Heraklion Car Hire
Crete is an island with a fascinating history, centring on the fabulous palace complex of the Minoan civilisation at Knossos. There are other interesting places to visit on the island including the former leper colony at Spinalonga and the deserted island of Chrysi. Avis car hire is the best way to explore this beautiful island! Heraklion is the capital and largest city of Crete. Explore Heraklion driving a hired car by Avis Rent a Car. The capital of Crete is bustling with life the whole year and the choices for the visitors are endless. Drive your rental car from Avis to visit the magnificent Cretaquarium in the region of Gouves, just a few km outside the city, which is the largest aquarium in the Mediterannean. Heraklion is also famous for its sandy beaches and popular resorts. The EU blue flagged beaches of Amoudara, Matala and Hersonissos are going to be memorable for you. Τhe most well known city of Crete is an ideal destination for family and youth, with peaceful places to enjoy the sea and the tasteful cretan cuisine but also with a very lively nightlife. Don’t miss the chance to take your hired car and visit Knossos, the place that gave birth to one of the older and greater ancient civilizations, the Minoan civilization. Discover Heraklion and the meaning of the cretan hospitality and enjoy your holidays driving a safe and reliable car from Avis Rent a Car.
Relax and enjoy your Heraklion car rental with Avis, and benefit from the peace of mind that comes with:
- Over 60 years’ car hire experience.
- A commitment to the highest levels of service.
- Convenient pick-up locations around Crete.
- Options like GPS, child seats and one-way car hire Crete.
- Green cars, luxury cars, family cars and fun cars.
- 24 hour, weekend, weekly or monthly
What to see in Heraklio
- History Museum on Sophocleus Venizelou. Down to the port on the left side of KOULES fortress, along the seafront - it's about half a kilometre along on your left.
- The Archaeological Museum on one corner of the central Eleftherias Square collects together many of the finds from Knossos, Archanes, Phaestos, Zakros and many other archaeological sites in Crete. The museum spans a period starting several thousand years ago, through the Minoan, post-Minoan and later periods.
- The Battle of Crete Museum. Walk down the side of the Archaeological museum on Hatzidaki and at the end, where it meets Bofor street.
- The Venetian Loggia on 25th August Street , 50 metres down the street from "Lion Square" on the right, is now the city hall of Heraklion. You can walk in a take a quick look.
- The Municipal Gallery and Basilica of St. Mark has an ever-changing variety of exhibitions just opposite "Lion Square".
- The Koules Venetian Fortress on the harbour walls, built in the early 1500's.
- Aquarium ("CretAquarium" or "Thalassocosmos"). A 5000 square metre structure, it is both a research centre and a fun, impressive aquarium with 32 tanks representing interesting underwater Cretan sea landscapes and 50 viewing points. 2500 organisms of 200 Mediterranean marine species, from hunter sharks to lobsters, to colourful jellyfish. Placed 15 km east of Heraklion, in Gournes.
- The Palace of Knossos. 20-25 minutes from the centre of Heraklion.
- The recently reconstructed underground Gate through the city walls, accessible from the central section of Eleftherias square.
- One of the best known and most important for direction finding, streets in Heraklion is 25th of August Street, which has now been repaved as a pedestrian street. On the walk down 25th August Street from Dedalou to the sea is the church of Agios Titos, a beautiful building, Byzantine in origin then rebuilt in the 16th century by the Venetians.
- The church of Agia Ekaterini Sinaites - now a theological museum, is on the edge of the square surrounding the much larger and better known Agios Minas. It has some very fine Byzantine
- Tomb of Nikos Kazantzakis The tomb is on Martinengo Bastion, at the southern corner of walls, along Plastira Street. Nikos Kazantzakis is the author of The last Temptation of Christ and Zorba the Greek. The Kazantzakis museum is nearby Varvari village where among others the exhibit includes many of the author original manuscripts, as well as photographs of his theatrical productions.
