Knossos is one of the most captivating sites in Crete, a place where history, culture, and myth come vividly to life. A visit here is truly essential for anyone seeking to experience the island beyond the ordinary. With a licensed expert guide, the palace reveals its true meaning. While signage on site is limited, your guide will unlock the deeper stories, symbolism, and significance behind what you see, transforming ruins into a living civilization. Explore the legendary Palace of Knossos, a vast complex of over 1,500 interconnected rooms built for a powerful Bronze Age ruler. Walk through the labyrinthine corridors and discover the Throne Room of King Minos, sacred spaces, royal quarters, storerooms once filled with treasures, and remarkably advanced water-management systems. Optional Add-On: Archaeological Museum (13:30 o'clock) Complete your experience with a guided visit to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and discover the original masterpieces of Minoan Crete (duration 90min).
Very knowledgeable, friendly and engaging guide who took us around the site for more than 90 minutes. Group size was good at 10 and audio devices meant you could always hear every word. The tour was well paced and the content fascinating.
Our guide was wonderful with her stories and myths, really bringing the “palace” to life. There were a lot of groups there but she maneuvered our group to less noisy areas for her talks then lead us up to the point of interest.
Excellent tour! Guide was fun and very knowledgeable. Go early in am to beat the crowds and the heat. Highly advise tagging on the museum tour; it really ties everything together. So much info.
Excellent tour! From start to finish our guide was personable, professional, and knowledgeable. She expertly escorted our small group through the different exhibits and crowds. Having learned so much through our guide, it made our experience at the Archaeological Museum more interesting when we went on our own. The whole time I kept thinking how glad I was that I wasn’t having to figure everything out on my own.
Great tour. Chatzigeorgiou is very passionate about the site and is extremely knowledgeable. She really made the site come alive.
Excellent place to visit if you love history
Excellent tour. Not just the facts, but a real explanation and terrific context setting. She worked to help us have an understanding of the site and the Minoans. Gotta add too, I hurt my back just before vacation (rats) and she was excellent at accommodating me with places to sit.
It was a HOT day They shut down at noon. The guide was great. There were parts of exhibit closed to the public. That was disappointing.
Had a very nice tour with Akrivi. She was knowledgeable and peppered her talk with fun, interesting facts. The tour operator and team were very accommodating and a pleasure to deal with.
A well organised tour with a knowledgeable and engaging guide. Worth paying for skip the line tickets as it gets very busy.
Lots of great information. We liked how the guide made the tour suspenseful and engaging. Missing 1 star only because I felt like the presentation was a tad too rehearsed.
Excellent is it to Knossos. Our guide was very knowledgeable and extremely interesting. Gave us a whole new view on Knossos and the Greek myths.
Excellent tour with Katerina. Learnt an awful lot in a short space of time. Clear, good pace and a fantastic site. Parking is next door and free
The tour was just enough not to long not to short with having my 9 and 10 yr old with me. The guide was very approachable and happy to chat anything related to the palace.
The best time for this tour is in the morning, as soon as the site opens. We met our tour guide in a group of about 10 other tourists. Taxi from Heraklion was €20, bus back was €2.80. The tour guide was knowledgeable and patient, and took us to shaded sites and best areas for photos. Her explanations proved helpful when we visited the archeological museum on our own.
Fantastic tour with an excellent guide, Akrivi. She really explained what we were looking at well and brought the site to life with links to mythology and also what those myths actually symbolise. I would definitely recommend doing a guided tour of this site as there is much more to it than just the ruins.
I did a 9 AM tour with Ms. Akrivi. Knossos is an impressive archeological site with so much history and Ms. Akrivi gave us a comprehensive outline including both history and mythology. Very interesting facts and stories. This tour is surely worth it.
The tour guide was so knowledgeable and the pace was perfect! Going in the evening is a MUST so that you have the cool breeze and shade. We loved our experience!
The culture and history that we had an opportunity to see was priceless. The tour was wonderful. So much more than expected. The tour was about 2 hours. You can learn a lot about the ancient inhabitants that lived and created such a thriving culture.
My family and I had a memorable, educational, and truly wonderful experience with Georgios as our guide. He is so knowledgeable about Knossos and fielded all of our questions including our fascination with Greek mythology and in particular the tale of the Minotaur. Highly recommend visiting the Archaeological museum first as we did (about 3miles away), as it made us better prepared and excited for what we saw in Knossos. Georgios was so good, there were a few occasions where random tourists bent their ears to soak in his knowledge. Worth getting a guided tour for sure.
