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Book Heraklion Hop-On-Hop-Off Tours
- Ready to ‘Greek’ out? Heraklion's history-packed streets are yours to explore with a 1-day hop-on, hop-off pass, and one extra day free to keep you exploring!
- Two routes, 18 stops, unlimited hops! From the heart of Heraklion to beachside Ammoudara, this bus tour ensures you explore every Cretan gem.
- Heraklion's secrets, told in your lingo! With 8 languages, the audio guides turn sights into stories from the ultimate viewpoint of an open-top bus.
- See sights like the Archaeological Museum with its ancient art, the Venetian Castle Koules staring at the sea, and the wreckage of Knossos Palace.
- Ready to ‘Greek’ out? Heraklion's history-packed streets are yours to explore with a 1-day hop-on, hop-off pass, and one extra day free to keep you exploring!
- Two routes, 18 stops, unlimited hops! From the heart of Heraklion to beachside Ammoudara, this bus tour ensures you explore every Cretan gem.
- Heraklion's secrets, told in your lingo! With 8 languages, the audio guides turn sights into stories from the ultimate viewpoint of an open-top bus.
- See sights like the Archaeological Museum with its ancient art, the Venetian Castle Koules staring at the sea, and the wreckage of Knossos Palace.
Inclusions
- 1-day unlimited hop-on hop-off pass + 1 day free
- Audio guide in English, Greek, Russian, German, Spanish, Italian, French & Hebrew
- Free earphones
- Free map
Heraklion line
- First bus: 9am from stop #1 (Port)
- Last bus: 5pm from stop #1 (Port)
- Frequency: Every 30 mins
- Popular stops: Knossos Palace, Archaeological Museum, Venetian Castle Koules, Kazantzakis Grave, Natural History Museum, Gate Of Jesus, Port
Ammoudara line
- First bus: 9am from stop #1 (Apollonia Hotel)
- Last bus: 4:30pm from stop #1 (Apollonia Hotel)
- Frequency: Every 60-75 mins
- Popular stops: Hotel Dolphin, Technopolis, Agapi Beach Hotel, Port, Fitaki Megaron
Please click here for a detailed map and boarding points.
- Tip: Join locals for a shot of raki, Crete's fiery spirit. It's often served for free after meals. Remember, sipping is savoring – don’t down it in one go!
- This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
- Your guide dogs are welcome onboard.
- Baggage is allowed onboard.
- You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Reviews
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4.2
179 ratings
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What our guests say
Julie
Oct 2024Verified booking
Easy to buy tickets online. The drivers were friendly and the buses frequent. I'd highly recommend. A great way to get to Knossos!
Brenda
Oct 2024Verified booking
Ticketing experience in person good; but over phone i was sent for athens and as far as I k ow I never received refunf...I need to check
Christeen
Oct 2024Verified booking
The bus staff were incredibly helpful and responsive, they helped us through a wrong bus experience and did not let us down, working with us to fix our route and plan
WENDY
Oct 2024Verified booking
The young woman who helped us get on the beach bus. She was wonderful.
Elena
Oct 2024Verified booking
friendly and helpful staff. service is well organized
Ria
Sep 2024Verified booking
It takes you right around the city .
Simone
Oct 2024Verified booking
Susan
Oct 2024Verified booking
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Combo (Save 5%): Knossos Palace Archaeological Site Entry Tickets + Heraklion Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
from €26
€24.70
5% off
- Why wait? Fast-track your way into Knossos Palace, then hop on and off as you explore Heraklion’s hidden gems, all in one budget-friendly combo ticket.
- Step back in time with priority access to the Knossos Palace, where the 3700-year-old ruins tell tales of the ancient civilization.
- Delve into the Minoan lives with a chance to see the Throne of King Minos and marvel at the mysterious murals with undeciphered language.
- Get ready for a double dose of adventure as you hop on and off across Heraklion city with a 1-day open-top bus tour and an extra day free.
- Zoom around two routes, hitting 18 prime spots like the sun-kissed beaches of Ammoudara. Frequent buses have audio guides and free Wi-Fi.
- Why wait? Fast-track your way into Knossos Palace, then hop on and off as you explore Heraklion’s hidden gems, all in one budget-friendly combo ticket.
- Step back in time with priority access to the Knossos Palace, where the 3700-year-old ruins tell tales of the ancient civilization.
