Palace of Faistos
Palace of Faistos
4
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
The ruins of an ancient Minoan palace, popular among tourists.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
1,050 reviews
Excellent
489
Very good
361
Average
141
Poor
46
Terrible
13
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Raserna d
Leon, Spain1,114 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
The archaeological site of Phaistos is one of the imposing Minoan palaces that can be seen in Crete. It is easily located by car, as it is quite well signposted. It has a large area to park vehicles for free.
The venue opens daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and general admission costs eight euros. Our visit lasted approximately an hour and a half. It is a complicated route for people with reduced mobility due to the irregular terrain and the steps and loose stones found in the site. You can find explanatory signs in English that help you learn more about what you are visiting, although they are not too abundant. There are bathrooms, a souvenir shop and a cafe.
The palace was built on a hill from which there is a good view of the surrounding valley. The construction dates back to approximately the 17th century BC. The organization of the rooms and patios is similar to that of other Minoan palaces. The most relevant places are covered and correspond to the old palace and the royal rooms with the peristyle patio. Personally, a patio with longitudinal steps whose specific function is unknown also caught my attention, as well as the large central patio in which games or rituals with bulls were supposedly practiced. Phaistos has far fewer visitors than Knossos, and does not have as many reconstructed parts. Furthermore, the landscape is much more beautiful in Phaistos. In this place appeared the enigmatic baked clay disc that can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and whose content and function are unknown.
It is an essential destination for lovers of history and archeology, although it has similarities with the other Minoan palaces, each one has a different degree of conservation and in each one certain details can be seen better than in the others. If you visit during very hot hours, it is advisable to bring water and protection from the sun. We arrived around 6:30 p.m. and saw them comfortably, without too many people and without the heat.
Personally, it was a magnificent experience, more pleasant than Knossos or Malia, although for those who do not like to see “stones”, I do not think it will be worth the effort to get to know it. It is impressive to see what they were able to build four millennia ago, due to its dimensions and sophistication.
The venue opens daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and general admission costs eight euros. Our visit lasted approximately an hour and a half. It is a complicated route for people with reduced mobility due to the irregular terrain and the steps and loose stones found in the site. You can find explanatory signs in English that help you learn more about what you are visiting, although they are not too abundant. There are bathrooms, a souvenir shop and a cafe.
The palace was built on a hill from which there is a good view of the surrounding valley. The construction dates back to approximately the 17th century BC. The organization of the rooms and patios is similar to that of other Minoan palaces. The most relevant places are covered and correspond to the old palace and the royal rooms with the peristyle patio. Personally, a patio with longitudinal steps whose specific function is unknown also caught my attention, as well as the large central patio in which games or rituals with bulls were supposedly practiced. Phaistos has far fewer visitors than Knossos, and does not have as many reconstructed parts. Furthermore, the landscape is much more beautiful in Phaistos. In this place appeared the enigmatic baked clay disc that can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and whose content and function are unknown.
It is an essential destination for lovers of history and archeology, although it has similarities with the other Minoan palaces, each one has a different degree of conservation and in each one certain details can be seen better than in the others. If you visit during very hot hours, it is advisable to bring water and protection from the sun. We arrived around 6:30 p.m. and saw them comfortably, without too many people and without the heat.
Personally, it was a magnificent experience, more pleasant than Knossos or Malia, although for those who do not like to see “stones”, I do not think it will be worth the effort to get to know it. It is impressive to see what they were able to build four millennia ago, due to its dimensions and sophistication.
Written June 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CCM_RUBA
Villeneuve-les-Avignon, France24 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
First of all, go to this site either early in the morning or late in the evening during opening hours because yes, in the middle of the day, there is no shade and it is super hot. The site itself is very pretty. Thanks to the explanations, it is easy to imagine and recognize each place of the ruined site and if you look a little deeper, you can guess its usefulness. Some reviews say that it is poorly indicated but for my part, I find it rather well indicated. The site is very beautiful, just a little disappointment in the fact that we did not have access to the entire site for a reason unknown to me. I recommend it for people who want to walk because the landscapes offered by this site are not bad.
Written August 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Spiderdog
Cheshire, UK8,134 contributions
Sep 2022
This is the second most important Minoan palace after Knossos and we visited when on a road trip in Crete recently.
The setting is lovely, high up with views of farmland. The site itself is well signed with a logical route to follow although we used additional guidebooks to help us work out what everything was. There is also ongoing work still with further excavation taking place on the site.
The most important treasures from Phaestos are now on display in the museum in Heraklion.
There is also a pleasant cafe on site for drinks and food and the attached terrace had great views.
The setting is lovely, high up with views of farmland. The site itself is well signed with a logical route to follow although we used additional guidebooks to help us work out what everything was. There is also ongoing work still with further excavation taking place on the site.
The most important treasures from Phaestos are now on display in the museum in Heraklion.
There is also a pleasant cafe on site for drinks and food and the attached terrace had great views.
Written October 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sophie201408
Caen, France115 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Average reception, no leaflet in French. Free tour. I advise visiting before Knossos. We visited Knossos with a guide who was a little expensive but very useful for the subsequent visit to Phaitos. Please note, it is not possible to have a guide in Phaitos.
Written November 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
christine409
Southampton, UK21 contributions
Jul 2022
We had the opportunity to only visit either Phaistos or Knossos, and after reading the reviews on Knossos (big crowds, much currently inaccessible) I decided to opt for Phaistos. What a great decision this was! It is a magical place for anyone who like me wants to get the feel of a historical place. You can walk, step and sit on stones where Minoans did so almost 4000 years ago, and enjoy the stunning views like they did. The site was unspoiled and free from crowds. Lots of informative plates around to give you all the information you need, though I wish I had picked up the guidebook at the shop before I entered.
