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Travel Destination Guide - Heraklion
Heraklion (Crete, Greece) 
Heraklion Information
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Heraklion is the main city on the island of Crete and usually the starting point for visitors wishing to explore the island. The city, built on a fairly steep hillside, has a huge harbour to accommodate ferries and cruise liners, and an international airport. Heraklion is busy, bustling and full of hotels, fast food outlets, shops and traffic.
The main square of Plateia Venizelou is a pedestrian mall sporting cafes and restaurants, with some fascinating shops in the surrounding streets. Like many Greek cities Heraklion's architecture was influenced by Venetian occupation, and a Venetian fortress dominates the harbour.
The city's pride and joy, though, is its archaeological museum, which contains the world's most comprehensive collection of artefacts from the Minoan civilisation, which flourished on Crete around 1,600 BC. Heraklion is close to the major archaeological site associated with the Minoans at Knossos.
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Heraklion is the commercial centre of the island of Crete, and therefore has a heavy concentration of shops. Top designer labels are to be had at reasonable prices on Daedalou Street. Greece is famous for its original jewellery designs and competitive prices, and Heraklion is well supplied with jewellery stores. Other good buys are antiques, leather goods, folk art, olive oil (Crete's is rated as the best in the world) and interesting cheeses like xynotyro, kefalotyri and graviera. Enjoy browsing the market on 1866 Street. Shops are usually closed Sundays, and close early on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Tourist shops, however, tend to open until 10pm seven days a week. Credit cards are not always welcomed in shops, however there are numerous ATMs available that accept Visa and MasterCard and prices are often lower if paying in cash.
Eating out is a national pastime in Greece and whether your choice is a local taverna or elegant restaurant, meals are enjoyed as a pleasurable leisure pursuit. Cretan cuisine is traditional Greek, with meze mixes (consisting of hors d'oeuvres like stuffed vine leaves, meatballs and tzatziki dip) as popular as dishes like moussaka and souvlaki. Tavernas, cafes and ouzeri (bars specialising in ouzo, the aniseed flavoured liqueur) abound in Heraklion. The city is also well supplied with fast food outlets, and restaurants offering international favourites like pizza, pasta, Mexican and Indian specialities, particularly in the main tourist areas like nearby Malia.
A favourite local evening pastime in Heraklion is people-watching from a sidewalk café, sipping coffee or an alcoholic drink, particularly in Liberty or Fountain Square, or at the old harbour beneath the illuminated Venetian fort. The city is well supplied with clubs and bars but the music tends to be either rock-and-roll or Greek popular music. One of the clubs favoured by young holidaymakers is Disco Athina, near the airport. Most of the better hotels offer a Cretan night with traditional performers. Two popular venues for traditional music and dancing are Aposperides and Sordina, both a few miles from the centre of town.
Heraklion offers a vast array of historic and archaeological tourist attractions, including its world-famous museum and the nearby site of Knossos, heart of the ancient Minoan civilisation. However the coastline in and near the city also provides numerous beaches and warm clear water, ideal for swimming and enjoying a variety of watersports. The most beautiful beaches are to be found east of the city stretching between Kartero and Malia, 21 miles (34km) from the city. It is also possible to hire a car or take a tour to explore the various archaeological sites on the rest of the island.
Popular attractions include:
Star Beach Water Park - is located in Herisonissos on the main road heading east. The waterpark caters for young and old with an internet cafe, fantastic restaurants, bunjee jumping, various bars and a DJ, swimming pool with a spring board, jacuzzi, pool tables and various watersport activities on the beach.
For children there is mini golf, a childrens swimming pool, the lazy river, henna tatooing, a grass area for relaxing and full toilet and shower facilities.
Falassara Beach - this lovely long sandy each has been voted best beach in Greece. Located in Falassara Bay, facilities at the beach include sun beds for hire, a good restaurant, hotel and some of the best sunsets in Crete. Another beach that is also good to visit in Falassara is Long beach which is famos for its long white strech of sand.
Hersonissos - this small town located 26km east of Heraklion is Crete's most developed tourism area. If you have a car, Hersonissos is a great place to base yourself and travel to nearby villages such as Ano Hersonissos with its traditional Cretan architecture and some great local restaurants as well as Avdou which is a lovely traditional village.
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Population: 10.668.400
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Greece - Athens
Country Dialling Code: +30
Voltage: 220V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
   
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Greece appeals to different types of tourist, and very few could fail to find somewhere to suit their taste. From bustling Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini. Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a perfect place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside taverna , sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn.
The Olympic Games were spawned in ancient classical Greece, along with democracy and the fundamentals of philosophy, science and mathematics. Modern Greece is better known as a great place to vacation rather than a centre of learning and culture. Today the country attracts by offering simple pleasures: delicious food at reasonable prices, local wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine, quaint villages, a seemingly endless lacework of coastline and little islands full of scenic surprises.
The country exudes traditional charm, particularly on its ever-popular islands, which cling to their stereotypical architecture and way of life despite being often over-run by tourists. Black-clad women still deliver vegetables to island tavernas on panniered donkeys, while bronzed, lined fishermen sit in the sun, drink thick coffee, and play dominoes or dice. The tourist infrastructure has intruded in many respects, but the timeless aspect of whitewashed buildings clustered on hillsides around narrow pebbled alleys has been retained. The myriad islands in the Aegean Sea are easily accessible from Piraeus, the historic harbour of Greece's mainland capital, Athens, by ferry or hydrofoil, offering a unique chance for 'island-hopping'. Many of the larger islands also have airports with connections to Athens or seasonally with major European cities.
On the mainland the city of Athens in the south is sprawling, overcrowded and polluted but nevertheless enthralls visitors, while Thessaloniki in the north is vibrant and modern with a Byzantine flavour. Athens is dominated by its major landmark, the Parthenon: the remains of other wonders of the ancient Greek classical world are to be found mainly on the Peloponnese Peninsula, south of Corinth, the gateway to a veritable treasure trove of history.
Greece and Greeks welcome with open arms the thousands of visitors that flock to admire their national assets every year - no-one leaves without having been warmed, both by the sun and the hospitality. |
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Local Area Weather
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