeing and learning about it. Directions portion of the audio guide were not always clear some were very confusing.
Unfortunately, the route with the audio guide should be improved because it is not easy to follow the various stages indicated. Perhaps numbers displayed on the places corresponding to the stages in the explanations would help. Perfect audio and ease of selection
The palace itself was interesting, with informative signage, great views and lots of palace to see. There were also good amenities in the form of a cafe, gift shop and plenty of toilets. As a note, the palace itself is completely outdoors and there is limited place to shelter in the event of rain. Unfortunately, the Headout app provided the wrong audio guide and we were unable to use that part of our ticket.
It was not clearly indicated in the online booking where to find the audio guide. Nor afterwards when we had received the tickets.
I had a hard time navigating the site with audio guide instructions. A map would have bern useful. Otherwise it was good. I visited the Heraklion Archeological Museum before visiting the site and I'm glad I did. Made it much easier to visualize the pieces in their places at the Palace. The juice bar at the end of the tour was very much needed and a lovey treat!
Beautiful site but way too many bus groups. Should limit them and scatter entry so others aren't stuck behind hordes of people.
Without audio guide you could go through all territory for 40-45 minutes. Nobody of staff could explain about audio guide.
Well, we drove through the heavy traffic with a few explanations about Crete, but not about the city itself. Conclusion: you can do it, but it's not absolutely necessary.
The que for the throne room was too large, so we had to skip that part, the hop on -off autobus was disorganised on the return from Knossos, no que control, although waiting for a bus to come, people ran to get first on the bus, ending up in standing all the way back to the city
We really enjoyed visiting. It's clearly an amazing place. We had difficulty following the audio guide at times. It wasn't always clear where to go next, so we would wander around trying to match the picture in the section of the audio guide to what was around us.
Great place to visit with information boards around the site, we didn't have a guide but we all enjoyed looking around, our children included!
It is a fantastic visit unique in the world. The tour guide, whomI recommend, was also fantastic. Unforgettable
The site is magical. And the weather is splendid. It wasn't too crowded, and the flow of visitors was quite reasonable, as the visiting hours were fiidogie. The sun was shining down on us, embellishing everything. However, when my daughter got the tickets to book our visit, she bought 4 tickets for two adults and two children, without realizing that the children weren't paying. The information wasn't clear enough on the website. We therefore paid double what we should have. Thank you for your vigilance Claire
Fast, efficient online shopping Necessary to avoid long queues The site is good, but I recommend taking a guide or not forgetting the earphones to listen to the online guide. It's not always easy to follow the tour route, especially with children.
It wasn't too expensive, the taxi driver was really nice to take me there and wait for me afterwards, and the palace is just really beautiful! Loved it!
Comprehensive and exciting visit thanks also to the support From the guide.
Journey into the 3,700-year-old Palace of Knossos, Europe’s oldest city, with expert-led tours, flexible audio guides, and optional museum access.
Inclusions
Exclusions
Tip: Combine your visit to Knossos with a trip to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Many artifacts from the Palace are housed there, like the famous Snake Goddess.
Keep an eye out for the double-axe (labrys) symbol carved into walls, it’s a key part of Minoan religious art and mythology.
Bring headphones if you're using an audio guide app. It’s much easier to listen and walk without holding your phone up the whole time.
Carry cash if you want to purchase guidebooks or souvenirs; the small shop near the entrance has limited payment options.
Wear sturdy shoes with a good grip, as the ancient stones are uneven, slippery in parts, and can be tough on sandals.
Bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen; there’s very little shade inside Knossos, and the Cretan sun is no joke.
If you're visiting in summer, bring water. There's no place to buy drinks once you're inside the archaeological site.
If you have mobility issues, stick to the main pathways. About half of the site is accessible, but the ruins can get tricky in rougher areas.
There's a small café near the parking lot, ideal for grabbing a snack or drink after your visit.
Photography is permitted, but avoid using flash inside reconstructed areas.
We had a phone for two... Not easy to hear over the noise. Why isn't there a simple audioguide that you hang around your neck?
The easy of use to order tickets.
Eliminate queues effective and useful guide All very practical and easy to use
all went very well, great place to visit
Way to crowded. Poor explenstions and visualizations. Museum and arch site too far apart.
Very bad experience. Hasty and impossible to follow guides.
10 minutes after purchasing the tickets I realized that the date proposed by your app was not that of the day of purchase but the next day. I contacted the service center and was told that the date could not be changed. I had to re-purchase tickets on site for both the palace and the museum which, by the way, cost me 32 euros instead of your 46. I consider your business practice unfair and I reserve the right to report your site. Good evening.
