Knossos (also spelled Cnossos) is the largest Minoan palace on Crete, on the southeastern edge of Heraklion. You visit it with an admission ticket, in about two hours, to see the central court, the throne room and the parts rebuilt by Arthur Evans in the early 20th century. Since 2025 it has been part of the UNESCO site « Minoan Palatial Centres ». This page explains what you see, how to read a partly reconstructed site, how to buy your ticket without going through a pointless reseller, and what time the sun rises and sets each month, to choose the coolest moment.
Knossos is most often visited from the island’s capital: see our guide to visiting Heraklion, our page on the best time to visit Crete for the climate month by month, and our Crete travel guide to plan the rest of your stay.
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Knossos: key facts
- Hours and prices: they are published by the Greek Ministry of Culture (Odysseus portal) and the official e-ticketing service hhticket.gr. On October 27, 2026, and again on November 11, 2026, these two sites could not be reached from our tools: we therefore copy no second-hand figures. Check them before you go
- Status: national archaeological site, inscribed in 2025 on the World Heritage List with Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Zominthos and Kydonia (UNESCO)
- Time needed: allow at least two hours for the palace, more with a guide
- Shade: the site is very exposed; in summer, aim for opening time or late afternoon
- Combine with: the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which holds the original frescoes and objects found at Knossos
Knossos in brief: a palace, a city and a myth
The site was occupied from the 7th millennium BC, shortly after the first inhabitants arrived on Crete, according to Wikipedia. A first palace was built around 1900 BC around a central court, destroyed by earthquakes around 1800–1700, then rebuilt: this is the « New Palace » you walk through today, itself destroyed in the second half of the 14th century BC. The complex has more than 1,000 interlocking rooms, which served as an administrative, religious and storage center. It is not fortified.
The ruins were spotted in 1878 by a Cretan antiquarian, Minos Kalokairinos, who opened the first trial trenches. The land was bought in 1900 by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans, who led large-scale excavations, named the civilization « Minoan » after the legendary King Minos and had part of the buildings reconstructed. The palace’s complex plan fed the legend of Daedalus’s labyrinth and the Minotaur. UNESCO stresses that the palatial centers reveal the earliest writing systems in Europe: Cretan hieroglyphs, Linear A, then Linear B.
What to see at the Palace of Knossos
The palace is organized around a large rectangular court oriented north–south, of about 1,200 m² (about 13,000 sq ft) according to Wikipedia. The marked route takes you through the main areas; here are the ones not to miss.
The central court
This is the heart of the palace and the best place to understand its plan. Around it lie the west wing (storage and worship), the east wing (apartments) and the north and south entrances. Take a few minutes here, plan in hand, before getting into the details.
The throne room
On the west side of the court, the throne room preserves a stucco seat surrounded by griffin frescoes on a purple background. Next to it is the « Pillar Crypt », considered the palace’s main sanctuary. The room is small and in high demand: you often see it from the entrance, without going in.
The west wing storerooms
About twenty long storage corridors held large jars, the pithoi. They are a reminder that the palace worked as a « food safe », the phrase used by Wikipedia.
Light wells and the east wing
The palace reached five levels in places. To light such interlocking rooms, the Minoans created light wells that descend several floors, often above small basins known as « lustral ». The grand staircase of the east wing gives the best idea.
The north entrance and the bull fresco
The portico of the north entrance, with its relief bull fresco, is the most photographed image of the site. Like most of the frescoes visible on site, it is a copy: the originals are in the Heraklion museum.
How to read a reconstructed site
The red and black columns, the roofs and some upper floors were rebuilt in concrete in Evans’s time, based on his hypotheses. This restoration helps you imagine the volumes, but archaeologists debate it. Remember a simple rule: what is painted and perfectly crisp is almost always a 20th-century restitution; the irregular stone walls and the floors are original.
Tickets: official site or resellers?
Tickets for Greek archaeological sites are sold at the ticket offices and on the official electronic ticketing service of the Greek State, hhticket.gr. Many platforms resell « skip-the-line » tickets or tours with an audio guide, often more expensive than admission alone: they make sense if you want a guide, a transfer or a bundled package, not for plain access.
Booking a guided tour of Knossos
If you go through a reseller or an agency, check four points: is the admission ticket included or to be paid on top; is the tour guided in your language; the meeting time (opening time is more pleasant in summer); the cancellation terms. Always compare with the price shown on the official ticket office.
