Imagine life in a palace 4000 years ago, with all the splendour of royalty. The Palace of Knossos and King Minos is a true archaeological masterpiece that will take you on a tour of what life was like in Minoan Crete, representing Europe’s earliest city and civilisation.

Begin your 2-hour trip to Heraklion and Knossos in the morning, stopping for breakfast at the picturesque seaside town of Rethymnon. Head on to the Palace for a professional tour of its terraces, halls, bathing quarters, and stores. Unlike palaces of recent times, Knossos palace was not just the home of royalty, but the centre of government, trade, art, economy and food storage.
You can still see evidence of how the palace was decorated with bright colours, admire the mixed stone and wood architecture, feel the energy of the ancient world and learn about a mysterious early society that only lived to middle age, despite all its achievements.

After a magnificent tour, head to the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, which will impress you with its walk through different Cretan civilisations spanning over 5,500 years of history. You’ll find fine pieces of jewellery and objects from the palace itself, many excavated by notable British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans (1851–1941) and his team over 35 years.

After admiring the museum’s collections, walk around the alleyways of Heraklion and enjoy lunch in Crete’s seaside capital before heading back to Chania in the afternoon.