The Snake Goddesses
Crete's faience icons.
Zde — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gleb Simonov — Public domain · Gsimonov — CC0 · Gsimonov — CC0
Heraklion's museum is the Minoan civilisation's only home: everything Knossos, Phaistos and Crete's graves yielded of Europe's first world is here — the greatest Minoan collection on earth without partner, renovated (2014) into bright modern display. Its treasures are names in themselves: the Bull-Leaper fresco and the red-lipped Parisienne, the two faience Snake Goddesses that icon Crete, the Phaistos Disc with its still-undeciphered stamped hieroglyphs — humanity's oldest printing and its standing riddle — Minos' gold ring, the black bull's-head rhyton, the painted larnax coffins. It is the indispensable half of Knossos: the site is skeleton, the soul all here — before the palace to understand, or after to complete, the combo covering both. Two hours is an honest minimum.
Crete's faience icons.
The mother fresco from Knossos itself.
Stamped hieroglyphs defying decipherment.
Xanthoudidou 2, 71202 Heraklion
Church of Saint TitusIt stands on a small square in the middle of Heraklion, and its present shape gi3 minutes walk4.6
Lions Square & the Morosini FountainLions Square has been Heraklion's navel since Venice: the Morosini fountain (1625 minutes walk4.4
Koules Fortress & the Venetian HarbourKoules is Heraklion's sea warden: Venice's square fortress (1523-1540) on the ha8 minutes walk4.7
Saint Minas Cathedral**One of the largest cathedrals in Greece**: a vast domed building with two towe8 minutes walk4.8
The Historical Museum of CreteThe Historical Museum takes the tale where the Archaeological leaves it: Crete f8 minutes walk4.7Two right schools: museum first teaches what to look for, so the palace reads full — palace first gives the place, making the museum the answer. Summer heat decides: Knossos at opening, the cooled museum at noon — practically the winning plan.