Bus to Knossos from Heraklion: complete guide

The bus from Knossos to Heraklion (Iraklio) is a simple, fast, and cheap way to get from Crete’s capital city, Heraklion, to the Palace of Knossos archaeological site and back again. Here you’ll find how to buy tickets and catch the bus, the bus route and stops, the schedule for both directions and the best tickets and tours of Knossos Palace and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum (which you must see!)

Is Knossos Palace Worth Visiting?

The Palace of Knossos is one of the world’s most important ancient sites and is in the top 3 archaeological sites of Ancient Greece.

It is the largest Minoan civilization complex known – the newest of the Palaces covers five acres and is just a few kilometers outside of Heraklion, Greece.

It is the home to the legend of Daedelus’s labyrinth that trapped the minotaur beneath the Palace.

The labyrinth appears on coins minted here during the rule of King Minos, another central figure in Greek mythology as are Theseus and Ariadne.

Knossos was first an important Neolithic community, and several Minoan palaces have been built over the centuries atop the Neolithic ruins.

The most recent Palace is still being excavated and you can see the best in-situ murals and frescoes in Greece in the Throne Room.

Altogether you can spend between an hour and a day at the site, but a three-hour visit is enough time to explore all the areas that are currently open to the public.

And is it worth visiting? – heck yes, it’s phenomenal!

How to Get to Knossos Palace

If you are coming from any of the main centers in Crete apart from Heraklion, Greece (that is, Chania, Rethymno, or Agios Nikolaos), you can drive, take a taxi, take a private transfer, or take a bus or other transport to Heraklion and then a bus from Heraklion.

The bus that travels the north coast route between Chania town and Heraklion does not pass through Knossos.

In this article, you’ll get all the practical info you need to take the bus from Heraklion to Knossos and back again.

Heraklion City Main Bus Station and Bus Zones

The Heraklion town bus station is between the port and the town, just across the road from the Port and the old harbor, backing onto the old city walls. It is called Bus Station A. Bus Station B is just west of the city.

The address of the Heraklion town bus station that you are looking for is 9 Ικάρου (Ikárou), Ηράκλειο (Irákleio/Heraklion), 71306.

The Heraklion City Bus Company runs the Heraklion Urban Buses that have routes within Heraklion (Zone A and within a 5 km radius of the city) and to nearby towns such as Knossos (Zone B, 5-10 km radius of Heraklion).

Buses depart from the main station (Heraklion Bus Station A on the map above) for many destinations but you can easily see the Knossos Bus (which is Bus No. 2), as it waits for its time of departure.

The bus drivers are very friendly and are only too happy to round up the bus driver for you and show you onto your bus! It’s all low-key, friendly, and stress-free.

Where can I buy bus tickets and how much do they cost?

There is a ticket machine at the main bus station immediately to your right after the entrance gate.

At Knossos, you can buy tickets in the kiosk beside the bus station.

You can also buy tickets on the bus. Tickets are one-way €1,50 if purchased at a ticket machine, and €2,00 if purchased on the bus.

Students pay 25% less and all-day tickets are € 5,00, whether purchased on the bus or from a ticket machine.

Bus Route No. 2: Heraklion – Knossos – HeraklionBus to Knossos from Heraklion an Route

The Heraklion City Bus Company would like you to believe that it services this route every 5-10 minutes. This is rubbish. Plan on 20 – 30 minutes.

Here is the timetable for the No. 2 Bus departing from the Heraklion Bus Station at the Port, going to Knossos, and returning from Knossos to the Heraklion Bus Station. You may find that a No. 20 bus pulls up at the Knossos bust stop for the return journey.

It’s important to keep in mind the opening hours for the Knossos archaeological site (which is below).

