Heraklion Attraction Tours and Guides
Most attraction tours around Heraklion follow the same few stops: Knossos, the Archaeological Museum, the Messara Plain in the south, a wine village or two, and, at the far end of the scale, the coach days to Spinalonga and Samaria. This page covers each in turn, from a two-hour guided walk to a full day away. Entry fees are usually extra, so ask what a tour price includes.
At a glance
| Outing | Site entry fee |
|---|---|
| Knossos with a guide | EUR 20, reduced EUR 10 |
| Archaeological Museum | EUR 20 in summer, EUR 12 in winter |
| Phaistos and Gortyn | Phaistos EUR 15, reduced EUR 8 |
| Spinalonga by coach and boat | EUR 20, reduced EUR 10, boat extra |
| Samaria Gorge | about EUR 10, tour day of 12 to 17 hours |
Knossos
Licensed guides wait near the entrance gate, and their rates vary, so agree the price and the length of the walk before you start. A guide is most useful here because much of the palace was rebuilt in concrete between 1900 and 1931, and it is hard to tell original stone from reconstruction without help. Knossos is part of the UNESCO-listed Minoan Palatial Centres, inscribed in July 2025. The ticket is separate from any tour fee, and the site can close early or completely in bad weather, so a pre-booked group tour is worth checking against the forecast.
The Archaeological Museum
A guided hour at the museum on Xanthoudidou makes sense for the Phaistos Disc, the Snake Goddess figurines and the Bull-Leaping fresco. Many visitors see the museum before or after Knossos, since the palace is the setting and the museum holds finds from the Minoan world. On Wednesdays the museum opens later than on other days, at 13:00 in summer and 10:00 in winter, so avoid a Wednesday morning in the warm months. Check the photography rules at the door.
Phaistos and Gortyn
These two sites lie on the Messara Plain, roughly 60 to 75 km south of Heraklion and about 1.25 to 1.5 hours away by road. Phaistos costs EUR 15, or EUR 8 reduced, with summer hours of 08:00 to 20:00 that shorten in September and October and winter hours of 08:30 to 15:30. Gortyn has winter hours of 08:30 to 15:30 as well. Phaistos is part of the UNESCO-listed Minoan Palatial Centres, while Gortyn and Agia Triada are not. Matala lies on the same side of the island, and its caves cost about EUR 5 in cash.
Wine villages
Wineries around Archanes and Peza can fill a half day. Estates set their own tasting days and fees, so contact the one you want before travelling.
Coach tours that take all day
Organised trips to Spinalonga and Samaria Gorge leave Heraklion, but each runs 10 hours or more. Spinalonga is reached by boat from Plaka, Elounda or Agios Nikolaos, never from Heraklion itself. Island entry is EUR 20, or EUR 10 reduced, and the boat is paid on top. Samaria is a tour day of roughly 12 to 17 hours, with about three hours each way by coach. The gorge is open from about 1 May to 31 October, weather permitting, and closed from 1 November.
Where to check
Official prices sit on the Hellenic Heritage Phaistos page and the Spinalonga page . To compare group and private options, try Viator for Heraklion attractions or GetYourGuide for Knossos .
Read more: day trips from Heraklion gives distances and timings for each trip, and Knossos has background on the palace.