A Stroll through the layers of Heraklion's Historical Treasures
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About the Tour
About the Tour
Heraklion, once known as Candia, is a historical layer cake waiting to be uncovered by you. Join me as we wander through the centuries, naming some key figures and exploring both well-known and hidden gems.
Stroll along the coastline to the fort in the old harbor. From the remaining Venetian shipyards, you can already enjoy a stunning view of the Koules harbor fort. In the heart of the city, the main square is now called Venizelou Square, but you probably know it better as Lion Square, named after the famous fountain.
During this tour, you will also learn about:
- The 1866 Market Street, named after an event in Crete that caused a significant stir: the self-sacrifice at the Arkadi Monastery.
- The statue of Rotókritos and Aretousa, which represents the themes of love, honor, friendship, and courage, and how it visualizes a romantic Cretan poem called Erotókritos.
- How, in 1966, the skull of Saint Titus was brought back from St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice to Heraklion, and how it is now displayed in the church.
- That the city of Heraklion won an award for the most successful restoration of a historical building, its Venetian Loggia.
- The schoolchildren who, while singing, unloaded a ship and transported its cargo to the Agios Minas Church via a human chain.
- The miraculous story of the bomb that failed to explode thanks to Saint Minas himself.
- The renaming of Liberty Square, once the training ground for the Venetian mercenary army and therefore better known as Campo Marzio or Piazza d'Armi.
- On that same square, the story of former Prime Minister Venizelos, a man of great importance for the island's independence.
At the Archaeological Museum, you are free to spend as much time as you wish admiring the artifacts from Knossos and other Cretan excavations displayed there.
You will end the tour at the monument of three prominent Cretans: Kazantzakis, El Greco, and Kornaros. From there, you can take the bus across the street to any destination you wish, such as the excavation site of Knossos to explore the former Minoan Palace.
Tour Producer
Tour Producer
Mr. Routaki
Bio of AJ alias Mr. Routaki:
Since 1995 I have been coming to Crete. An island that has stolen my heart. The Samaria Gorge was my very first working area and in the following seasons many more regions followed in a wide variety of professions.
And always surrounded by friendly guests who had all kinds of questions. That is why the Routaki routes also provide the information desired by you as a guest of the island.
After completing my tourism education (M.T.R.O.) I found the right activities in this wonderful profession.
Guide, tour leader, resort host, underwater-cameraman, restaurant owner, Jeep safari guide or sailing (flotilla) leader. All these experiences I use nowadays when compiling my information and stories which I incorporate into my car routes and city walks.
Daily life on Crete interwoven with the stories of the many acquaintances I have been able to listen to over the past thirty years.
The first routes were created in 2006 using CDs (and even cassette tapes!!). Parts of routes from back then have now, with the help of the VoiceMap app, grown into a beautiful portfolio of day trips in the three languages I master; Dutch, English and German.
The Infotheek on my Routaki.com website will continue to grow and many more routes and walks will follow.
Some of my goals are to apply augmented reality and to show you the traditions of the olive harvest or wedding ceremonies even outside the usual periods.
I continue to immerse myself in the Cretan culture traditions and customs. I read about recent developments and combine this for you into a wonderful holiday day experience.
Through the many ‘interest media’ I am happy to keep you informed.
Preview Location
Preview Location
Location 8
Koules - harbour fortress
During Venetian rule the so called Koules fortress was also known as 'Ricca a mare' or 'Castello a mare', meaning fortress of the seas. The name that finally prevailed is “Koules” from the Turkish name “Su kulesi”... Read More
View locations and route
How VoiceMap Works
Major Landmarks
Major Landmarks
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Venetian city walls
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Venetian Shipyards
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Rocca a Mare Fortress
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25 august street heraklion
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Venetian Loggia
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Βασιλική Ἁγίου Μάρκου
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Morosini Fountain
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Herakleion Central Market
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Bembo fountain
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Statue of Erotokritos & Aretousa
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Cathedral of Agios Minas
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Old Agios Minas church
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Unexploded bomb next to the Agios Minas Church.
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Ag. Ekateríni Sinaitón (Museum)
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Playground of Theotokopoulos Park
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Herakleion Unknown Soldier Statue
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Plateia Eleftherias
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Venetian Gate St. George
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Statue of Eleftherios Venizelos
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Heraklion Archaeological Museum
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Kritikos Fournos
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Sculpture “Timeless Encounters” (Greco
Getting There
Getting There
Route Overview
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Start locationLeof. Ikarou 9, Iraklio 713 06, Greece
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Total distance4km
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Final locationLeof. Ikarou 42, Iraklio 713 06, Greece
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Distance back to start location34.88m
Directions to Starting Point
The starting point is the (new) bus station of KTEL. It's situated near the port of Heraklion and the arrival and departure point for all the local busses from and to the east part of the island. The street name is Efessou.
If you come by car, you can take the exit to the port and park you car in the neighbourhood, of the port and walk to this starting point.
After soaking up all these spectacular views during this city walk, you can decide to take the local bus to the excavation site of Knossos.
Show Directions
Tips
Tips
Places to stop along the way
Koules Harbour fortress, Loggia, St. Marks basilica, Lions Fountain, 1866 Market street, Bembo fountain, Kournaros square, Agios Titus Church, Liberty square, Archeological Museum, St.George Gate, Bus stop to Knossos Excavations.
Best time of day
You can experience this city walk all day long. Use shadow areas to wait and listen the audio items.
Precautions
Due to the length of the audio information it's wise to bring your smartphone battery charger, to avoid that your battery runs out of power.
Get The App
Get The App
Questions and Reviews
Questions and Reviews
