Museums
- Archaeological Museum. Tel.: 0821/20334. Housed in the Venetian church of San Francesco. Its exhibits from western Crete and other areas date from the Neolithic to the Roman era, and include idols, statues, inscriptions, weapons, pottery, sealstones, coins, jewelry, etc.
- Historical Archives of Crete. Tel.: 0821/22606 (open daily 8 - 13.00 except Saturdays and public holidays). A rich collection of folklore and material related to the history of the island. The archives are among the largest in the country, second only to General Archives of the Greek State.
- Naval Museum of Crete. Tel.: 0821/26437 (open daily except Mondays, 10.00 - 14.00. From October to end May, open afternoons Tuesdays - Thursdays - Saturdays, 16.00 - 18.00 and 17.00 - 19.00 during the other months. On the mole of the Venetian harbor. Exhibits linked with the island's history.
- Archeological Museum. Tel.: 0831/29975. The museum contains interesting archaeological finds from the region as well as a fine coin collection (actually situated in the former prison, opposite the entrance to the Fortezza).
- Archeological Museum. Tel.: 081/226092, 224630. One of the most important museums in Greece. Here are assembled almost all the finds from the Minoan era. Pottery, stone carvings, sealstones, statuettes, gold, metalwork, the marvelous frescoes from the Royal and Little Palaces and villas of the wealthy,
- and finally, the unique painted limestone sarcophagus from Agia Trias.
- Historical Museum. Tel.: 081/283219. Exhibits from the Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish periods and historical documents of more recent Cretan history. Also a rich collection of folk art consisting of local costumes, textiles, wood carvings and embroidery as well as a representation of a typical Cretan house.
- Archaeological Museum. Tel.: 0841/24943. It contains finds from excavations in eastern Crete.
Antiquities
- Aptera. One of the most important cities of ancient (7th c. B.C.) western Crete, Aptera was built on a site 15 km. from Hania, south of Souda Bay, near the village of Megala Horafia, which had a view of the whole plain of Hania.
- The city walls still standing today are reminiscent of the Cyclopean walls of Tiryns and Mycenae. One can also see the remains of a small 1st c. B.C. temple of Demeter, a Roman theater and the enormous vaulted cisterns of the Roman period - according to one source they were used for grain storage - preserved in excellent condition.
- Polyrrhenia (Polirinia). The ruined walls and acropolis of Polyrrhenia lie 49 km west of Hania, near Selli or Paleokastro. At Kria Vrissi, near Kissamos (Kastelli), are the remains of a Roman aqueduct. Polyrrhenia, an important ancient western Cretan city, was founded with the help of the Achaias, who succeeded the Minoans as overlords of the island.
- Phalassarna (Falassarna). This town, the port of Polyrrhenia, lay to the west of it, in the base of the extreme northwest peninsula of the district of Hania.
- The ruins - remains of Cyclopean walls, tombs, house foundations, sculptures carved out of the rocks, most notably a throne - are found near the village of Koutri.
- Amnissos. 7.5 km. east of Iraklio, the Minoan port of Knossos. It was here that archaeologists found the Vila of the Frescoes of Amnissos, also called the Vila of the Lilies.
- Archanes (Arhanes). 15 km. south of Iraklio. Excavations in the village brought to light a well-preserved building that must have been a summer palace. On the hill of Fourni (1 km. NW of Archanes) there are vaulted tombs dated to between 2500 - 1250 B.C. At Anemospilia Archanes, in the foothills of the Holy Mountain of Yiouchta was discovered a Minoan sanctuary sacred not only to Archanes but to Knossos as well.
- Gortyn (Gortis). 46 km. south of Iraklio. A city that flourished particularly during the Roman era, Gortyn was the capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica. It had its origins in the Minoan era, as testified by the ruins of a 16th c. B.C. farmhouse, which has been excavated. The most distinctive monuments are the Praetorium (2nd c. A.D.), residence of the Roman governor of the province: and the Nymphaion (2nd c. A.D.), where the Nymphs were worshipped; the temple of Pythian Apollo; the sanctuary of the Egyptian divinities; and the Odeon, where the famous inscription with the laws of Gortyn was found. Plato spoke of these laws, which were written in a Doric dialect and date from the 6th century B.C., with admiration.