Written July 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rosentel
Bournemouth, UK350 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Well what a breath of fresh air and we're not just talking about the views across the beautiful countryside. After visiting the crowded Knossos it was an absolute pleasure to stroll around unhindered by tour guides with large groups of people cluttering up all the really interesting exhibits. This is a great place for a bit of history in a nice location where you can see everything at your own pace. The signage is informative which made a big difference, there is a nice café where you can sit in a shady patio for a snack. We had an pleasant journey through the countryside to get there, all in all a thoroughly enjoyable experience
Written October 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dj c
Darlington, UK74 contributions
Jul 2023
Having been to Knossos, if you're short of time I wouldn't bother and come here instead. Much more authentic, much less crowded, much better signed and interpreted.
some areas roped off had clearly previously been available to see which was a bit disappointing .
overall the site is interpretable to the amateur archaeologist with the good interpretation boards and there is a minimum of concrete , looking usually to hold antiquities up rather than lots of reconstruction, which seems minimal.
No paining of concrete to look like wood ! No lashings of red paint or facsimile frescoes.
a trip to Heraklion museum first helps.
Good cafe on site
some areas roped off had clearly previously been available to see which was a bit disappointing .
overall the site is interpretable to the amateur archaeologist with the good interpretation boards and there is a minimum of concrete , looking usually to hold antiquities up rather than lots of reconstruction, which seems minimal.
No paining of concrete to look like wood ! No lashings of red paint or facsimile frescoes.
a trip to Heraklion museum first helps.
Good cafe on site
Written July 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marvmary
104 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
We missed out on Knossos as the day we planned to go was so hot we knew we wouldn’t enjoy the experience. We decided to visit here during our tour as we were staying nearby and were amazed by the experience. Although it was still hot we arrived early to find very few people around. The site was so interesting and the views were spectacular- it felt very atmospheric. I definitely think we made the right decision to visit this site!
I would recommend the cafe - very friendly lady who made excellent cafe freddo for us both!!!
I would recommend the cafe - very friendly lady who made excellent cafe freddo for us both!!!
Written September 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oronic
Cesena, Italy1,452 contributions
Jul 2020
To breathe an authentic Minoic atmosphere, you cannot miss a visit to this very interesting site. I found it most interesting than Cnosso palace, which in my opinion is too much artificial in its reconstruction. Duration of the visit is just an hour. In summer it is almost entirely in the sun, so it is better to bring water and hats. However, it’s a pity that some parts are closed to the visitors, despite you pay the ticket entirely.
Written August 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dani S
Florence, Italy2 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
While i was in the area i take a seed of a plant. Immediately a guard of the site shout me: let It on the ground! From this area Is forbidden to take anything!
A typical example of how burocracy applied with strict nosense ruins a good experience. By the way i found another of that seed two Meter outsider the aerea.....
A typical example of how burocracy applied with strict nosense ruins a good experience. By the way i found another of that seed two Meter outsider the aerea.....
Written June 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Μπορείς να πάρεις τηλέφωνο. Το τηλέφωνο θα το βρεις μέσω Google.
Written January 30, 2020
Hello, can you reach the site using public transport? If yes, which bus from Heraclion?
Written October 7, 2019
Si può visitare in costume+copricostume tornando dalla spiaggia?
Written July 23, 2019
L'area è completamente all'aperto. Noi ci siamo andati al ritorno dal mare, in maglietta, pantaloncini e ciabatte. Non mi pare di aver visto segnali di divieti in merito. Consigliato capellino o ombrellino.
Written July 24, 2019
Désolé, je ne les ai plus en mémoire.
Written June 21, 2019
Hi, John181730. What would you like to know about this attraction?
Thank you for your review. Do you remember the Opening Hours? I find one website which tells me that Phaistos is closed on weekends......which is when I plan to visit. Regards, John
Written July 2, 2018
Sorry, I can't really help. We were there midweek. However, you might try this website which suggests that it is open every day. odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh355.jsp?obj_id=2363
Written July 3, 2018
Vorrei visitare il sito con una guida. A chi posso rivolgermi? Grazie
Written July 8, 2017
Io e mia moglie cj siamo stati a fine maggio di quest'anno, non abbiamo preso la guida ma abbiamo utilizzato un libricino in inglese di nostra figlia.
L'ingresso del sito ha dimensioni molto molto contenute rispetto a Cnosso: una piccola biglietteria ed un bar in cui vendono anche souvenir del luogo; questi, penso, siano gli unici luoghi da contattare per l'utilizzo di una guida.
A mio avviso, anche se privo dei principali reperti, questo sito mi ha affascinato molto più di Cnosso, perché l'ho potuto ammirare con calma e senza la presenza di file interminabili di persone.
Bellissimo! merita andarci. Attenzione al caldo perché tutto il sito è adagiato sul fianco sud di una collina subito sotto la sua sommità
Mauro Peselli
Written July 9, 2017
Is it possible to hire a guide on site?
Written May 5, 2017
No,you can t hire any guides on side. At least not until now. There are books you can buy and the personal is very friendly and very informed for some question.
Written May 6, 2017
Hi. We will be staying in Herakleon. So how far is Phaistos from there? Is there transportation to and from? or if a car rental is easier, is it possible to rent for a day? any recommendations.
Sorry for the many questions, I am trying to plan my time there.
Thank you
Written August 4, 2016
Hire a car but be ready for some exciting cretan driving and definitely buy the double ticket and go to Agia Triada as well. Deserted most of the time and stunning.
Written August 5, 2016
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