The museums of Irakleion are veritable treasure chests of knowledge about the history, culture and traditions of Crete. What’s more, they have adopted new technologies to provide unique interactive experiences.

The Archaeological Museum of Irakleion

5,500 years of history brought to life

Treasures of world cultural heritage, including the Phaistos Disk, the Snake Goddess figurines, the bull-leaping frescoes from the Palace of Knossos, the gold bee pendant from Malia, and the colorful Kamares pottery, are all beautifully presented in the newly renovated Archaeological Museum of Irakleion. The tour begins on the ground floor dedicated to Neolithic Crete and the Minoan civilization, and continues onto the first floor in the room that features the Knossos frescos. Here, The Prince of the Lilies competes in the beauty stakes with La Parisienne, also known as The Minoan Lady. Returning downstairs, you can conclude your tour at the display of archaic sculptures, which includes some of the oldest in existence in Greece.

INFO | Xanthoulidou & Hadjidaki • Open: 08.00- 20.00 (April 1 – October 31) • Tel. (+30) 2810.279.000

The Historical Museum of Crete

Meet El Greco

Irakleion was the birthplace of Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco, and here at the Historical Museum of Crete you can see two of the artist’s most important works – the View of Mount Sinai and the Monastery (1570) and the Baptism of Christ (1569). The museum is housed in 1903 mansion and covers the history of Crete from the early Byzantine period up to the World War II. Of particular interest is an impressive 15m2 scale model of the city of Irakleion, then called Chandakas. The hall devoted to Christian religious art is also a must-see. Browse through one of the applications designed especially for the museum and when you’re done, finish off your visit in the garden, sipping homemade lemonade while enjoying the sea views.

INFO | 27 Sofoklis Venizelou & 7 Lisimachou Kalokairinou • Open: 09.00-17.00 (April-October, closed on Sundays and national holidays) • Tel. (+30) 2810.283.219, (+30) 2810.288.708 

The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum

The life and times of an eminent Greek

The village of Myrtia, lies 15 kilometers outside Irakleion; it is “the soil where they (the ancestors of Nikos Kazantzakis) were caught and buried,” as the famous writer, poet and philosopher put it in his novel Report to El Greco. During renovations in 2009, the museum took the opportunity to modernize its tour methods, leveraging digital media to create a “living, breathing” space where you can open the drawers of the furniture, browse through the author’s work via touch screens and take an up-close look at the table where he sat and wrote most of his novels. You can also see his pipe, his glasses and his handwritten manuscripts. The room dedicated to Katzantzakis’ epic poem The Odyssey stands out, as does the space with the suspended suitcases that symbolize all his voyages.

INFO | Myrtia, accessible by KTEL bus which departs from the Port of Irakleion • Tel. (+30) 2810-245.020, (+30) 2810-245.019 • Open: Monday-Sunday 09.00-17.00 (April-October). Closed on national holidays • Tel. (+30) 2810.741.689 • www.kazantzaki.gr

The Museum Of Christian Art

Homage to Byzantine Iconography

With the low lighting, an atmosphere of solemnity and prayer chants, it’s easy to think that you’ve come to church instead of a museum dedicated to Christian art. Housed in the largest monastery of the city – St Catherine of Sinai, a 13th century Venetian building – this recently renovated space serves as a small museum while still operating as a church. Among the treasures housed here are 15th century icons attributed to the great icon painter Angelos, as well as six icons by Michael Damaskinos and the 1721 icon of the Virgin Kardiotissa. After the occupation of Irakleion by the Ottomans, the monastery was converted into a mosque known as the Zoulfikiar Ali Pasha. At the coin exhibit, press the button and look left: a section of the minaret which remains visible becomes illuminated.

INFO |  St. Catherine’s Square Open: 09.30-19.30 (April-October) • Tel. (+30) 2810.336.316

Museum of Cretan Ethnology

A look back at everyday living in Crete

More than 3,000 objects, most of which were part of the lives of Cretans up until the middle of the last century, are on display at this museum, in operation since 1973 and located in Voroi, just a few kilometers from the archaeological site of Phaistos. A tour of the two-story 500m2 building is an initiation into popular Cretan culture and into the history of the island. The objects date from 1000 AD until the middle of the 20th century. Another space is dedicated to those crafts that have been lost as professions, such as basket-making.

INFO | Voroi Pyrgiotissis Open: 10.00-17.00, Monday-Sunday • Tel. (+30) 28920.911.10 • www.cretanethnologymuseum.gr

Natural History Museum of Crete

Meet a Deinotherium!

The most striking exhibit at the museum is the model of the third largest mammal to have ever walked the Earth, Deinotherium giganteum. This creature, which lived in Crete 9 million years ago, has been modeled by the scientists at the Natural History Museum of Crete. Set in an industrial building on the coastal road, the Natural History Museum of Crete delivers a full sensory experience, with impressive representations of nature presented in actual scale, as well as a simulated earthquake. Children love the animated dinosaurs and the Discovery Center, where they can play in caves, look for fossils in the sand and watch a video projection.

INFO |Sofoklis Venizelou Ave. (Dermata Gulf) • Open:Weekdays 09.00-18.00; Weekends 10.00-18.00 • Tel. (+30) 2810.282.740