Heraklion
All information about Heraklion Cruise Port. Timetable for the arrival of ships, the time of their stay and the number of passengers. Heraklion Port news. Weather forecast and historical weather, as well as water temperatures around Heraklion.
Heraklion: tourist information
Iraklion is the capital of Crete and of the prefecture of Iraklion. It is easily accessible from Athens by at least four flights a day. There are international flights from Iraklion to Frankfurt and to Amsterdam. Between April and October there are charters from many other European cities.
Iraklion is a very busy city, especially during the tourist season, so it is advisable to book reservations for accommodation before arrival, especially during August. If you are travelling by car there are parking lots near the end of Kalokairinou Street at the Chanioporta and below the Archaeological Museum, one of the many uses of a medieval moat. Make use of them and take the opportunity to see the historical monuments.
As you walk up 25 August (Odos 25 Avgoustou) Street you will see numerous agencies advertising tours of all kinds. Santorini, Rhodes, and Mikonos are some of the most visited islands. You can also arrange tours of Knossos, Festos, Gortyn, and the Samaria Gorge. Most of the offices are professional and offer good value. However, to avoid confusion and disappointment, pay attention to the details of the trip, such as: the time of pick up, time of arrival at site, time spent at site, and entrance fees; these may sometimes be vague.
The National Road is easily reached from Iraklion. You can drive to Agios Nikolaos in 1 hr (72km) and Chania in 2 hours (137km). This road is enjoyable and the scenery is spectacular. Drive with caution on all roads in Crete. All means of transportation, including donkeys, farm equipment, and tour buses use the roads at varying speeds. These facts are not truly understood by many of the tourists, or even the locals.
Iraklion is the fifth largest city in Greece and there has been a settlement here since Neolithic times. Although few remains have been found in the city proper, it was probably a port for Knossos during Minoan and Roman times. The Saracens captured it in 824 A.D. and renamed it El Khandak (The Moat) after the moat they dug around it.
The city was regained by the Byzantine Empire in 961 A.D. after many unsuccessful attempts. After the Crusaders occupied Constantinople in 1204, they gave Crete to Boniface of Monferrat who sold the island to Venice for one thousand pieces of silver.
Under Venetian rule the arts flourished and “Candia”, as the Venetians renamed it, became a centre of learning. Many scholars and artists took refuge in Candia after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
The Venetians began construction of the city walls in 1462, which were completed more than a century later. The walls were 4km in length, of a triangular shape and had seven bastions. The Venetians also built the harbour and various other masterly architectural works.
The walls proved their deterrent strength when the city was besieged for 21 years, one of the longest sieges in history. The final surrender came in 1669 after 100,000 Turks and 30,000 Venetians had been killed.
Turkish occupation was heavily resented by the Cretans and continuous guerrilla warfare was waged against the Turks and, in return, the Turks often made reprisals against the Cretan population in the cities.
Iraklion grew in size after the 1913 union with Greece. However, its strategic location again made it a target for invading forces in 1941. The German bombardment during the Battle of Crete caused a great amount of damage and after the war the city was extensively rebuilt.
Chania was originally the capital of Crete. The administrative centre of Crete was transferred to Iraklion in 1971.
Location
Heraklion Cruise Port Schedule
Heraklion in the News
- Nov 24, 2023
Celestyal expands cruise offerings with 3 new countries – Croatia, Montenegro, and Italy. Celestyal Cruises is set to expand its cruise offerings, introducing travelers to 3 new captivati... - Oct 14, 2023
MSC changes East Med cruises for Sinfonia and Musica ships MSC Cruises has made significant adjustments to the Eastern Mediterranean sailings for the MSC Si... - Sep 7, 2023
VIDEO: Ferry passenger dead after being pushed off the ship by crew at Port Piraeus/Athens (Greece) In a tragic incident that unfolded at Port Piraeus/Athens (Greece), a passenger tragically lost h... - Sep 6, 2023
Celestyal starts ‘new chapter’ as Journey sets sail Celestyal Journey, the newest ship in the Celestyal fleet, set sail on its maiden vo... - Jul 2, 2023
Celestyal Cruises reveals design details for newly refurbished ship Celestyal Journey Celestyal Cruises has revealed the details of its newly refurbished and technologically updated s... - Jul 2, 2023
RSSC-Regent unveils 128 culinary-focused Mediterranean cruise shore excursions RSSC-Regent Seven Seas Cruises is taking its culinary experiences to new heights by introducing 1... - Jun 28, 2023
Celestyal Journey to feature ‘elevated’ on-board experience Celestyal has unveiled more details about its new ship, Celestyal Journey, following an extensive... - Mar 24, 2023
Celestyal Journey To Cruise Greek Islands - Cruise Critic Sailing from Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens), these voyages call on Thessaloniki, Crete (He... - Feb 26, 2023
New Costa Fortuna cruise program 2023 to feature 3 different 2-week itineraries Costa is launching another new cruise program that will make its 2023 vacation offer richer.... - Feb 12, 2023
Greece welcomed 4+ million cruise passengers in 2022 Last year, 48 Greek ports welcomed a total of 4,614 cruise ships and 4.38M passengers, the Hellen... - Feb 3, 2023
Windstar Cruises: See the wonders of the Red Sea Windstar Cruises is known for sailing to luxurious ports, and the choice just got bigger with the... - Jan 31, 2023
Greece's largest ports (Heraklion, Igoumenitsa, Pireaus, Thessaloniki) get upgrades using EU funds 4 Greek ports secured EU financing for the implementation of infrastructure upgrades.The m... - Dec 14, 2022
Celestyal Launches Wave Season Savings of Up To 60 Percent Celestyal, a cruise company specializing in the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean, anno... - Nov 19, 2022
Celestyal Turns ‘Black Friday’ Into ‘Big Blue Day’ Holiday Sale Celestyal Cruises announced the launch of its Big Blue Day holiday sale featuring 23 days of crui... - Nov 18, 2022
New Viking Neptune Sets Sail on Inaugural Cruise After being delivered to Viking earlier this month, the new Viking Neptune is departing on its in...
Port rating and occupancy
Port of Heraklion ranks 397th in the world in terms of the number of tourists visiting it.
Number of cruise ship calls in the coming year: 0.
The total number of tourists (passengers) of cruise ships in the port of Heraklion in the next 12 months is 0.
According to the popularity rating among more than 1,000 cruise ports in the world, Heraklion ranks 70.
Weather in Heraklion
Current water temperature in Heraklion now is 61°F (16.2°C)
Water temperature data provided by seatemperature.net.
Annual Weather