The palace was surrounded by an entire city whose excavation is still ongoing. The canopied structure just west of the compound is described as the crypt.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.64 MILES
Crete’s most famous historical attraction is the Palace of Knossos, the grand capital of Minoan Crete, located 5km south of the city of Iraklio. The…
Heraklion Archaeological Museum
20.3 MILES
This state-of-the-art museum is one of the largest and most important in Greece. The two-storey revamped 1930s Bauhaus building makes a gleaming showcase…
14 MILES
Tiny Spinalonga Island became a leper colony in 1903 and catapulted into pop-cultural consciousness thanks to Victoria Hislop's 2005 bestselling novel The…
20.4 MILES
After six years of restoration, Iraklio’s symbol, the 16th-century fortress called Rocca al Mare by the Venetians, reopened in August 2016 with a brand…
0.07 MILES
The Palace of Malia, 3km east of Malia, was built at about the same time as the great Minoan palaces of Phaestos and Knossos. The First Palace dates back…
12.12 MILES
The fortified hilltop city state of Lato is one of Crete’s best-preserved non-Minoan ancient sites and worth the trip for the rural serenity and stunning…
20.69 MILES
If you’re wondering what Crete’s been up to for the past, say, 1700 years, a spin around this engagingly curated museum is in order. Exhibits hopscotch…
13.18 MILES
This tiny triple-aisled church on the main road shelters Crete's best-preserved Byzantine frescoes. The oldest in the central nave (13th century) depict…
Nearby attractions
0.03 MILES
This small exhibition hall near the entrance to the ruins features photographs of the excavation work begun in 1915 by Iosef Chatzidakis and continued by…
0.03 MILES
Called the lustral basin partly because of historical translations into English, this was where 'symbolic cleansing' took place as part of religious…
0.04 MILES
These apartments are referred to as the king's and queen's megarons, or royal halls.
0.05 MILES
The west magazines were the palace's storerooms for agricultural products. It was believed that if there was a bad harvest, these reserves were…
0.05 MILES
The area known as the North Court was once lined with workshops and storage rooms.
0.05 MILES
Strangely situated and at odds with the rest of the design of the palace, this building has been dated to the 13th century BC, and was probably used by…
0.06 MILES
Located behind a stone-paved vestibule within the west wing of the palace, the pillar crypt is believed to have harboured the most important rooms.