- Delve into the Minoan lives with a chance to see the Throne of King Minos and marvel at the mysterious murals with undeciphered language.
- Get ready for a double dose of adventure as you hop on and off across Heraklion city with a 1-day open-top bus tour and an extra day free.
- Zoom around two routes, hitting 18 prime spots like the sun-kissed beaches of Ammoudara. Frequent buses have audio guides and free Wi-Fi.
Inclusions
Knossos Palace
- Entry to Knossos Palace
Heraklion HOHO pass
- 1-day unlimited hop-on hop-off pass + 1-day free
- Audio guide in English, Greek, Russian, German, Spanish, Italian, French & Hebrew
- Free earphones
- Free map
Please click here for a detailed map and boarding points.
You can join a tour at any stop and hop on and off for the duration of your ticket.
Heraklion line
- First bus: 9am from stop #1 (Port)
- Last bus: 5pm from stop #1 (Port)
- Frequency: Every 30 mins
- Popular stops: Knossos Palace, Archaeological Museum, Venetian Castle Koules
Ammoudara line
- First bus: 9am from stop #1 (Apollonia Hotel)
- Last bus: 4:30pm from stop #1 (Apollonia Hotel)
- Frequency: Every 60-75 mins
- Popular stops: Hotel Dolphin, Technopolis, Agapi Beach Hotel
Knossos Palace
- Tip: Look out for the royal apartments and ancient theatre, it provides great insight into the Minoans' love for complex architectural designs and performing arts.
- This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
Heraklion HOHO pass
- Tip: Visiting Knossos Palace during the bus tour? Hop off at stop 9 of the Heraklion line for easy access.
- The buses are wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
- Your guide dogs are welcome onboard.
- Baggage is allowed onboard.
- These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.
Reviews
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Snapshots from our guests
4.5
976 ratings
521
436
7
4
8
What our guests say
Misslin
Nov 2024Verified booking
The site was advertised as open until 6.30pm, but we were asked to leave by 6pm. So we didn't get to do the whole tour.
View original review in French
Julie
Oct 2024Verified booking
Easy to buy tickets online. The drivers were friendly and the buses frequent. I'd highly recommend. A great way to get to Knossos!
Fiona
Oct 2024Verified booking
Staff at toilet very rude. I have stoma bag so decided to use disabled toilet to empty it. Lady working in female toilets came and stood outside door, when I came out she was rude shaking her head at me. Not all disabilities are visible and Staff should know this. I hope you feedback this to the staff Everything else great (No problem about meeting point just had to tick option to submit review) Thanks
Brenda
Oct 2024Verified booking
Ticketing experience in person good; but over phone i was sent for athens and as far as I k ow I never received refunf...I need to check
Christeen
Oct 2024Verified booking
The bus staff were incredibly helpful and responsive, they helped us through a wrong bus experience and did not let us down, working with us to fix our route and plan
Simone
Oct 2024Verified booking
We had a great guide. Irini took a lot of time and showed us around Knossos really well! She had great knowledge and spoke very good German. Highly recommended!
View original review in German
Anna
Sep 2024Verified booking
The palace was beautiful to see and there is so much to explore. The Minoan art, the views and history made it a great day. The ticketing system was so easy. We scanned our qr code and got in fast without any issues. Would recommend this booking method as it is fast and easy.
David
Sep 2024Verified booking
The entire site is memorable and definitely worth seeing. I think things could be a little clearer about downloading the accompanying app both on the Headout site and the actual site itself, as we were mucking around trying to download the app after entry, but the QR code was on the outside of the entrance!
Martina
Sep 2024Verified booking
We did not have to wait in line and got in right away. The ticket line on site was miles long. However, I must say that the tickets never arrived via email, fortunately I read that you could download the app and got them from there. The palace is beautiful although the tour is not very long since there are not many things to see. Plus to see the throne room we had to stand in line for half an hour in full sun in August and it was not the best
View original review in Italian
Irina
Sep 2024Verified booking
Buying tickets online was a good idea as it was a lineup to the ticket office. Very good support online if you need any help.
Maria
Sep 2024Verified booking
Knossos Palace was disappointing. The €15 admission fee felt steep, and it was difficult to navigate as there were no arrows to guide you through the site. The information panels seemed outdated and heavily reliant on Arthur Evans' subjective interpretation. While I'm not an art history expert, I'm sure modern archaeologists and historians have differing views on Knossos. Tour guides quoted us €150 for a family of five with teens aged 15, 16, and 17. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is much more engaging, offering a deeper understanding of Knossos, with breathtaking artefacts on display.
