Hotels in Heraklion

Ingrid KatzMenlo Park

This is a very lively town with definitely more bars and coffee houses then restaurants. Their old venetian town is very pretty.

Richard MPlatistomo

The cosmopolitan city of Heraklion the capital of Crete with shops, markets, restaurants, stadium. airport,

Constantinos PAthens

History is very much alive in the old town of Heraklion,just like in most Greek cities.From the old Venetian Harbour,the August 25th Str.,leads to the old town's centre.The central square while surrounded by cafes,stores and restaurants is dominated by the fountain of the Lions,built by Morosini the venetian governor in 1628.The Town Hall,is today housed in the Venetian Loggia,a building from the same era and next to it,the plateau and the cathedral of Agios Titos an exceptional monument from the Byzantine era.From the central square the street of the "Central Market"ends at "Kornarou Square"with the coffee house, housed at "Koubes"a Turkish fountain and next to it the "Bembo fountain" built by a Venetian nobleman.To the left "Averof Str." leads to "Eleftherias sq.",Heraklion's main square where the Archaeological museum stands and to the right 'Kyrillou Loukareos Str" leads to Agios Minas cathedral and Agia Aikaterini Museum.All around the old part of the city,a visitor can walk following the Venetian walls that meet at the old port and "Koules",the fortress that dominates the old harbour of the city.The visitor to Heraklion should definitely visit the archaeological site at Knossos and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion that houses most of the Minoan findings in Crete. Special attention should also be paid to the Historical museum of Heraklion that houses findings from the early Christian era to today and the Museum of Natural History.Heraklion today,as a modern town has extensive facilities that cater for all needs of its visitors.There is a lot of hotels ranging from Luxury class to small rent-a-room and youth hostels operating all year round. Most of them are located in the old town.Travel bureaus offering excursions and special events,car hire companies and other tourist related agencies are also close to the old town's center and the port.As far as entertainment goes the options are almost unlimited.Herakliotes are a people that enjoy going out a lot, either for lunch,dinner,a coffee or a drink or all of them the weather of course,helps a lot to this.So there is plenty of restaurants,family taverns,luxury café,snack bars,traditional coffee shops(Kafeneia),music halls with traditional Cretan or Bouzouki(Rebetica songs),discos,small pubs and music bars,either indoors or outdoors open throughout the year and frequented by visitors and locals alike.Heraklion,being the business center of the area,has plenty of stores selling clothes,shoes,jewellery etc.Heraklion's long history and cosmopolitan character is reflected to its rich cultural life throughout the year.A wealth of cultural events from music & dance recitals to theatrical performances,to lectures,to art exhibitions and much more are hosted in the many private or public places that the city offers .The major cultural event in Heraklion is the summer cultural festival,organised by the municipality.It is a three-month extravaganza of music,theatre and dance,both of Greek and foreign performers.Most concerts take place outdoors at several outdoor theatres which have been created out of the bastions of the Venetian walls,adding to the scenery of every performance.

Kat Von B (Travelinggreek)Huntington Beach

Heraklion is the largest city on the island of Crete. The main airport and the the largest port are also here. It isn't as picturesque as Chania. It is chaotic, loud and the beaches just aren't as nice. In all fairness if you drive about an hour out of this city you will reach the most affluent part of the island with the largest concentration of five star hotels.