A/A	Departs Heraklion Port Monday to Friday	Departs Knossos Monday to Friday	Departs Heraklion Port Saturday	Departs Knossos Saturday	Departs Heraklion Port Sunday	Departs Knossos Sunday
1	05.50	06.10	05.50	06.10	05.50	06.10
2	06.20	06.40	06.20	06.40	06.30	06.45
3	07.00	07.20	07.00	07.25	07.00	07.30
4	07.20	07.50	07.20	07.45	07.30	08.00
5	07.55	08.20	08.00	08.25	08.00	08.30
6	08.20	08.45	08.20	08.45	08.30	09.00
7	08.40	09.10	08.40	09.10	09.00	09.30
8	09.00	09.25	09.00	09.25	09.30	10.00
9	09.20	09.45	09.20	09.45	10.00	10.30
10	09.40	10.10	09.40	10.10	10.30	11.00
11	10.00	10.25	10.00	10.25	11.00	11.30
12	10.20	10.45	10.20	10.45	11.30	12.00
13	10.40	11.10	10.40	11.10	12.00	12.30
14	11.00	11.25	11.00	11.25	12.30	13.00
15	11.20	11.45	11.20	11.45	13.00	13.30
16	11.40	12.10	11.40	12.10	13.30	14.00
17	12.00	12.25	12.00	12.25	14.00	14.30
18	12.20	12.45	12.20	12.45	14.30	15.00
19	12.40	13.10	12.40	13.10	15.00	15.30
20	13.00	13.25	13.00	13.25	15.30	16.00
21	13.20	13.45	13.20	13.45	16.00	16.30
22	13.40	14.10	13.40	14.10	16.30	17.00
23	14.00	14.25	14.00	14.25	17.00	17.30
24	14.20	14.45	14.20	14.45	17.30	18.00
25	14.40	15.10	14.40	15.10	18.00	18.30
26	15.00	15.25	15.00	15.25	18.30	19.00
27	15.20	15.45	15.20	15.45	19.00	19.30
28	15.40	16.10	15.40	16.10	19.30	20.00
29	16.00	16.25	16.00	16.25	20.00	20.30
30	16.20	16.45	16.20	16.45	20.30	21.00
31	16.40	17.10	16.40	17.10	21.00	21.30
32	17.00	17.25	17.00	17.25	21.30	22.00
33	17.20	17.45	17.20	17.45	22.05	22.30
34	17.40	18.10	17.40	18.10	22.25	22.50
35	18.00	18.25	18.00	18.25	22.50	23.10
36	18.20	18.45	18.20	18.45	23.15	23.30
37	18.40	19.10	18.40	19.10
38	19.00	19.25	19.00	19.25
39	19.20	19.45	19.20	19.45
40	19.40	20.10	19.40	20.10
41	20.00	20.25	20.00	20.25
42	20.20	20.45	20.20	20.45
43	21.05	21.30	21.00	21.25
44	22.05	22.30	22.05	22.30
45	22.25	22.50	22.25	22.50
46	22.50	23.10	22.50	23.10
47	23.15	23.30	23.15	23.30

Knossos Palace Opening Hours and Admission Tickets

The Knossos Palace Archeological site is open from 8 am until 8 pm in the summer and until 5 pm in the winter.

Tip: There is almost no wifi at the site so download or photograph your tickets before you go, so that you can show the QR code or barcode at the entrance.

Where is the Bus Stop at Knossos Palace?

The bus to Knossos from Heraklion stops in Knossos less than 100 meters from the entrance to Knossos Palace. You simply need to cross the road and walk a little further than the bus stop.

The return journey from Knossos to Heraklion is just as simple with the bus stop almost opposite where you got off the first bus, just past the Knossos Kiosk (where you can buy bus tickets).

Stops on the Heraklion – Knossos – Heraklion Bus Route

There are 22 stops on the No, 2 bus line, including the Heraklion Bus station and the Knossos Archeological site stop:

Τς Λιμανι – Terminal Station Port
Σταθμος Υπεραστικων Λεωφορειων – Bus StationA
Πλατεια Ελευθεριας – Astoria Liberty Square
Αβερωφ – Averof
Εβανς – Evans
Πλατεια Κυπρου – Platia Kyprou
Κατσουλογιωργη Λ. Κνωσσου 6
Τρια Πευκα Λ. Κνωσσου 40
Αγιος Κωνσταντινος
Περτσελακη
Μπεντεβη
Βαρελατζη Λεωφ. Κνωσσου 158
Κεφαλογιαννη Λεωφ Κνωσσου 178
Αγιος Ιωαννης
Λεωφορος Κνωσσου 202
Λεωφορος Κνωσσου 226
Λεωφορος Κνωσσου 244
Λεωφορος Κνωσσου 270
Εφορια Νεα Αλατσατα
Βενιζελιο Νοσοκομειο
Αριαδνη
Κνωσσος – Knossos Palace

The Greeks have adopted QR codes with gusto! At each bus stop you can now scan a QR code to see how long it will be until the next bus arrives.

Heraklion Archaeological Museum

No trip to Knossos Palace is complete without visiting the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which is one of the stops on the No. 2 bus route.

The Heraklion Archeological Museum is located in Heraklion, Greece, and is one the greatest museums in Greece (and I think, in Europe). It is certainly equal in wow factor to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

The frescoes and Minoan murals and the astonishing array of treasures found at the Palace of Knossos make this a crucial stop for anyone who is visiting the archaeological site.

There is nowhere in the world that has such a complete collection of Minoan Art, including the Dolphin fresco from above the entrance to the Queen’s Apartments at Knossos Palace.

The Neolithic collection is astonishing, it will change how you think about Neolithic people. The 6,500-year-old clay cups above date from 4500 BC to 3000 BC and show that Neolithic people who lived at Knossos had personalized drinking cups.

Altogether, about 7000 years of Cretan history are covered here – don’t miss it!

Frequently Asked Questions about the Bus from Heraklion to Knossos