Daniela
Sep 2024Verified booking
We had online tickets for 3pm. We were there earlier and asked if we could go in earlier. It was no problem.
View original review in German
Gabriel
Sep 2024Verified booking
You really avoid the queues. It's worth a lot for that. At the Palace of Knossos, you can take pictures as much as you like. The king's throne still retains its original structures and colors. The rest are reconstructions that reproduce the originals. This is the Minoan civilization.
View original review in Portuguese
Ruth
Sep 2024Verified booking
I arrived at 8am and the palace was so empty. I walked round twice with an audio guide. I loved seeing and hearing about the history. I also really appreciated the restored areas that gave a great insight into how it would have looked. Lots of helpful staff around, and the cafe on site is good.
Amparo
Sep 2024Verified booking
Everything, of course the Palace and the museum but the organization and the wonderful guide we had made the visit more special
Mario
Sep 2024Verified booking
The visit was very good but there were no guides in Spanish, nor guided tours in Spanish. We would have liked to have that option when we visited.
View original review in Spanish
Hannelore
Sep 2024Verified booking
It was very impressive and our German-speaking guide Rita 😊was definitely an asset. The extra investment is absolutely worth it .... You won't find so many explanations about the palace and history in any guidebook. As she said: If you look at it without a guide, it's just stones! That's exactly how it is.
View original review in German
Antonio
Aug 2024Verified booking
Simply outstanding, evocative site. Unique experience.Being catapulted to 5000 years ago, walking along the same narrow streets, treading the same ground . UNIQUE
View original review in Italian
Dr
Aug 2024Verified booking
We booked the tickets in advance which made our entry super quick and easy. It was a nice visit, we took around 1.5 hours to visit the entirity of the site.
Sarah
Aug 2024Verified booking
We liked the walkways; however, it could use better signage as to the direction to go. We made the mistake of not seeing the Queen's Chamber first and by the time we got there, the line was so long because of the tour groups. The explanations of what we were seeing were very well done and enhanced our experience.
Albertus
Aug 2024Verified booking
It is an historic site showing a peek at an ancient civilisation. The physical remnants are impressive albeit limited which is understandable given history and time. The site is very accessible allowing visitors access to almost every part of it.
Silvia
Aug 2024Verified booking
Queues avoided, easy purchase, archaeological site very interesting but unfortunately we had not taken a guidebook and explanations on site are sparse and absolutely exhaustive.
View original review in Italian
Neubauer
Aug 2024Verified booking
The whole area was very beautiful, not too crowded and good to walk through. We walked around without a guide and it took us about 80 minutes. If you want to learn more about the history, you should book an audio guide or a guide.
View original review in German
Chiara
Aug 2024Verified booking
I did not have a guide, but the visit was very interesting. I didn't wait in line at the entrance thanks to the online reservation skip-queue ticket
View original review in Italian
Cérédgine
Aug 2024Verified booking
Magnificent views, the site is small but magnificent! Easily and quickly accessible by bus. Not enough information for my taste next to each monument. We hadn't booked our tickets online and had to wait a long time to get our entrance tickets from the cashier. We bought our tickets online, and there were only tickets left for a noon entrance. The gentleman at the entrance agreed to let us come by with our tickets at 11am! The view and the site are magnificent!
View original review in French
Why choose Heraklion hop-on-hop-off tours?
- Open-top buses: The top seats at the hop-on-hop-off, double-decker buses offer clear and unobstructed views of the city. Enjoy the warm, Mediterranean air and capture stunning photos of the Heraklion’s historic sites and narrow streets.
- Budget-friendly option: These tours offer great value for money as they cover multiple attractions and include unlimited stops. With these tours, you no longer have to worry about booking expensive taxis or multiple public transport tickets.
- Effortless sightseeing: Hop-on-hop-off bus tours run along designated routes and pass by major attractions. You no longer have to worry about navigating through unfamiliar streets or figuring out public transport routes. You can simply hop on and hop off whenever you want, or just take in the passing sights from the top deck.
- Detailed commentary: All Heraklion hop-on-hop-off bus tours include audio guides, available in over 8 languages. These detailed guides offer added cultural insights and interesting anecdotes for an informative sightseeing experience.
