Iraklion Town ~ Ηράκλειο

We love Iraklion town. It has the best of Greek and Cretan life to offer, and we are happy to share our favourite places with you.

Iraklion town is a busy and prosperous modern town, the capital of Crete, with a thriving population over 150,000. It sits on the north coast in the centre of the island.

The traveller will find much to see and enjoy in the town, and friendly hospitality of the Cretans very much alive.





We are biased, being from Iraklion; after spending a lot of time in the town, we can tell you about its nooks, crannies and little surprises.

First we will give you a little overview of Iraklion town, starting with its history...

Iraklion History

The beautiful harbour is notable for its fishing boats and fresh fish, surrounded by Venetian walls, fortress and Venetian Arsenal.

The Castello del Molo was built in 16th century, with reliefs of the Venetian lions (Lions of St Mark) still visible, and is now used as an open air theatre in summer.

Looking Around Iraklion

Just off this plateia is the famous archeological museum which houses most of the antiquities on the island, including most of the treasures from Knossos. The ancient Minoan palace of Knossos is located 5 kms from Iraklion town and is unique as the birthplace of civilisation in Europe.

The archeological museum of Iraklion is well worth the visit, especially in the winter as you can avoid the press of tourists coming in droves on coaches. Try to avoid the touristy shops around the parking lot of the museum.

Around this plateia and running from it are the major shopping streets of the town, including the pedestrian Dedalou. If you follow this street, you will come to the Plateia Venizelou with the Liondaria.

The Morosini Fountain, named after its Venetian designer, is more commonly known as the Liondaria, after the many lions in its design, and its little plateia forms one of the hubs of the town, a handy place for meeting up with friends, “I will see you at the Liondaria in an hour”.

From the Liondaria, through the many busy cafes and lovely shady trees lies Handakos street, a very atmospheric interesting shopping street.

Behind the Liondaria, through another interesting pedestrian laneway, lies El Greco Park and plateia.

If you walk the length of the agora, you will find yourself in another plateia Kornarou, named after the writer of the exquisite Cretan poem Eritokritos.

Most visitors access Iraklion from the harbour, walking up the hill from the port or walking around the Venetian harbour along 25th August Street towards the Liondaria. As you pass along this street you will notice the striking church called Agios Titos (left), with its own expansive plateia. There is a great modern café next door with a pleasant courtyard.

Also along this street are newly restored Venetian mansions as lovely examples of neoclassical architecture with gorgeous ironwork balconies.

On the left you will come across the Venetian Loggia, from 1628, which is an impressive building now housing the Town Hall.

Behind the Venetian loggia, as you walk down the street you will find internet cafes and an organic food store.

There are many good local food shops at the intersection of August 25th and Kalokeri Streets. Close by is The Body Shop, another handy landmark, as the bus ticket booth is opposite, and the buses stops there too. There is an excellent newsagency near the bus ticket booth, and local cafes nearby. Don’t forget to get your fresh boughatsa from the shop nearby, the freshest in Iraklion.

Locals shop all along Leoforos Kalokerinou and it is worth a walk as it is truly authentic Iraklion.

Next to Agios Minas, you will see the original small Agias Minas and Pantanassa (above left) from the 18th century. This is a gorgeous little atmospheric church and as it was on my morning pathway, just next to my bus-stop, I used to pop in and light a candle and send love, as many locals do.

Also on this large plateia are the Church and the Museum of St. Aikaterina (left). Sit under the leafy trees, have a kafe and watch the world go by.

Further down Kalokeri, is the old town wall. The Venetian walls are high and impressive, and mark the edge of the old town from 16th century. The city walls have 7 bastions and 4 gates. The gates have various names and still form important landmarks. The road to Chania, for example, goes through the “Chanioporta”.

The KTEL bus station on the outside wall of Chanioporta serves as a hub for many bus services running to the south and west of the island.

There are plenty of hotels, rooms and dolmatia in Iraklion town. My favourite is Hotel Lato with its perfect view of the old harbour and excellent service.

Cafés in Iraklion Town

We love relaxing on the open air terrace of the Veneto Café on Epimenidou Street, and watching the twinkling lights of the harbour below.

The café bar Breeze by the water front is a great local spot with all tastes catered for in a very modern club atmosphere.

The Marina Café, opposite the fortress and overlooking the freshly arrived yachts in the harbour, is wonderful for a coffee day or night, and really has to fall into our category of great cafés by the water.

Café Mayo is a multi-level café bar in the centre of Koraí, it is so big and central you can’t miss it. I love it because there is always somewhere to sit that suits my mood, either alone for a quiet coffee, or a table with friends. Be sure to drink here, even if it is just to drink in the local vibe. This is a great central meeting point to start out your night. Watch out for high prices but great service.

Chances are, when you are in Iraklion town, that you will visit or meet friends at the Liondaria. This Venetian fountain is the hub of the town, and very popular with tourists. The little plateia around the fountain gets very full, and all the cafés around it too.

There are some lovely big trees and cooling shade; one of our favourite cafés is just a step behind all the madness, down a little laneway called Katanoléon.

Street Café is one of our favourites because of its location, service and hot chocolates. It is a modern café, with high bench tops inside. Usually you have to jostle for elbow room. There are seats outside in the laneway, which is our favourite spot. Here we can gaze out across the large plateia El Greco, and watch the world go by.

The shopping here is excellent; within the journey from the Liondaria to Street Café you will find your SIM card, exotic jewellery, haute couture, stunning home wares, a wonderful bookshop and a fine bakery. Just next door is the Greek telephone office OTE and also another of our favourite shopping streets, Handakos.

With stunning modern decorations, quality amenities, wonderful service and good coffee, we love Street Café, and are glad to find it open often during siesta. Street Café, Katanoléon 2, Iraklion.

There is so much more to see in Iraklion town, so we will update our pages regularly. Enjoy your visit to this thriving cosmopolitan town. If you live in Iraklion town, you will recognise many of the landmarks mentioned here. Tell us about your favourite part of town.

Accommodation in Heraklion Town Centre

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Around Iraklion ~ Daytrips

A quick bus ride from town into rolling hills covered in olive groves and vineyards, Knossos Palace is an intriguing and beautiful site to explore. It does get incredibly crowded in summer, and many coach tours include it in their journey, so aim to visit in spring or autumn or at least very early in the morning. It is a very big palace and city and is a lot to take in, so perhaps two or more trips are needed for those lovers of ancient history.

See our history pages for more about the Minoan Palaces of Crete.