We really enjoyed the Knossos tour. Having a guide, especially with a skip the line ticket, really was the perfect way to do this!
Very good transfer from Heraklion. Good tour on-site as well. Skip the line is good, as the line can be very long outside.
Great tour, so much information. I highly recommend using this group, they were easy to find and our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable!
The guide was knowledgeable and charming.
Fascinating site and an excellent and knowledgeable guide to share it with us.
Very knowledgeable guide. Kept us away from the crowds where possible. Provided fascinating insight into the history of Knossos in an engaging way.
Our visit was part of a day trip to Knossos Palace and Heraklion. We had a guide at Palace who was very knowledgeable and it was an interesting experience. We had free entry on the Saturday and the original artefacts which are in the museum in Heraklion also had free entry on that day. A very memorable trip and Heraklion was lovely.
My boyfriend and I booked this tour because we wanted to get a detailed tour of Knossos Palace as we are both interested in Greek history and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Katrina, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable of the history of the Palace and was able to provide and excellent tour as an archaeologist/ excavationist of the Palace itself. Would definitely recommend for anyone else who wishes to get an amazing guided tour of the Palace.
Very informative. Revealed the latest information about discoveries at Knossos. Answered questions. Was very personable. Gave an excellent overview of the site.
Amazing and very knowledgeable guide. She had been teaching at the university and we really appreciated her insight and taking the time to share her knowledge and experience. She was up-to-date with current findings and shared insights from recent papers and symposiums.
Our guide Yiorgios was very knowlegable and professional, keeping us out of the hot sun and away from other noisy groups.
It was definitely worthwhile to book a guide for a 90 minute tour and introduction to the Knossos archeological site. She was knowledgeable, engaging, and gave us great insight into how the “Palace” may have looked and functioned during the Minoan rule. She also expertly managed our small group to avoid congested areas, gave us time to admire and take photos, sought out shade for the moments we paused and listened. Highly recommend. Also advise a Skip The Line ticket, as even in April, there was a significant queue at opening time.
I had high hopes for this tour, as I first became interested in the Minoan culture as a freshman in college (40+ years ago). Our guide was more than up to the task. She was very knowledgeable and friendly I learned so much. I have been on many tours In the past few years, including the Acropolis and the Hagia Sophia on this trip. This was the best tour EVER! Brava to our guide.
I was the only one there today, so, unexpected private tour! Yay! Akrivi (hope I got that right!) was very informative and helpful, she knew a lot about the ruins and answered all my questions. Great place to see with a knowledgeable guide.
Knossos is a large and impressive archiologic site. Many guides are ready to explain everything in your language. Come here first before going to other sites for the best tutorial of the Minoan civilization.
This tour is about 2 hours in duration and includes skip the line entry as well as a guide. It is a small group tour so there were about 14 people on the tour with us. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history around the ruins. The tour was educational and entertaining and not too difficult to do. We enjoyed learned about Minos and the Minotaur. No spoilers here! Some of the artifacts were moved to the Archaeological Museum so would recommend going there as well (we didn't, sadly). It is all outdoors so hats, sunscreen, water, comfortable clothing and good footwear are a must.
Well worth the time and money. We had a fairly small group and our guide was excellent. Very interesting to learn about the history
Tour guide was excellent- well-informed, brilliant communicator and interested in her job. Location was fascinating. Café very expensive.
Our guide was knowledgeable, informative and fun, really bringing the story of Knossos alive. Well worth it.
Great guide. Still very hot in Sept but she kept us in the shade whenever possible. Her passion for the subject really showed through. Audio earpieces were OK and clear enough (unlike those on our Parthenon tour ) A great experience.
Very informative tour of a place of such significant history. Knossos is a must do if you are in Crete
A great experience. Our guide taught us some very interesting history (won't spoil it for you). Wear comfortable shoes and wear sunscreen
Our guide was a wealth of knowledge of the history behind the Palace, the people and history of Crete and how to navigate thru the site to avoid the huge cruise ship crowds. Pay attention to the cruise ship schedule when planning to visit attractions near the port. Wish I remembered the guides name (group 12 at 9am on Sep 1, 2025). She was a talented story teller and educator and was truthful in telling what was "fact" vs. what were beliefs or biases as more facts were discovered. For example, despite the focus on calling this a "Palace" and referring to the "King" the current knowledge suggest it was more of an economic and spiritual center and the rulers were female who operated more in a cooperative community. No one had a residence here. As always in society, there was a minority ruling class and majority subservient population. Amazing how much people had to understand to survive 4,000 yrs ago. The cell phone drones of today would not survive, including me. The windows in the room with king's wooden chair were positioned to identify the timing of the 4 seasons to enable them to know when to plant and harvest various crops. Took me a couple of days to figure out which way was N/E/S or W to know when to lay out in the sun at our hotel room. The design of features we take for granted today like sewer systems, the organization of how to ship goods in and out and where and how to store food products is fascinating. Unlike a lot of other places in the world the focus was not on military weapons used to control populations but similar to today the ruling class had immense wealth and power based on their control of economic systems (trade, currency/bartering, etc.). The guide made you aware of the vast network of trading partners around the world that Crete derived its' wealth from by being the hub of activity. Definitely pair your visit hear with a visit to the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion where many of the artifacts from the Palace are preserved.
