All direct flights to Heraklion from the UK & Ireland

Mark Says

Whether Heraklion or Iraklion (both spellings apply). Likewise there’s some debate as to what Heraklion actually constitutes. Some call it a municipality, others a prefecture, suggesting the city is to mainland Greece what Monaco perhaps is to France. Except this isn’t a flashy multi-millionaire’s playground, but an archaeologist’s dream, full of ancient and Byzantine monuments. If your idea of a perfect holiday involves the weather of the Mediterranean, but with more to see and do than might be witnessed from a horizontal position on a beach, well, Heraklion is it. This is an excursion of excavations, a destination for those who’d rather pack tools than towels and dig digs more than they do dunes. It’s hard to imagine an island city with a greater range of monasteries and museums, collections and cathedrals. The island’s Turkish influences are visible in such attractions as the prefecture building, but there’s an equally striking Venetian edge to the Koule fortress which forms part of the city walls. Fanning out from the central square - home to the Morozini lion fountain - and market, Heraklion demonstrates an exceptional cultural heritage. The painter El Greco was born and studied in the area, and has several pieces of his work on display in the nearby Cretan Historical Museum. Writer Nikos Kazantzakis, of Zorba The Greek fame, is buried here. And the suburb of Knossos boasts a backstory like few others: it was once the Minoan capital, when it served as the basis for the minotaur-cursed labyrinth of legend. (An excavation of the palace of King Minos remains one of the suburb’s major attractions.) Should all the sightseeing get a little too much for the feet, take time to sit down and enjoy a play or concert at one of the city’s many open-air theatres: yet another reminder of Heraklion’s lasting connection to a time before ours...