Hours, free admission and closures
Hours change with the season and are set by the Greek Ministry of Culture, as are free admission days and reductions. On October 27, 2026, neither the site’s official page on the Odysseus portal nor the hhticket.gr ticket office answered our tools, and the same was true on November 11, 2026. Rather than copy unverified figures, we invite you to check them just before your visit, or to ask your accommodation.
When to visit Knossos: sunrise and sunset month by month
In Crete, heat and light dictate the visit. The table gives, for the 15th of each month, the sunrise and sunset times at Knossos and the day length. It helps you place the visit early in the morning or late in the day, depending on the official hours.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:27 am | 5:29 pm | 10 h 02 min |
| February | 7:06 am | 6:01 pm | 10 h 55 min |
| March | 6:30 am | 6:26 pm | 11 h 56 min |
| April | 6:47 am | 7:51 pm | 13 h 04 min |
| May | 6:15 am | 8:16 pm | 14 h 01 min |
| June | 6:04 am | 8:35 pm | 14 h 32 min |
| July | 6:15 am | 8:34 pm | 14 h 19 min |
| August | 6:38 am | 8:08 pm | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 7:01 am | 7:27 pm | 12 h 25 min |
| October | 7:25 am | 6:44 pm | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 6:53 am | 5:13 pm | 10 h 19 min |
| December | 7:20 am | 5:08 pm | 9 h 48 min |
The takeaway: from May to August the sun rises between about 6:00 and 6:40 am and sets after 8 pm; the site is therefore in full sun throughout opening hours. Arriving right at opening limits the heat. In December the day is nearly five hours shorter than in June, but the visit is more comfortable. For detailed climate, see the best time to visit Crete.
Getting there from Heraklion
Knossos is on the southeastern outskirts of Heraklion. You get there by city bus, taxi, car or organized excursion. We give no journey time or bus schedule, for lack of a readable official source on the day we checked: ask the tourist office or your accommodation. To visit the rest of the city and the archaeological museum, see our guide to visiting Heraklion.
Common mistakes at Knossos
- Believing that everything you see is original: a significant part was rebuilt in the 20th century.
- Visiting at midday in July or August, without water or a hat, on a site with very little shade.
- Buying a « skip-the-line » ticket from a reseller without checking that it includes admission.
- Skipping the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, where the original frescoes and objects are.
- Trusting hours found on a blog: they change with the season, so check them at the official source.
Checklist before the visit
- Check the day’s hours and the price on the official ticket office.
- Bring water, a hat, sunscreen and closed shoes (uneven ground).
- Download a plan or guide of the site.
- Keep an ID document if you plan to ask for a reduction.
- Check entry requirements for Greece and your travel insurance.
What to see around Knossos
Knossos is the first of the six sites of the UNESCO property; Phaistos and Malia can be visited from the same region. In town, the archaeological museum completes the visit: it is all detailed in our guide to visiting Heraklion. For the rest of the island, see our Crete guide and, more broadly, our page on traveling to Greece.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to visit Knossos?
Allow at least two hours for the palace. Add half a day if you also visit the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
Do you need to book a ticket for Knossos?
Tickets are sold at the ticket offices and on the official electronic ticket office hhticket.gr. In high season, buying ahead avoids the queue; check the conditions on the official site.
Knossos or Cnossos?
Both spellings refer to the same site: Cnossos is the traditional French form, Knossos the most common transcription of the Greek today.
Are the Knossos frescoes original?
No: those visible on site are copies. The originals are kept in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
Is Knossos a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes, since 2025, as part of the « Minoan Palatial Centres » property, with Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Zominthos and Kydonia.
When should you visit Knossos to avoid the heat?
At opening time or late in the afternoon. From May to August the sun rises between about 6:00 and 6:40 am according to our NOAA calculation, and the site has little shade.
Our sources
- UNESCO, « Minoan Palatial Centres » (inscription date 2025, list of the six sites), consulted on 27 October 2026
- French Wikipedia article « Cnossos » (history, discovery, palace plan, coordinates), consulted on 27 October 2026
- Greek Ministry of Culture, Odysseus portal, and the hhticket.gr ticket office: unreachable on 27 October and 11 November 2026 (no data used)
- Astronomical calculations: NOAA solar algorithm, applied by Destination de Voyage to the coordinates of Knossos (Wikipedia) (15th of each month, year 2027, clear horizon)
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026. Prices and hours may change: check the official website before you go.