Knossos and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion

The tour of Knossos palace and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a more fulfilling experience, an ideal tour for the travelers that want to see the site of Knossos and the artefacts of the Minoan collection of the museum.

 

Knossos palace guided tour and the museum of Heraklion, visit of the Minoan collection . Just after the guided tour of the palace of Knossos head for the city of Heraklion in order to visit the recently reorganized museum and admire the wealth of the Minoan treasures.

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is the largest museum of Crete and one of the most important museums in Greece.

It houses representative artefacts from all the periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering a chronological span of over 5,500 years from the Neolithic period to Roman times. The recently reorganized Minoan collection contains unique examples of Minoan art, many of them true masterpieces. The archeological Museum of Heraklion is a highlight of the city and definitely a must for those who want to understand the level of the Minoan civilization.

The museum, located in the town centre, was built between 1933 and 1940 by architect Patroklos Karantinos in the area where in the past the Roman Catholic Franciscan monastery was, which unfortunately was destroyed by a devastating earthquake back in 1856.

The main building of the museum was closed for interior renovation from November 2006 to May 2013 with a small temporary exhibition remaining opened. The archeologists reorganized the Minoan collection, making the museum of Heraklion one of the most interesting of the world.

Meet your qualified licensed guide at the entrance of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum  or Knossos (depending on the number of groups visiting the sites we can use as starting point one of the two sites – Knossos or the museum – and enjoy a visit of the highlights of Heraklion).

Being in a small group of maximum of 5 participants you will be able to move around at the site of Knossos and the museum and with the help of the qualified guide you will avoid the crowds and the other groups. The Knossos and Museum combined tour will be ideal for the guests that want to see as much as possible. Please note that from the 1st of April this season ( summer season of 2024 ) the combined ticket  for both sites is no longer available – and the cost for Knossos palace is 15 euro and the museum 12 euro . For both sites an appointment is necessary , due to time zones and time slots. This also means that the guests will have to be on time for their appointment otherwise the ticket is autumatically cancelled. ( if the guests don’t validate the ticket within  the chosen time / appointment. ) If you wish us to book your tickets kindly add a note and we will be able to contact you with the details   ( reduced entrance fees are available according to the law  – but the guests are responsible to bring and provide the proper documentation ) .

Meet your licensed qualified guide for both highlights of the Minoan civilization in Heraklion, Knossos palace and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

After the guided tour of the museum , you can have free time and  stay in the museum to take pictures .

Make arrangements and meet a qualified guide for both highlights of the Minoan civilization in Heraklion, Knossos palace and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

 

Duration : The duration of the tour is aprox 4,5h. Estimate  the duration of the  guided tour of Knossos, to  1 hour and 30 min and the tour of the museum of Heraklion ( Minoan collection ), at least   1 hour and 30 min . Estimate you will need about 30 min to reach the museum ( or a close by parking area ), due to traffic .

For  an extended  guided tour for guests  with special interest in archeaology , please contact us  at    visitknossos@gmail.com   to make an appointment ( at a convenient time to avoid the groups ) and to inform you about the cost.

Group capacity: Maximum participants up to 5. For a larger group, please contact us at visitknossos@gmail.com.

Larger groups :  If you are a larger group / family / friends travelling together, you can add participants during the booking process up to 16 pax ( extra cost per participant 40 euro )

Who organises the tour : The tour is offered by the travel agency Guides of Greece Sustainable Tourism Development – Tailor Made Travel Services E.E, which is a fully registered travel agancy organised by certified licensed guides Panos and Ioanna . We cooperate with a small group of licensed guides – to provide the best of service .

Cost :  The cost of the tour is 390  euro and refers to the cost of the licensed guide / archaeologist  for a private tour . ( with all taxes and  24% VAT included).

Important : Please note that the tour refers to a guided tour of both sites  without a stop in between. In case you wish to have free time in between the sites ( Visit Knossos palace first , then have free time in the city for lunch , before visitng the museum  with the guide ) there is an additonal cost of 50 euro per hour. 

The service is not available for online booking , but only upon request. If you wish,  contact us to make the proper arrangements . Keep in mind that in order to avoid the crowds in the museum of Heraklion ( due to Covid19 , strict regulations aply ) we will need to start early with the museum first and later continue with Knossos palace.

Skip the line entrance can be arranged, we can of course pre-buy the tickets for your party, please add the details ( number of participants and ages ) when you make your booking . There is no  combined ticket from April 2024 and you need to be on time to avoid issues – since Knossos and the museum will have time slots / zones ( cost per person for Knossos is 15  euro – the museum 12 euro ) .

I have a rental car, can I park close to Knossos? Later at the museum ? There are three parking lots available  (free of charge ) at the palace of Knossos, so it is  relatively easy to find empty space and park close to the main entrance . At Heraklion city there are parking areas available, close to the museum , within walking distance ( the cost of the parking varies from 4 to 7 euro depending on the total hours) the guide can provide information regarding the location.

If you need transportation arrangements, for a more fulfilling experience, please let us know, in order to inform you about the cost.  ( cost of transportation depends on the pick up point / distance or the number of participants – van or minibus perhaps needed for the service) We can send you a secure link  for the cost of the tour – transportation and tickets, so that you can pay via your credit card (ssl to proceed to a payment with your credit card directly to the bank ).

Included

  • Services of a professional licensed qualified guide or an archeologist qualified guide
  • Invoice will be provided by our travel agency
  • Maps and plans of the site and Heraklion ( via email)
  • Audio tour guide system
  • VAT (24 %) and all taxes

Not included:

  • Entrance tickets are not included  (but if you wish us to prebuy the tickets for you let us know at the “add note area” of the booking form )
  • Transportation not included  (transportation can be arranged upon request though)

 

Please note – COVID-19 information regarding the tours

The service – tour  “Knossos and the museum of Heraklion”  is not available  for online booking – but is available upon request. This has to do with the strict protocols due to Covid 19, for guiding groups indoors. (distances and number of guests per room at the museum of Heraklion ). Kindly send us a request at visitknossos@gmail.com to inform you about the details if you are interested in visiting the museum of Heraklion . In order to avoid lines or crowds and to enjoy a stressful experience , we might have to start very early by visitng trhe museum of Heraklion first and the palace later on .

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Greek state has imposed strict protocols regarding  health, safety of businesses providing services to guests visiting the sites of Greece and Crete. Our company fully complies with the regulations and takes a step further providing to the guests audio tour guide system in all tours (whispers – free of charge ). For hygiene reasons guests are kindly requested to bring their own 3.5 mini jack hands free. Certain areas of the sites have designated areas where groups or guests should stand ( to secure distances for example in the museum or at Knossos ) . Guests are kindly requested to comply with the advises and recommendations of guides or security personnel of the sites ( Knossos / museum / Phaistos ) . In good faith, we ask for your patience , in order to provide a safe tour and enjoyable experience…

We propose to future guests, to contact us at visitknossos@gmail.com before booking a tour or excursion.

 

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