{"id":16552,"date":"2024-10-10T04:15:06","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T04:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetjoy.com\/?post_type=destination&p=16552"},"modified":"2026-05-22T11:20:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T11:20:03","slug":"heraklion","status":"publish","type":"destination","link":"https:\/\/thetjoy.com\/fr\/destination\/heraklion\/","title":{"rendered":"Heraklion"},"content":{"rendered":"

The capital of the island of\u00a0Crete, and the gateway to the highly popular Island especially for European tourists. The city is close to the ruins of the magnificent, must see, Palace of\u00a0Knossos<\/strong><\/a>, the largest center of the Minoan, Europe’s oldest civilization, which occupied Crete in 2700 BC through to 1450 BC.
\nThe current city was founded in 824 by the\u00a0Arabs, then in the 13e<\/sup> century it was bought by the\u00a0Republic of Venice who have built in the city enormous fortifications including 7 bastions, the impressive Koules Fortress<\/a>, <\/strong>the ramparts\u00a0and the arsenal dominating the harbor.
\nWalk the narrow streets of the vibrant old city, admiring the architecture, the churches, and the small squares and fountains. Window-shop the numerous small shops selling everything, especially in the 1866 Street and in the Central Market, and walk along the waterfront promenade with its great scenery, restaurants, and cafes.
\nVisit the 16e<\/sup> si\u00e8cle Koules Fortress<\/strong><\/a> and the\u00a0Venetian Arsenals<\/strong> shipyards, <\/strong>the Heraklion Archaeological Museum<\/strong><\/a> with its Palace of\u00a0Knossos<\/strong><\/a> collection, <\/strong>and the Cathedral of St. Minas <\/strong>with its renowned religious iconography and beautiful frescoes.
\nNear the city, spend a sunny day at the sandy Ammoudara Beach, <\/strong>its tavernas and shops, and exploit the perfect conditions for kiteboarding and windsurfing. Visit the beautiful Palace of Knossos<\/a>, <\/strong>and its partially restored architecture and frescoes, 5 km southeast of Heraklion. With your children, visit the big and modern CRET Aquarium Thalassocosmos<\/strong><\/a> in Gournes, 13 km east of Heraklion, with its 2,500 Mediterranean marine species in 32 glass water tanks.<\/p>\n

Spend 1-2 days in Heraklion and consider day trips to the famous and beautiful beach of Matala<\/strong><\/a> 65 km southwest of Heraklion, take a ferry for a tour at beautiful Santorini<\/strong><\/a>, or travel west to the Psiloritis mountain area, where you will enjoy the landscapes and the weaver\u2019s village of Anogia<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

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    \n\t\t\t <\/ul>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The capital of the island of\u00a0Crete, and the gateway to the highly popular Island especially for European tourists. The city is close to the ruins of the magnificent, must see, Palace of\u00a0Knossos, the largest center of the Minoan, Europe’s oldest civilization, which occupied Crete in 2700 BC through to 1450 BC. The current city was founded in 824 by the\u00a0Arabs, then in the 13th century it was bought by the\u00a0Republic of Venice who have built in the city enormous fortifications including 7 bastions, the impressive Koules Fortress, the ramparts\u00a0and the arsenal dominating the harbor.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-16552","destination","type-destination","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nBest Things to Do in Heraklion Crete | Travel with Joy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover Heraklion with ancient ruins, museums, Venetian landmarks, local culture and beautiful Crete island attractions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thetjoy.com\/fr\/destination\/heraklion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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