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Just outside Irakleio, Knosos is by far the most striking of the ancient Minoan palace ruins on Crete. Dating back more than 3,500 years, it was destroyed, probably by a volcanic eruption, around 1450 BC and not rediscovered until the late 19th century (see Ancient Knosos).

The ruins of the Minoan palace at Phaestos, on a hilltop by the south coast of Crete, are second only to those at Knosos. A maze of walls and courtyards marks the site of the Second Palace at Phaestos, built around 1600 BC. Hieroglyphics on the clay Phaestos Disc still puzzle scientists (see Phaestos).

The ruined city of Gortys, with basilica and remnants of a Roman provincial governor’s palace, dates from the early Christian era. The site extends over a wide area, and is usually uncrowded, so it can be explored at leisure (see Gortys).

The well-preserved Minoan town of Gournia, a maze of roofless stone walls, makes an interesting contrast with the better-known Minoan palaces. This was a working community, and archaeologists discovered workshops used by potters, smiths and carpenters alongside tiny houses surrounding a small palace (see Gournia).

A treasury of Minoan relics, including tablets inscribed with the still undeciphered Minoan Linear A script, has been discovered on this site of an L-shaped Minoan villa, built about 1700 BC. The site was later occupied by Mycenaean settlers, who built a megaron (chief’s hall) and a village with a unique row of porticoed shops.

East of the busy summer holiday resort of Malia is an archaeological site of the same name. The Minoan double-axe symbol, or labrys , is carved into two pillars of a small shrine. Excavations are still going on near the palace site.

The fourth largest of Crete’s Minoan palaces, Zakros was rediscovered in 1961 by Cretan archaeologist Nikolaos Platon. The site had not been plundered, and finds included a stunning rock crystal jug, now in the Irakleio Archaeological Museum. Remains of the palace and a cistern can be seen.

This scenic site – with only the remnants of a temple, house foundations and a city wall to be seen – was the last enclave of the Eteocretan (“true Cretan”) descendants of the Minoans. It survived until the 2nd century BC, when it was sacked by Dorians.

The remains of a Hellenistic wall, foundations of two early Christian basilicas, and toppled walls and columns are the only indications that this was once an important city. It flourished until early medieval times, when it was destroyed by Saracen raiders.

Ancient Levin, on a hilltop just outside the modern village of Lendas, is now no more than a scattering of ruined walls and pillars around a stone arch. The site was a sanctuary dedicated to Asklepios, the god of healing. From the 3rd century BC to the Christian era it was an important place of pilgrimage.