We were there as planned at 9 AM, but the tickets were not available, and we were unable to download them. I called the service number, and she stated that she would send me the tickets we had been waiting for, but nothing happened. Called back was on hold for 30 minutes. We could not wait any longer, and we bought tickets at 20 euros each to enter. Please refund me 60 euros. Finally, she fixed the problem, and by then we had to be inside, not to miss our time and the scheduled itinerary.
I bought 2 Adult combos Knossos Palace and Heraklion Archaeological Museum WITH audio Guide.. We thoroughly enjoyed the palace. However, when we arrived at the museum, were were not allowed to enter. We were told that we had purchased 4 Palace tickets and NO MUSEUM TICKETS. We re-purchased the museum tickets on site, but had no audio guide. SO DISAPPOINTED!!
I would like to make a difference in my experience at the Palace of Knossos, the place deserves a very good rating, but the attention, a 0, a HUGE zero. In contrast, my experience at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, both the place and the attention of its staff, deserves the highest rating, outstanding. In the Palace of Knossos, the staff was very rude and not at all helpful, something that surprised me a lot because of the difference in treatment that there is in my country, Peru, a country known for the kindness of its people, where the attention to tourists is first class. At Knossos, from the entrance, although I had the information on my cell phone, the person at the window was very dismissive and did not try to help me to identify the document I needed to show him. I then went to the second checkpoint, the entrance itself and it was the same, I asked a question and not only did they not answer me, they chose to say that my question was not their job and that was it. I did the tour on my own, and the audio guide didn't help at all, it's just a summary of the history, not an audio guide, explaining what you see. I have visited places like the Killing Fields in Cambodia, where the Khmer Rouge murdered people and the audio guide is REALLY an audio guide, it explains every place you see, the audio guide at Knossos is NO AUDIO GUIDE. After two hours and some queues -there were hundreds of tourists traveling in groups- at my exit, after examining the places visited I asked one of the employees that were nearby about the fresco of the dolphins, which I had not seen I had understood that it was no longer in the Palace and that individual was very rude, I preferred to skip it and ask another person who confirmed my doubt. My visit to the Archaeological Museum, on the other hand, was very positive. As I finished my visit to the Palace of Knossos, I went to the Museum two hours earlier than I had registered and at the entrance it was explained to me that I had to return at the scheduled time or one hour earlier or later than scheduled, which I understood. As there were too many people, I was concerned about going around the Museum and seeing the most important works and at certain times I had to ask for help from the staff who always attended me kindly, besides being very well informed. At the end of the visit, I noticed that I had not visited a part of the Museum, so I went back, but I did not find it, I asked one of the Museum staff and she explained that this sector was temporarily closed, responding kindly.
The Minoan palace of Knossos is a must-see when in Crete and we got a feel for the place that you could only get in person when we visited both Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in October. Ticketing through Headout worked well: I downloaded tickets for two of us to my phone and they were scanned at entry. For both venues there is a scheduled entry time and it would have been helpful to have times closer together. As it was, our entry time at Knossos was in the morning (a good idea to avoid crowds) but our museum entry not until 5 pm so we had to fill the time with other activities. The downloadable guides to both venues were helpful. We followed along with earbuds at Knossos and didn't feel like we missed having a live tour guide. In fact it gave us flexibility to move at our own pace and pause when we wanted to. Glad we did both venues as Knossos is just ruins with some reconstructed sections, while the museum fills in gaps with art, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, tools, etc., that actually came from the palace site. It was a great learning experience.
Experience two of Crete’s most iconic archaeological sites—Heraklion Archaeological Museum and Knossos Palace—together in one convenient combo.
Inclusions
Entry to Knossos Palace
Entry to Heraklion Archaeological Museum
Audio tours for both the Palace and Museum, available on your smartphone (Android and iOS)
Offline content, including text, audio narration, and maps for both audio tours
Exclusions
Smartphone and headphones
Food and drinks
Hotel transfers and transportation
App is incompatible with Windows phones
The Guide was friendly, knowledgeable and clear to understand. The palace was amazing to hear of its past come alive thru your guide.
It was a great and impressive experience. This is especially due to the good guide. She was very well informed and up to date.
The hearing devices worked well. Most important, our guide, Katrina, was exceptional with knowledge and clarity throughout the visit.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and able to tie the mythology in well with what is know about the life of the Minoans. She brought it all to life!
Guide was knowledgeable and made interesting parallels between history and mythology.
Our guide was excellent, everything was fine.
The guide was great. He knew a lot about the history and culture.
Our guide was great! I can't remember her name Red hair flashy shiny ball cap She was awesome
I visited the site a few days before Christmas. Few visitors, which allowed me to enjoy the magnificent view. The guidance was absolutely remarkable. I discovered many details about each objective of the site; all with an intelligent, well-researched and extremely charming discourse.