- Convenient and accessible: These buses run frequently and connect major attractions in the city, making it easy for first-time travelers and visitors with mobility challenges to navigate around. The multiple pick-up and drop-off points ensure that you can customize your own itinerary.
Which ticket should you choose?
Hop-on-hop-off bus tours
Best for: Visitors on a tight schedule, budget-conscious travelers, and first-time visitors
Duration: Flexible
Guide: Audio guide in over 8 languages
Flexible cancellation: Available
- Get an extra day of unlimited stops with these Heraklion hop-on-hop-off tour tickets. These tickets allow you to access 2 routes- the Heraklion Line and the Ammoudara Beach Line.
- Enjoy free Wi-Fi, earphones, and a map along with your multilingual audio guides to learn more about the landmarks and historic sites.
Combo tours
Best for: Visitors on a budget and those looking to explore in-depth
Duration: Flexible
Guide: Audio guide in over 8 languages
Flexible cancellation: Not available
- Get entry access to the Knossos Palace, the largest archaeological site in Heraklion. Stroll through the Throne Room and the Grand Staircase for deeper insights into the Minoan history.
- Take advantage of the multilingual audio guides and free earphones and explore at your own pace.
Heraklion hop-on-hop-off tour routes and timetable
Heraklion line
- Stops: 12
- Operating hours: 9am to 5pm
- Frequency: Every 30 mins
- Popular sights: Knossos Palace, Venetian Koules Fortress, Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Natural History Museum, Gate of Jesus, Kazantzakis Grave, Heraklion Port, and others
Ammoudara line
- Stops: 6
- Operating hours: 9am to 4:30pm
- Frequency: Every 60 to 75 minutes
- Popular sights: Agapi Beach Hotel, Hotel Dolphin, Technopolis, Heraklion Port, and others
Frequently asked questions about Heraklion hop-on-hop-off bus tours
What is included in a Heraklion bus tour?
Get an extra day of unlimited stops with your Heraklion hop-on-hop-off bus tours. Enjoy multilingual audio guides, available in over 8 languages, free Wi-Fi, and earphones. These guides help you learn more about the landmarks and explore at your own pace.
What is the cost of Heraklion hop-on-hop-off bus tours?
Heraklion hop-on-hop-off bus tour tickets start from €15. These tickets allow you to explore landmarks along the Heraklion route as well as the Ammoudara Beach route. Get a full day of unlimited stops free of charge with these tickets.
Where can you catch the hop-on hop-off bus for Heraklion?
The Heraklion tour buses depart from the Heraklion port at 9am every morning. The Ammoudara hop-on-hop-off buses depart from the Apollonia Hotel daily at 9am.
What is special about the Heraklion bus tour?
The best perk of booking Heraklion hop-on-hop-off buses is that you can access multiple routes and get a full day of touring free of added charges. Enjoy scenic views of the city’s landmarks and access multilingual audio guides to delve deeper into their culture.
Are Heraklion bus tours wheelchair accessible?
Yes, Heraklion hop-on-hop-off buses are accessible to visitors in wheelchairs or guests with limited mobility. The buses have ramps, making it easy for wheelchair users to glide in and out of the bus. If you need any assistance, you can ask the driver or guide for help.
What can you do in Heraklion for a day?
We recommend you start your day with a visit to the Knossos Palace, Heraklion’s largest archaeological site. You need at least 3 to 4 hours to explore the site, after which you can head to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum for more insights on Minoan history and culture. Enjoy a traditional lunch at a Cretan taverna in the Old Town. Stroll through the narrow streets and admire the Venetian architecture. Make sure to stop by the Koules Fortress, a 16th-century castle that guards the harbor.
How does the hop on hop off bus work?
The hop-on-hop-off buses are famous for their flexibility. These buses run along a pre-determined route and stop near various museums and historical sites. Get on and get off at any stop and explore as many landmarks as you want to visit. After visiting a site, wait at the nearest bus stop. The hop-on-hop-off buses run frequently and arrive every 30 minutes to an hour.
Is Heraklion worth visiting?
Heraklion offers a treasure trove of archaeological sites, churches, monasteries, beaches, and museums, perfect for history lovers and anyone looking to delve deeper into the Minoan way of life. The Minoan Palace of Knossos dates back to the Bronze Age and is the largest archaeological site in the city. Explore everyday objects and artifacts in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and soak in the views of the Aegean Sea at Ammoudara Beach.