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Quick answer
Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum are two halves of one story. Knossos is the palace site, excavated systematically by Arthur Evans from 1900 to 1931; Visit Greece says it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025, and Hellenic Heritage says it was inscribed together with five other Minoan palaces. The museum in Heraklion holds the palace's original finds: Visit Greece names the frescoes and the colossal storage jars, and Hellenic Heritage names the Prince of the Lilies, La Parisienne and the Bull Leaping mural from Knossos in its mural gallery. Both describe Evans's restorations at the site as controversial. XTOUR plans both from Heraklion and states no prices, hours or travel times.
The short answer
Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum are two halves of one story. Knossos is the excavated Minoan palace and town. The museum, in the city of Heraklion, holds what came out of the ground there. Visit Greece's page on the palace says the original finds, such as the frescoes and the colossal storage jars, are in the museum, not at the site.[2]
XTOUR plans both from Heraklion. The museum is in the city; Knossos is a separate archaeological site, which Visit Greece places on Kefala Hill near Heraklion, and XTOUR does not treat it as part of the city.[2] XTOUR has no routing data and gives no travel time between them.
Knossos: the palace site
Knossos has been dug for well over a century. Hellenic Heritage says the first excavations on the Kephala hill were made in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos, a merchant and antiquarian, and that Arthur Evans carried out the first systematic excavations from 1900 to 1931, uncovering the palace and a large part of the town. The same page puts the site's heyday in the Minoan period, from 2000 to 1350 BC, with a first palace of around 2000 to 1900 BC rebuilt on a grander scale after an earthquake in 1700 BC.[1]
Visit Greece says Knossos was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025.[2] Hellenic Heritage says it was inscribed together with five other Minoan palaces,[1] and its page for Phaistos, which it calls second in size only to Knossos, says the same of that palace.[5]
Why parts of Knossos are modern
What a visitor walks through at Knossos is not all ancient. Hellenic Heritage says Evans carried out extensive restoration work, both architectural and decorative, and that his interventions were considered controversial by many; it adds that without them the red columns would most likely not have become the trademark of Minoan Knossos.[1] Visit Greece likewise calls his restorations "controversial yet impressive".[2]
XTOUR's reading is that this is worth knowing before a visit. The restorations help a visitor imagine the palace, but they are Evans's early twentieth-century interpretation of it, and the original frescoes are in the museum.[2]
The museum: the finds
Hellenic Heritage describes the museum, which reopened refurbished in 2014, as holding the most important collection of Minoan antiquities in the world, displayed in 27 halls. Its building was designed by the architect Patroklos Karantinos.[4][3]
Two kinds of Knossos material are named in the pages XTOUR read:
- Wall paintings. Hellenic Heritage says the Minoan murals have their own gallery, dominated by paintings from the palace of Knossos: the Prince of the Lilies, the fresco Evans named "La Parisienne", and the Bull Leaping mural.[3]
- Storage jars. Visit Greece names the colossal storage jars from the palace among the original finds in the museum.[2]
Hellenic Heritage's page also names objects from elsewhere on Crete, among them the Phaistos Disc and a gold bee ornament from Malia, so the museum covers more than Knossos.[3]
One, the other, or both
XTOUR's reading is that the museum explains Knossos better than Knossos explains itself, because the originals are there. The site gives the layout, the scale and the setting, which no gallery can. A visitor who can see only one should know what they are giving up: the site without the museum lacks the original art; the museum without the site lacks the place. XTOUR does not rank them or suggest an order.
| Knossos | Heraklion Archaeological Museum | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Minoan palace and town site, excavated by Evans from 1900 to 1931 | Museum of Cretan archaeology in Heraklion |
| What you see | The excavated palace, with Evans's restorations | Frescoes, storage jars and other finds from Knossos and the rest of Crete |
| UNESCO | Recognised in 2025, with five other Minoan palaces | Not named as part of the listing in the pages XTOUR read |
| Relation to Heraklion | Planned from the city, not part of it | In the city |
Where the sources disagree
The pages XTOUR read do not agree on when the present museum building went up. Hellenic Heritage dates it to 1937 to 1940.[3] The Municipality of Heraklion's page gives 1933 to 1937, on the site of a Venetian Franciscan friary destroyed by an earthquake in 1856.[4] XTOUR does not choose between them.
