Why go
- City in Crete, Greece.
- Served by Tatoi Airport.
History
Heraklion, Herakleion or Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece, and the largest city in the Greek islands, with a municipal population of 179,302 (2021) and 211,370 in its wider metropolitan area, according to the 2011 census. The greater area of Heraklion has been continuously inhabited since at least 7000 BCE, making it one of the oldest inhabited regions in Europe. It is also home to the ancient Knossos Palace, a major center of the Minoan civilization dating back to approximately 2000-1350 BCE, often considered Europe's oldest city. The palace is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Greece, second only to the Parthenon in terms of visitor numbers.
Restaurants & places to go
292 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 52 airlines, 104 direct destinations
- Aegean Airlines A3 (A320, Dash 8-400, A321, DH8, A319, A330-200…) · 65 routes: Abu Dhabi, Alexandria, Alexandroupolis, Astypalaia, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Cairo, Chania, Chios, Cyclades Islands, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Heraklion, Ikaria, Ioannina, Istanbul, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kavala, Keffallinia, Kerkyra/corfu, Kiev, Kithira, Kos, Larnaca, Leros, Limnos, London, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Marseille, Milano, Milos, Moscow … +25 more
- Olympic Airlines OA (Dash 8-400, A320, A321, DH8, A319) · 43 routes: Alexandroupolis*, Astypalaia, Barcelona*, Belgrade, Bucharest, Chania*, Chios*, Cyclades Islands, Heraklion*, Ikaria, Ioannina*, Istanbul, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kavala*, Keffallinia*, Kerkyra/corfu*, Kithira, Kos*, Leros, Limnos*, London*, Lyon*, Madrid*, Manchester*, Marseille*, Milano*, Milos, Mykonos*, Mytilini*, Paris*, Paros, Rhodos*, Rome*, Samos*, Skiathos, Skiros*, Sofia, Syros Island, Thessaloniki* … +3 more
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 9 routes: Berlin, Edinburgh, Geneva, Hamburg, London, Manchester, Milano, Paris, Rome
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 6 routes: Bergamo, Chania, London, Paphos, Rhodos, Thessaloniki
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A321) · 4 routes: Berlin*, Duesseldorf*, Frankfurt, Munich
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-800) · 4 routes: Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm
- Air France AF (A319, A320, A321, A320) · 3 routes: Marseille, Paris, Toulouse
- Alitalia AZ (A320, A319, A321, 32S) · 3 routes: Larnaca, Rome, Venice*
- Big Sky Airlines GQ (J41) · 3 routes: Heraklion, Kastoria, Kozani
- Egyptair MS (737-800, Embraer 170, Dash 8-400) · 3 routes: Alexandria, Cairo, Heraklion
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (A321, 737-700, 737-700, 737-800) · 3 routes: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm
- Transavia France TO (737-800) · 3 routes: Lyon, Nantes, Paris
- Air Malta KM (A320) · 2 routes: Malta, Sofia
- Air Transat TS (330) · 2 routes: Montreal, Toronto
- American Airlines AA (A320, A330-200, 767) · 2 routes: London*, Philadelphia
- Croatia Airlines OU (A319, Dash 8-400) · 2 routes: Dubrovnik, Split
- Germanwings 4U (A319) · 2 routes: Cologne, Stuttgart
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800, A320) · 2 routes: Istanbul, Izmir
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A319, A320, A321) · 2 routes: Geneva, Zurich
- Transavia Holland HV (737-800, 737-700) · 2 routes: Amsterdam, Eindhoven
- Aer Lingus EI (A320) · 1 route: Dublin
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A320, A321) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Armenia QN (735) · 1 route: Yerevan
- Air Baltic BT (73C) · 1 route: Riga
- Air China CA (330) · 1 route: Munich
- Air Moldova 9U (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Chisinau
- Air One AP (A320) · 1 route: Venice
- Air Serbia JU (A319, A320) · 1 route: Belgrade
- All America A2 (143) · 1 route: Sitia
- Austrian Airlines OS (A320, A321) · 1 route: Vienna*
- British Airways BA (A320, 767) · 1 route: London
- Brussels Airlines SN (A319) · 1 route: Brussels
- Bulgaria Air FB (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Sofia
- Cathay Pacific CX (A321) · 1 route: Doha
- Cyprus Airways CY (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (737-800) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Emirates EK (777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai
- Etihad Airways EY (A320, A321) · 1 route: Abu Dhabi
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320) · 1 route: Barcelona*
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (734, Embraer 195, Embraer 175) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Middle East Airlines ME (A320) · 1 route: Beirut
- Qatar Airways QR (A321, A330-200, A330-300) · 1 route: Doha
- Royal Jordanian RJ (Embraer 175, Embraer 195) · 1 route: Amman
- S7 Airlines S7 (A320) · 1 route: Moscow
- Tarom RO (737-700) · 1 route: Bucharest
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A321, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (734, 73N) · 1 route: Kiev
- Ural Airlines U6 (A320) · 1 route: Krasnodar
- US Airways US (A330-200) · 1 route: Philadelphia
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320) · 1 route: Barcelona
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Tatoi Airport. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By water: 5 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Piraeus Ferry Port, 17 km); routes include Piraeus - Kamatero, Piraeus - Psara, Chios (Mesta) - Piraeus.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Heraklion (Iraklio), Greece. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Local transit
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.