Heraklion City
HERAKLION, the capital of Crete, is an administrative, industrial and commercial center.
It is the largest city and the capital of Crete.
For centuries it was known as Candia.
Heraklion has many interesting sights:
- The Old Harbor to the left of the busy modern port
- The Venetian fortifications, the most important defense work of the Venetian period
- The Church of Agios Titos, the patron saint of the island in which his holy skull is kept.
- The basilica of San Marco, built by the Venetians and dedicated to their patron saint.
- The Cathedral of Agios Minas
- The Loggia, one of the most elegant Venetian buildings in the town, which houses the Town Hall.
- The Vikelaia Library, which contains 80.000 books.
- The Municipal Market, one of the most picturesque sections of the modern capital of Crete.
- The characteristic fountains – the Morosini, Bembo and Priouli or Delimarkou – that have adorned the town ever since the Venetian period.
- The Archaeological Museum in Heraklion has one of the finest and richest collections in Greece.
The exhibits collected from excavations carried out in all parts of Crete come mainly from the prehistoric era and form a valuable record of the artistic, social and economic life of the island during the ancient period. - It is also worth visiting the Historical and Ethnographic Museum and the Collection of Byzantine Icons or Museum of Ecclesiastical Arts, which is housed in the basilica of Agia Ekaterini.
- A visit to the Historical Museum of Crete will bring to life for you the history and culture of Crete, from the first centuries of the Christian era to our present time. The collections are displayed on three floors, arranged chronologically and by subject.
Heraklion City
Heraklion has extensive facilities that cater for all needs of its visitors.
There are numerous hotels units, apartments and rooms to let of all categories.The town has many restaurants and taverns of Greek and International cuisine, a big number of cafes, bars and nightclubs.
The capital being the business center of the area, has plenty of stores selling clothes, shoes, jewellery etc.
