Background
This serial property comprises six archaeological sites on Crete dating from 1900 to 1100 BC, representing the Minoan civilisation, a major prehistoric Mediterranean culture. UNESCO says the palatial centres were administrative, economic and religious hubs with advanced architecture, urban planning and vibrant frescoes, revealing early writing systems, maritime networks and cultural exchange.
Archaeologists recognise five structures as palaces: Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Galatas and Zakros, multi-storey wings around an open central court sharing a common vocabulary of lustral basins and pillar crypts, each continually remodelled over its lifetime. Wikivoyage describes Kato Zakros as a small coastal village beside the fourth great palace, reached through the Gorge of the Dead, named for the Minoan tombs in its caves.
- c. 1900 BCThe first palaces are built
- c. 1700 BCThe palaces are rebuilt after destruction
- c. 1100 BCThe last palatial centres are abandoned
- 1900Arthur Evans begins excavating Knossos
- 2025Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1KnossosThe largest palace, 5 km from Heraklion, with Evans's reconstructions and the throne room.
- 2PhaistosThe palace above the Messara plain, where the Phaistos Disc was found.
- 3MaliaThe palace by the sea east of Heraklion.
- 4ZakrosThe palace at the end of the Gorge of the Dead on the east coast.
- 5Heraklion Archaeological MuseumThe frescoes and finds from all the palaces.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Knossos and the Museum
Not yet in a GoGo guide
- 08:30Palace of Knossos2.5 hrsThe throne room and the reconstructed wings.
- 14:00Heraklion Archaeological Museum2 hrsThe frescoes and the Phaistos Disc.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