- Knossos, 5 km. east of Iraklio. Inhabited since the Neolithic era. The first palace of Knossos was built around 1900 B.C. Two hundred years later it was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt, becoming grander and more luxurious. The final catastrophe occurred about 1500 - 1450 B.C., according to one theory, with the eruption of the Vulcan in Santorini. Despite this blow, people continued to live there for another fifty years, until a fire swept through the city circa 1400 B.C. The Minoan palaces were not only the residence of the ruling house, they were also administrative and religious centers for the whole region. The ruins of the capital of the Minoan Kingdom include the palace of Minos, the homes of the officials and priests who surrounded him (Little Palace, Caravanserai, House of the Frescoes, etc.), the homes of ordinary people and the cemetery. The palace was a labyrinthine complex built around a central court. This multistoried construction covered an area of 22.000 sq.m. and, in addition to the royal quarters, also contained places of worship, treasuries, workshops and storerooms.
- Malia , 34 km. east of Iraklio and 3 km. beyond the summer resort of the same name. Excavations have brought to light a palace similar to the ones at Knossos and Phaistos (also built around 1900 B.C. and abandoned about 1450 B.C.). At Hrissolakos (Pit of Gold), archaeologists also unearthed the districts surrounding the Minoan palace and cemetery. The palace covered an area of about 9.000 sq.m. Many of the objects now on display in Iraklion's Archaeological Museum were found at Malia.
- Phaistos (Festos), 63 km. southwest of Iraklio and about 78 km. southeast of Rethimno, was the second most important palace-city of Minoan Crete. The residence of the mythical Radamanthes, the palace was also the nucleus of a settlement inhabited since the Neolithic age. The architectural layout is identical to that of Knossos. Here too the rooms are arranged around a court. On the other hand, in contrast to Knossos, the frescoes decorating the walls were relatively scanty, the unpainted floors and walls being covered with a lining of pure white gypsum. The area of this palace was 9.000 sq.m.
- At Agia Trias, 2.5 - 3 km. west of Phaistos, were found the ruins of a royal villa, which most probably was the summer palace of the Phaistos rulers. Certain of the more important pieces on exhibit in the Iraklio Archaeological Museum - the larnax, the Harvester Vase, and the impeccably painted frescoes - come from this site.
- Tilissos, 14 km. southwest of Iraklio lie the ruins of one of the oldest Minoan cities of central Crete, including three large buildings, residences of the local lords.
- Vathipetro, 19 km. south of Iraklio is where the ruins of a large Minoan mansion, a country estate belonging to a local nobleman, were discovered. The ruins include a wine press, olive press, weaving rooms and a possible potter's kiln.
- Gournia, 19 km. southeast of Agios Nikolaos, 15 km. north of Ierapetra, the best preserved of the Minoan settlements, and one of the most noteworthy archaeological sites in Crete. It appears to date from 1550 - 1450 B.C. The ruins of the town include small houses and a small palace on top of a hill; even the narrow streets and connecting stairways have survived amidst the foundations of the houses.
- Dreros (Driros), 16 km. northwest of Agios Nikolaos. The archaeological site of this ancient Greek city comprises two acropolises with an Archaic agora between them. South of the agora is a temple from the Geometric period, the Delphinion, dedicated to Apollo, as well as a large cistern dug between the late 3rd and early 2nd century B.C.
- Kato Zakros, 117 km. southeast of Agios Nikolaos is the site of a luxurious Minoan palace, the fourth in significance on the island, which produced a number of important finds, now in the Iraklio Archaeological Museum. This palace, which covered 7.000 to 8.000 sq.m. and contained royal apartments, storerooms and various workshops, and the nearby city were destroyed around 1450 B.C. by a violent earthquake, most probably the one that caused a whole section of the island of Santorini to sink into the sea. Zakros was a major Minoan naval base, which established trading connections with Egypt and Anatolia. It was from here that Minoan farming estates, two sacred peaks, a cemetery and cave tombs have been discovered.
- Lato, 15 km. west of Agios Nikolaos, is spread out on the slopes of two acropolises. Founded in the 7th century B.C., it was one of the most powerful cities in Crete in its heyday. The ruins include the city walls, houses and shops from different periods built on terraces.
- Palekastro, 90 km. east of Agios Nikolaos, 20 km. from Sitia, at Roussolakos, has some remains of a port settlement.
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