Heraklion

Ask ThatchGPT
Recommend a local expert to help plan my Greece trip
Suggest an unique itinerary for my Greece trip
What foods do Greece locals eat
What are some true hidden gems in Greece
Help me brainstorm trip ideas for Greece
Help me plan a family-friendly trip to Greece

What people say

Liveta Greitaityte
"Heraklion is the largest city in Crete with a population of about 200.000. Heraklion houses the public services and the major scientific centers of Crete, being the commercial center of the island with the main port and airport. From a scenic city with unique traditional Venetian and Ottoman monuments in the early 1900s to one of the most historical cities in the Mediterranean, Heraklion, unfortunately, turned into a bustling cement-dominating city, losing almost all of its aristocratic splendor. This bad development was a result of the need for rapid expansion of the city for the settling of the refugees after the Asia Minor Catastrophe (1922), but also from the effort to "modernize" Heraklion by turning the beautiful old buildings into blocks of flats. However, even today the visitor can get a good taste of the glorious image of the past, while the locals can be surprised by the unknown corners of Heraklion and the story hidden behind them. The history of Heraklion starts in the Minoan era, as it was the port of the legendary city of Knossos. However, the city in its present location (the old center) was built in 824 by the Arabs and later expanded and fortified by the Venetians and the Turks, who named it the Large Castle of Candia. The current name Heraklion was given after the liberation of Crete from the Turks in 1898. "
"Heraklion, Crete’s current capital, assumed that role relatively recently. Named after the ancient Roman harbor of Heracleum, which was most likely located there. Khandaq (Moat) was its new name when it became the capital of Saracen Crete in the ninth century."
"Heraklion is the perfect mix with the port and the energy of a big city and all at an affordable rate! It is artsy, vibrant, while still feeling very Greek. "

Mentioned in these guides

This is a Travel Guide for a trip to Crete in Greece. It can take days, weeks, or even months to plan an independent trip properly and it can be scary. So in order not to waste your precious time, I'm here to help :) You can find a lot of information about specific places on the Internet. Still, often that information is outdated, and it is difficult and time-consuming to find the most useful information. So forget about travel agencies, save money and time, and grab my plans instead. These plans were born from a love for travel and the desire to share impressions and experiences from every corner of the world I visited. First of all, I create the plans for myself and I can assure you, it takes a lot of time... Sometimes weeks or months as I mentioned before. After returning from the trip I update the plans with my insights and recommendations, so you can be assured that the plans are informative and of high quality. So you will have all the needed information, and you can easily adapt it to your trip. You can select which places and on what days to visit. Enjoy! This plan includes: ⚡️Top sites to see 🥙 Must try food and drinks ❗️Main information 🚘 Example itinerary for two weeks 💡 Tips and tricks 🎁 FRE GIFT. Additional tips, useful travel apps, plane ticket tips and tricks, recommended list of travel items, and so on...
Backpackers • Solo Female • Couples • Groups • Adventure • Nature • History • People & Culture • Photography • Beach
$20.00
3
guide-image

About Heraklion

Get the inside scoop on Heraklion from local experts, travel creators, and tastemakers. Browse genuine trip notes, Heraklion reviews, photos, travel guides, and itineraries from real travelers and plan your trip with confidence.
Save this spot for later or start mapping out a new trip today
Try our AI Travel Assistant and get instant answers to any questions about your trip.
Ask ThatchGPT