Best tours of Heraklion

Discover the best of Heraklion through a selection of must-see tours. Immerse yourself in the history and culture of the city with a tour bus ride that will take you to the famous monuments. If you're a lover of wine and olive oil, there's a tour dedicated to these Cretan delicacies with your name on it. And for adventurous families, the quad tour to Agia Pelagia offers fun and excitement as you explore the beautiful landscapes of the ancient Minoan land.

What other activities can you do? There is a wide range and in this article you will learn about the best things to do in Heraklion by way of tours and excursions, with prices, advantages, disadvantages and details so you can decide which is the right experience for you.

Visiting the Cretan capital and want a quick tour of the highlights? A city tour of Heraklion is the right opportunity to discover the heart of Hellenic culture by visiting the city's landmarks. Best of all, you can do the tour on foot or with an electric bike tour of Heraklion.

During this tour, you will have the opportunity to visit the most outstanding museums, explore impressive monuments and marvel at the local architecture. Among the must-see stops is the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, a beautiful building whose construction began in 1937 with architect Patroklos Karantinos, and which until 2014 was under renovation. Another stop that usually says present in this type of tour is the imposing Fortress of Koules.

Then continue moving forward, to visit the series of defensive walls of the Venetian Walls in the historic center of Heraklion. Other appointments are the Byzantine Cathedral of Agios Minas and the Church of St. Titus, a mosque transformed in honor of the first bishop of Crete. Finally, points such as the Morosini Fountain, St. Mark's Basilica and St. Catherine of Sinai Church are also often included in addition to a variety of museums.

Throughout the tour, an expert guide provides you with fascinating information about the history and culture of Heraklion, as well as interesting anecdotes about the places you walk around. With all the information you can easily decide if you want to buy a ticket for the Archaeological Museum of Crete or any other point of interest of your choice.

Interesting details

• Price: from 67 € per person.
• Duration: 3- 4 hours approximately.
• What you need to know: this type of tour usually offers the best view of the city to make the most of our visit in Heraklion. A wine tasting is usually offered for an additional supplement.
• What the tour may include: electric bike rental. Professional guide service. Helmets.
• Pros: the tour is quite complete, practical and fast. Half a day to tour the Minoan capital? This is a marvel!
• Cons: entrance fee to any of the sites visited is not included. No food or drinks are included.

The olive oil and wine tour in Heraklion is an ideal activity for food lovers who wish to learn about the origins, production and elaboration of these star products of Crete.

During the olive oil and wine tours in Crete an expert local guide accompanies you to visit a winery and an oil mill, where you can witness the elaboration process, while enjoying tastings.

You will also have the opportunity to sample the delicious local cuisine at a lunch with hot and cold appetizers to delight you with local cuisine accompanied by a wine tasting. By the end, you will have enjoyed a delicious day, learning about the history of the protagonists of Hellenic cuisine.

Details of interest

• Price: from 152 € per person.
• Duration: 7-8 hours.
• What you should know: this is an adult-oriented tour.
• What the tour may include: transfer to and from your accommodation. Wine tasting. Olive oil tasting. Visit to a famous local winery. Lunch. Water and wine during lunch.
• Pros: it is usually a small group tour.
• Cons: additional beverages such as coffee or soft drinks are not included.

A good way to discover Heraklion is with the Hop on-Hop off tourist bus. With it you get close to the main monuments, beaches and attractions of the city for 48 hours. You can hop on and off the bus as many times as you want along its more than 9 stops distributed in 2 routes: the red route and the blue route.

On this tour you can take the time to explore the city and do activities such as entering the Palace of Knossos in Crete, explore the charm of the Venetian Port, or take a look at the vestiges of the past by buying a ticket for the Archaeological Museum of Crete, one of the stops on the red route. If your itinerary for the day is beaches, you can take the blue route that includes among its stops the Agapi Beach Hotel and the Dolphin Hotel, both facing the sea.

With an audio guide in 8 languages, you will learn about the fascinating Cretan culture and civilization while admiring the streets and monuments from the comfort of the panoramic double-decker bus. You will be able to hop on and off at the stops at your convenience, allowing you to get to know in depth the places that interest you most with the assurance that you will have safe transportation for 2 days, at one price.

Details of interest

• Price: from 15 € per person.
• Duration: the ticket allows you to get on and off the tourist bus for 48 hours from the moment you activate it by using it for the first time.
• What you need to know: the waiting time between units is 60 minutes, take it into consideration when planning your daily itinerary. The Heraklion Hop On Hop Off operates from May 1st to October 31st each year. Service hours are Monday to Sunday between 09:15 - 17:15 hours.
• What the tour may include: transfer by panoramic bus through the main sights of the city. Headphones for the audio guide.
• Pros: for an affordable cost you can make use of the ticket for 2 days, which is quite convenient. The audio guide is available in 8 languages, including Spanish.
• Cons: mobile vouchers are not accepted. It is required to print the voucher to be exchanged for your ticket. The redemption process is simple, it can be done with the bus driver himself, the important thing is that it is printed.

This type of tour offers an added value to the combined tickets for the Archaeological Museum and Knossos Palace in Crete because it adds the commentary of an expert. This is a recommended experience to learn in depth about the history and culture of the ancient Minoan civilization.

During the tour, visitors can walk through the maze of ruins where the legend of the Minotaur took place. Another highlight is the original throne of the mythical king, as well as, mysterious shrines, luxurious royal family quarters, treasure chambers and water management systems. In all, there are about 1,500 chambers.