The guide was excellent. Good English, and very patient with questions. He knew the history of course, and also would talk about today's attitudes to the restorations that have been done. He had a balanced view. He proceeded at an appropriate pace, and the group was not too big (about 6 of us), so we could all talk to him. The ticketing experience was simple. We were contacted in advance and told where to meet, with a picure of the person who was going to greet us, holding up the sign. That was really helpful. The tickets werent cheap but I felt they were worth it. Some of the features of the site were shielded by glass, but reflection on the gas made it impossible to view the features behind. I'm sure this isnt Headout or the guide's fault. Can't non reflective glass be used, or screens?
Guide was very knowledgeable, clear , and brought the history alive with her descriptions.
The site is amazing and our guide was very knowledgable and engaging.
We had a fabulous guide, Akrivi, who really brought Knossos alive. A fascinating tour
Really enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide who brought things to life
Very well-organized tour, easy-to-identify guide. No waiting, so it was great. Our guide was very interesting, she made this visit to Knossoss a unique experience. It was lively and full of historical facts. We were a small group of 9 people from different backgrounds, so it was great.
Very good guide able to give us all the historical, political, religious, mythical , artistdella Minorca civilization elements with passion and competence. No queues and effective system with earphones. Excellent experience
The magnificence of the site combined with the professionalism and knowledge of the guide made it a mémorable experience.
Get in-depth insights with an expert-guided tour of Knossos Palace in a small, personalised group.
Inclusions
You are in the history of civilization, although in itself there is not much to see
Perfect fit because I didn't have a lot of time to visit the sites. The bus stops were in great locations.
The palace itself was interesting, with informative signage, great views and lots of palace to see. There were also good amenities in the form of a cafe, gift shop and plenty of toilets. As a note, the palace itself is completely outdoors and there is limited place to shelter in the event of rain. Unfortunately, the Headout app provided the wrong audio guide and we were unable to use that part of our ticket.
It was not clearly indicated in the online booking where to find the audio guide. Nor afterwards when we had received the tickets.
It took us to the places mentioned, but when we wanted to spend the second half of the day at the beach, the time getting back from the beach was misleading. It shows "Line 2" running both directions. This is only true for a very short stretch. It then does the full loop. If you are coming in on a cruise, make sure you have at least 90 minutes to get back on the ship or take a taxi, like we ended up doing.
Without audio guide you could go through all territory for 40-45 minutes. Nobody of staff could explain about audio guide.
Hosts and drivers were helpful and on time. Stops were easy to find. We saw all the places we wanted to and found some hidden gems along the way.
Well, we drove through the heavy traffic with a few explanations about Crete, but not about the city itself. Conclusion: you can do it, but it's not absolutely necessary.
The que for the throne room was too large, so we had to skip that part, the hop on -off autobus was disorganised on the return from Knossos, no que control, although waiting for a bus to come, people ran to get first on the bus, ending up in standing all the way back to the city
Great place to visit with information boards around the site, we didn't have a guide but we all enjoyed looking around, our children included!
It is a fantastic visit unique in the world. The tour guide, whomI recommend, was also fantastic. Unforgettable
The site is magical. And the weather is splendid. It wasn't too crowded, and the flow of visitors was quite reasonable, as the visiting hours were fiidogie. The sun was shining down on us, embellishing everything. However, when my daughter got the tickets to book our visit, she bought 4 tickets for two adults and two children, without realizing that the children weren't paying. The information wasn't clear enough on the website. We therefore paid double what we should have. Thank you for your vigilance Claire
It wasn't too expensive, the taxi driver was really nice to take me there and wait for me afterwards, and the palace is just really beautiful! Loved it!
The ruins were fascinating. The Hoho bus very clear and easy to take from the port.
Very good tour and good information as going round
The throne room and the vistas.
The whole experience was very good. From parking , entry, the information boards - very impressive
There were plenty of resting places with shade.
Had nothing to do with you, but with the weather. Tickets were fine, cause we didnt need to stand in the very long line.
Easy booking, quick ticket and no waiting time at the entrance!!!
Why wait? Fast-track your way into Knossos Palace, then hop on and off as you explore Heraklion’s hidden gems, all in one budget-friendly combo ticket.
Inclusions Knossos Palace
Heraklion HOHO pass
1-day unlimited hop-on hop-off pass + 1-day free
Audio guide in English, Greek, Russian, German, Spanish, Italian, French & Hebrew
Free earphones
Free map
Please click here for a detailed map and boarding points. You can join a tour at any stop and hop on and off for the duration of your ticket.
Heraklion line
Knossos Palace
Heraklion HOHO pass
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
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