Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Historical Museum
Sófokli Venizélou 27 • May-Oct Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Nov-April Mon-Sat 9am-3pm • €5 •
T
2810 283 219,
W
historical-museum.gr
he
Historical Museum
lies some 300m west of the harbour, on the waterfront. Its display
gives a comprehensive view of Cretan history, incorporating sculptures and architectural
pieces from the Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish periods as well as documents and photos
of the German invasion of Crete, and folklore exhibits. Local memorabilia include the
reconstructed studies of both Nikos Kazantzakis and Emanuel Tsouderos (the latter both
Cretan statesman and former Greek prime minister). There's enough variety to satisfy just
about anyone, including the only
El
Greco
paintings on Crete, the small
View of Mount
Sinai and the Monastery of St Catherine
and the even smaller
Baptism of Christ
.
Natural History Museum
Sófokli Venizélou • Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm • €6 •
T
2810 282 740,
W
www.nhmc.uoc.gr
Rehoused in a converted old power plant overlooking the bay of Dermatás, is the
excellent
Natural History Museum
, operated under the framework of the University
of Crete, and definitely worth a visit. Covering the ecosystems of the eastern
Mediterranean, flora and fauna, exhibits over four floors detail the island's geological
evolution, the arrival of man and the environment as it would have appeared to the
Minoans. There's also an earthquake simulator and a planetarium, as well as a
child-oriented Discovery Centre with interactive exhibits.
7
The beaches
Iráklion's
beaches
are a short way out, to both the east and west of town.
Ammoudhára
to the west has a large sandy beach that has been subjected to a degree of development,
with hotels lining much of the coastal strip; at the far end there's an ugly power station
and cement works.
Amnissós
, to the east, is the better choice, with several tavernas and
the added amusement of planes swooping in immediately overhead to land at the
nearby airport. This is where most locals go on their afternoons of; the furthest of the
beaches is the best, although new hotels are encroaching. Little remains to indicate the
once-flourishing port of Knossos here, aside from a rather dull, fenced-in dig.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
IRÁKLION
BY PLANE
Iráklion airport
(Heraklion) (
T
2810 397 111,
W
heraklion-airport.info) is right on the coast, 4km east of
the city. Bus #1 goes to the city (every 20min until 11pm;
€1.10); buy your ticket at the booth before boarding. Taxis
can be found at the airport rank (about €14 into town);
prices to all major destinations are posted here.
Airlines
Aegean, Airport office (
T
2810 330 475,
W
aegeanair.com), and Olympic, 25-Avgoústou 27
(
T
2810 245 644,
W
olympic-airways.com), are the
main scheduled airlines with connecting flights to
Athens and other parts of Greece. EasyJet and Jet2
operate direct flights from the UK in summer. Charter
airlines flying into Iráklion mostly use local travel agents
as their representatives.
Domestic destinations
Athens (12 daily with Olympic and
Aegean; 50min); Rhodes (at least 2 daily on Olympic and
Sky Express; 1hr); Thessaloníki (at least 2 daily on Olympic,
Aegean or Sky Express; 1hr 15min).
International destinations
Bristol, Leeds-Bradford,
London Gatwick and Manchester (easyJet and Jet2
April-Oct).
BY FERRY
From the port cut straight up the stepped alleys behind the
bus station onto Dhoúkos Bofór to Platía Eleftherías (about
a 15min walk) or follow the main road west along the
coast, past the bus station and the Venetian harbour, then
cut up towards the centre along 25-Avgoústou.
Tickets
Available from Minoan Lines, 25-Avgoústou 78
(
T
2810 399 800,
W
minoan.gr), which handles the islands
and Athens; and ANEK Lines, Dhimokratías 11 (
T
2810 223
067,
W
anek.gr), for Athens only; or from any of the travel
agents listed on p.451. For the latest timetables for
domestic and international ferries to and from Crete visit
W
cretetravel.com,
W
ferries.gr or
W
greekislands.gr.
Destinations
2 ferries daily to Pireás (9hr); 1 daily fast
catamaran to Thíra-Santorini (April-Oct; 2hr), also fast
boats and hydrofoils (2hr 30min); 4-5 weekly ferries to
Páros, Mýkonos, Íos and Náxos in season.
BY BUS
Bus station A
Near the Venetian harbour. Use this station
for buses to: west to Réthymnon, Haniá, east to Hersónissos,
Mália, Áyios Nikólaos, Sitía, southeast to Ierápetra and
