Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The World'S Main Collection Of Minoan Art: The Original Knossos Frescoes, The Phaistos Disc, The Snake Goddesses And The Bull Leaping Fresco · Heraklion, Crete

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum holds the world's main collection of Minoan art, the finds of Europe's first great Bronze Age civilisation, gathered from Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Hagia Triada and the sacred caves of Crete. This is where the originals are: the frescoes you see as copies on the walls at Knossos hang here, among them the bull-leaping fresco, the Prince of the Lilies and the lady nicknamed La Parisienne. Downstairs the galleries run in order of time from the Neolithic to the Roman period, with the Phaistos Disc, still undeciphered, the faience snake goddesses, the bull's-head rhyton, the gold bee pendant from Malia and the painted Hagia Triada sarcophagus. Rebuilt and reopened in full in the 2010s after a long closure, it is bright, well labelled in English and compact enough for a morning. It turns Knossos from a walk around stones into a picture of a whole world. The honest caveat: from about 10:00 to 13:00 cruise and coach groups crowd the key rooms, especially the Phaistos Disc case and the fresco gallery, so come at opening or in the late afternoon.

Xanthoudidou 2, Heraklion, beside Eleftherias Square; about 5 km from Knossos, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

State museum, open all year. Summer hours (roughly April to October) usually run from about 08:00 to 20:00 daily; winter hours are shorter, often closing around 15:00-17:00, and some weekday patterns change - confirm current hours. Closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December, with shorter hours on some other holidays. It stands on Xanthoudidou street beside Eleftherias Square in central Heraklion, about 10-15 minutes on foot from the port and a short taxi or bus ride from the airport. Buy tickets from the official Hellenic Heritage e-ticket system or at the desk; the combined ticket with Knossos saves money. No reservation is needed, but a timed ticket skips the queue.

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