Car Rental in Heraklion - TUI CARS

If you would like to travel by car from Heraklion to the world-famous Palace of Knossos, you can look forward to a journey back in time. Traces of the Minoan high culture, which go back more than 4000 years, tell of the days when the foundations of our present civilisation were built.

Under the sun of Crete the walls of the Palace of Knossos seem to want to tell their story. From the car rental station in Heraklion it is only a stone’s throw to Knossos, but there are worlds between these two places.

Why not drive in a cabriolet or roadster? You simply feel more in an open-top, sense the air, filled with the tang of the sea and the fragrance of olive groves.

The sparse vegetation of Crete thirsts for rain; only the ancient olive trees, thistles and mountain goats can withstand the heat of the summer. Scenes with whitewashed houses and old ladies dressed in black conjure an epoch when time itself plays no part and the hectic rush of everyday life is unknown. Close to the village of Psychro, at the famous Cave of Zeus on the Lasithi Plateau, the years seem to have passed by without any impact. On your tour of Heraklion you will discover many treasures, from small churches to ancient archaeological sites. And, of course, when touring the island you can marvel at the magnificent vistas of the turquoise blue sea coming into sudden view, sometimes when you least expect it.

The mighty cliffs of the Samaria Gorge rise up 600 metres; at the narrowest point, the Iron Gate, the path is only a few metres wide. Every day travellers hike along the narrow paths from the Plateau of Omalos down to the Libyan Sea to experience the unique drama of this awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.

If you are driving from Heraklion to the Samaria Gorge, you can shorten the 17-km long hiking trail by taking the ferry from Loutro to Agia Roumeli. From here, it is only 4 km on foot to the famous Iron Gate. As the national park is only open until 3 pm, you should start your car trip from Heraklion early in the morning.