Heraklion Attractions: Hire a Car to Discover this Ancient City

Heraklion is the capital of the Heraklion prefecture and its population is around 270.000 people. There have been settlements in this area since the Neotholic times and we can trace the history of the town this far back. One of the sights we can visit today in Heraklion is the Koules Fortress Castle, which is located at Heraklion port. The castle was constructed by the Venetians in the early 13th century, when they conquered the town (Koules means fortress in Turkish). It was built primarily as a storage area for food and military supplies, it also served as a prison and also as quarters for the officers.

Another interesting site in this prefecture is Knossos, the palace of Minos which was excavated in 1990 by Arthur Evans, although a merchant of Heraklion had already found two of the palace store rooms in 1878. The palace is about 130 square meters and it has been suggested as the source of the myth of the Labyrinth since the Roman period. The Labyrinth was an elaborate mazelike structure built for King Minos of Crete and designed by the legendary artificer Daedalus to hold the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull and was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

The palace of Phaistos is located on the east side of the Kastri Hill, at the end of the Mesara valley on central south region of Crete. The palace is consisted of two different parts: the Old and the New Palace. The Old Palace was built in the beginning of 2000 B.C, also known as the Protopalatial Period, and the New Palace, which was built at the same spot when the Old Palace was almost devastated by an earthquake. The New Palace was destroyed in the mid 15th Century B.C and afterwards only some parts of it remained inhabited. The new palace covers a smaller area compared to the old palace, allowing the visitors to see the remains of the old one.

Discover Natural Beauty of Heraklion

With our Heraklion InterCar car rental service, you’ll be able to explore the natural beauty of this province. Heraklion city have many places to explore, inside the city as well as in remote areas. Many picturesque surroundings and beautiful spots are located on the remote areas of Heraklion and to reach those beautiful places, there is always the need to hire a car. You can hire a car in Heraklion and start visiting coastal regions of Heraklion, where you will find golden sand stretched over miles. Heraklion also have some beautiful mountains notably in the south and some beautiful caves and mountain villages. Reach those mountain villages and enjoy the rural life with our car rental service.

Another exciting place to visit with your rented car is Matala. The artificial caves in the cliff of the Matala bay were created in the Neolithic Age. Matala was the port of Phaistos during the Minoan period. In the year 220 B.C. Matala was occupied by the Gortynians and during the Roman period Matala became the port of Gortys. In the 1st and 2nd centuries the caves were used as tombs. One of the caves is called "Brutospeliana" because according to the legend it was frequented by the Roman general Brutus. Matala was then a fishing village. In the 1960s the caves were occupied by hippies who were later driven out by the church and the military junta. Now Matala is a small village living mainly from tourism. Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell's experiences with the Matala hippies were immortalized in her 1971 song Carey.

Eating Out in Heraklion

With a rented car, visitors can make some instant dinner or lunch plans on holidays and visit famous world class hotels or restaurants whenever they want. A rented car can make your spontaneous plans realizable as it gives you the freedom to make your own plans. It’s always a joyful holiday experience to have local Greek food with your family. Many tasty traditional Greek dishes and other variety of dishes represent the taste and culture of Greece.

Rent a car from InterCar car rental and start the exploration!

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Tuesday the 19th.
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