Very interesting and informative tour. Our guide was an archeologist that had actually worked on digs at the site. Travel out to the site can be done via bus, most people took the bus or a taxi. We paid for the transport which I don’t know if it was needed, but did make everything very easy and stress free if you are not an experienced traveler.
We booked the family skip-the-line guided tour for the best part of €300 We were advised to get there from 20 minutes before the start time. We certainly did that only to discover that there was no space at all in the public car park, where did did several circuits looking for a space. There is no attendant of any kind in the car park giving information or directions, just nothing. I sent the family on ahead to secure our entry while I looked for a parking space along the road near Knossos. I finally found one at some distance which appeared legal as there was certainly no sign saying no parking. Meantime my family had been informed that we were late, had missed our entry slot, and even though the tour was still waiting for us we would need to pay our entry again to the tune of €80. When I protested about this the attendant (there's plenty of them in this part of the site collecting money!) told me that it was clear from the small print of the booking that we had to arrive early to make our time slot. The fact that there was nowhere to park was of no concern to her. So think about the blackmail of this: if I was angry enough to walk away I'd have forfeited the other €220 or so which was the cost of the tour guide. So I had to allow myself to be walked over to the main cashier where the same attendant explained our circumstances in Greek to the lady at the booking desk who, in was is clearly a well-rehearsed scam which they must repeat multiple times a day, pretended not to speak English. Having parted with my money the attendant then walked us through the ticket barrier and the whole of 30 yards to where our tour group was assembled. The tour guide is plainly instructed to spend a good 15-20 minutes of her introduction at this point to enable this fleecing of customers to take place. If I thought it would do any good I would write in outraged terms to the Greek Ministry of Culture. It is a huge stain on their image and reputation of their country, which I other wise love, that they should allow this to happen and for such a prestigious site to be managed by such ruthless profiteers. Aside form this, on a subjective basis, Knossos is a monumental disappointment. The very little that is left above ground is not original and had been reconstructed to give an idea of what it looked like. Nearly everything is below ground and much of that cordoned off. Nearly all the artefacts found at Knossos have been removed to other locations, notably the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion which really is worth visiting. I would strongly advise your customers to avoid Knossos at all costs, at least until professional management and customer service at the site has been established. When I mentioned our experience to the Greek owner of the car hire company in Heraklion that we used, he was astonished that we didn't call the police. Regrettable your review does not permit to give zero or negative stars!
Great way to understand the history of the Minoans and how it all comes together. Good to combine this with the museum ideally.
I feel that without a guide the labyrinth of Knossos would be a boring walk around dead stones. In this tour the guide was awesome and made the place feel alive with her stories. Also I learned a few interesting historical facts. Can only recommend this vs going solo.
Not a big Palace, not really like Egypt but very worth while. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit but would have missed out without our guide who was knowledgable and amusing. We would all recommend this tour!
We had a fantastic private tour of Knossos with a transfer from Heraklion – from start to finish, everything was smooth and professional. Our driver, Giannis, was punctual, courteous, and made the short ride to the site very comfortable. At Knossos, we were met by our guide, Akrivi, who was not only incredibly friendly but also very knowledgeable. Akrivi brought the ancient ruins to life with fascinating stories and insights, making the history of the Minoan civilization both accessible and engaging. Highly recommended for anyone looking to explore Knossos in a relaxed and informative way! Thank you very much once again!
I did the small group starting at 9:00 am, which is perfect to beat the crowds and the heat, and well worth the package, including pre-paid ticket. Our tour guide was friendly and very knowledgeable, making sure to find shady places to stop along the way and giving time for pictures. She shared fascinating background history about the site, culture, and surrounding region. She also pointed out specific locations and facts you would otherwise miss. It's really worth it to have a guide for a large site like the Knossos Palace, especially if it's your first visit, and it's nicely paced at 1.5 hrs. She welcomed all questions at the end of the tour, really enjoyable.
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