The labyrinthine Knossos is considered the oldest city in Europe and the palace built for King Minos is an impressive display of the power and sophistication of this culture during Bronze Age Crete.

The first palace was built around 2000 B.C. but was **destroyed by an earthquake in 1700 B.C. However, it was built again in 1700 B.**C. The first palace was built around 2000 B.C. but was destroyed by an earthquake.However, a new palace was built and represented the preeminent center of power for trade and politics in the region for centuries.

In addition to the visit to the Palace of Knossos, the tour also includes admission to the Archaeological Museum of Crete, a visit in which more than 5,000 years of history are recounted. At the museum, visitors will see the famous statue of the serpent goddess, the head of the bull of Knossos and a pristine collection of sarcophagi, as well as a wide variety of artifacts depicting the daily life of the ancient Minoan civilization.

Details of interest

• Price: combined tickets can be found from 44 € per person. If you want to add the guided tour, the cost can start from 70 € per person.
• Duration: 1.5 - 2 hours.
• What you need to know: The commentaries are personalized according to the dynamics of each group.
• What the tour may include: Skip the line tickets to the Archaeological Museum of Crete and the Palace of Knossos. Professional guide service.
• Pros: Guided tours are appreciated when the guides are specialists and in this case, they are usually professionals passionate about the local culture, so they are willing to share interesting anecdotes and curiosities that enhance the experience.
• Cons: No transfer from lodging, meals or drinks are included.

Delight yourself with a culinary tour in Heraklion to pamper your palate with the exquisite flavors of Crete. One of the benefits of this type of gastronomic tour is that it is combined with a tour of Minoan history. Your guide leads you through the historic center of Heraklion, making stops in at least 8 places among the local neighborhoods. This is a great opportunity to taste the island's traditional products and discover how they are made.

The day usually starts with an ellinikos kafés, the Greek coffee, to discover the cultural importance of this drink in the country while appreciating its artisanal elaboration process. Then comes the opportunity to savor the famous bougatsa cake, a true Heraklion delight made from semolina and layers of filo dough with a particular filling.

Then the experience can make its way to the local market, the place where Cretans buy their culinary treasures. So you can sample their olives, pastries, cheeses, meats, fried snails, local wines and the favorite: domestically produced olive oil, among other delicacies. If you are from the Peninsula, you may consider that everything is available at home, however, the seasoning of each one varies considerably. It will be an authentic and immersive experience in the culinary world, a feast for the senses!

Details of interest

• Price: From 95 € per person.
• Duration: Approximately 4 hours.
• What you should know: This type of tour usually includes at least 8 product tastings in different locations. The tour is done on foot.
• What the tour may include: Expert guide service. Food and beverage tastings.
• Pros: The variety of tastings is enough to cover a full meal. Usually offered for small groups.
• Cons: Guide service is often offered in English only.

Embark on an exciting quad tour to Agia Pelagia and venture through the unspoiled nature of the route. This type of tour starts with a brief theoretical introduction and a quad biking lesson. As you proceed along a beautiful off-road trail, you will witness breathtaking views over Agia Pelagia, one of the best beaches in Heraklion.

The adventure usually follows its course through the ancient and abandoned village of Archanes, one of the most beautiful villages in Crete, where you will learn about its origins and the traditional Cretan way of life.

Explore the mountains and be dazzled by the surrounding nature as you make your way to Fodele, where Domenikos Theotokopoulos, the famous painter better known as El Greco, was born. Apart from the artistic reference, this village is known as the village of oranges.

Immerse yourself in the local culture, visit the museum and orthodox churches, and enjoy a refreshing freshly squeezed juice from the local orange trees. This quad tour gives you an exciting and enriching experience as you explore the hidden treasures of Crete. I'm telling you, it's a kid's favorite, so I recommend you to write it down as one of your things to do in Heraklion with kids.

Interesting details

• Price: From 85 € per couple.
• Duration: 3- 4 hours.
• What you need to know: Maximum weight per passenger is 120 kg.
• What the tour may include: Helmets. Quad rental. Instruction at the beginning of the excursion. Personalized attention. Guide service in several languages. Taxes and fuel. Transportation service to the lodging.
• Pros: Groups are usually small so that all participants enjoy the adventure. Stops are made at the right time to get the most out of the ride.
• Cons: Food and beverages are not included. Shuttle service to lodging usually covers only major hotels.

• Excursion to the beaches of Heraklion. Crete is the largest Greek island and is in the top of the best islands of the Mediterranean and the Aegean. Its beaches of fine sand and transparent waters are idyllic, Balos, Agia Pelagia, Kommos, Elafonisi, Falasarna, Paleochora ... are about 2,000 coves with Blue Flag. I invite you to know the count with the best beaches of Heraklion so you do not miss the stars of the place.
• Museum tour. We have mentioned the Palace of Knossos but the capital of Crete is home to the most important museums of the Greek islands. It is worth organizing a tour of the museums of Heraklion, it is an excellent activity to enjoy with children and learn about the vestiges of Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish art in one city. Must-sees are: the Historical Museum of Crete, the entrance to the Archaeological Museum of Crete, -the largest and most popular of all- and the favorite among the kids thanks to its dinosaur fossil, the Natural History Museum of Crete.
• Hot air balloon rides. The route of the ancient Minoan road is very beautiful from land or sea, but from the heights the experience is exquisite and in Heraklion you have the opportunity to hire a balloon ride to the plateau of Lasithi.
• Hiking. With routes for all levels, from the famous Samaria Gorges, to the demanding Troula Gorge and urban routes, if you feel like getting lost in the natural landscape of the Minoan culture, you will love Heraklion.