The two pages also describe the refurbishment differently. Hellenic Heritage says the refurbished museum opened in 2014,[3] while the municipal page says the main building was closed for interior renovation from November 2006 to May 2013.[4] Hellenic Heritage gives 1900 as the year the museum was founded; the municipal page gives no founding year.[3]
What XTOUR does not tell you
XTOUR does not publish prices, opening hours, closing days, booking rules or accessibility for Knossos or the museum, and it does not say whether any ticket covers both. Hellenic Heritage's pages for the site and the museum publish their hours and ticket prices.[3][1] XTOUR's records give Phaistos and Malia no base, Heraklion included; the guide to Phaistos and Malia compares those palaces with Knossos.
Sources & references
- [1]Hellenic Heritage (hh.gr, operated by ODAP), 'Knossos: At the palace of King Minos': first excavations on the Kephala hill in 1878 by the merchant and antiquarian Minos Kalokairinos; first systematic excavations by Arthur Evans in 1900-1931, unearthing the palace and a large part of the town; inhabited from the Neolithic to Roman times, heyday in the Minoan period (2000-1350 BC), first palace around 2000-1900 BC, rebuilt larger after an earthquake in 1700 BC; palace of 22,000 m2; Evans 'carried out extensive restoration work, both architectural and decorative', interventions 'considered controversial by many'; 'recently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with five other Minoan palaces'. Read 2026-10-09
- [2]Visit Greece (Greek National Tourism Organisation), 'The Palace of Knossos': 'recognised in 2025 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site'; on Kefala Hill near Heraklion; peak 2000-1350 BC; 'At the southern entrance, visitors are greeted by the Prince of the Lilies'; excavations began in 1878 under Minos Kalokairinos, discovery of the palace attributed to Arthur Evans (1900-1931), 'who also undertook controversial yet impressive restorations'; 'The original finds, such as the frescoes and the colossal storage jars, are housed in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion' (a driving time is given and not restated). Read 2026-10-09
- [3]Hellenic Heritage (hh.gr), 'Archaeological Museum of Heraklion: The priceless heritage of the Minoan civilization': exhibits from the Neolithic (7000 BC) to Roman times (3rd century AD); 'Although the museum was founded in 1900, the building accommodating it was erected during 1937-1940, to the designs of the great architect Patroklos Karantinos'; the refurbished museum opened in 2014, with 'the most important collection of Minoan antiquities in the world' in 27 halls; names the bull's-head ritual vase, the Malia bee pendant, the Snake Goddesses and the Phaistos Disc; 'The Minoan murals rightfully have their own gallery, dominated by the famous paintings from the palace of Knossos: the Prince of the Lilies, the dazzling La Parisienne, named by the archaeologist Arthur Evans ... and the Bull Leaping mural'. Read 2026-10-09
- [4]Municipality of Heraklion (heraklion.gr), 'Archaeological Museum': 'The present building was constructed between 1933 and 1937 to plans by P. Karantinos, on the site of the imposing Venetian Franciscan friary destroyed by an earthquake in 1856'; finds from all over Crete covering over 5,500 years; 'the most important collection of Minoan antiquities the world over'; main building closed for interior renovation from November 2006 to May 2013. Read 2026-10-09
- [5]Hellenic Heritage (hh.gr), Phaistos page: 'The Palace of Phaistos, second in size only to that of Knossos ... is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage monument, along with five other Minoan palaces'. Read 2026-10-09
Frequently asked questions
Good to know
Are the frescoes at Knossos originals?
According to Visit Greece's page on the Palace of Knossos, the original finds, such as the frescoes, are housed in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, and Hellenic Heritage's museum page names the Prince of the Lilies among the paintings from the palace in the museum's mural gallery. The same Visit Greece page also says visitors to the site are greeted by the Prince of the Lilies at the southern entrance. Neither page says what the panel at the site is made of, so XTOUR does not describe it.
Is Knossos a UNESCO World Heritage site?
Yes. According to Visit Greece, Knossos was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025, and Hellenic Heritage's Knossos page says it was inscribed together with five other Minoan palaces.
Who excavated Knossos?
According to Hellenic Heritage's Knossos page, the first excavations on the Kephala hill were carried out in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos, a merchant and antiquarian, and the British archaeologist Arthur Evans led the first systematic excavations from 1900 to 1931, uncovering the palace and a large part of the town.