Venetians called this city Candia. Ships left its harbour for Venice, Alexandria and Constantinople.
In 1628 its governor gave the main square four stone lions and a fountain. Our desk is beside it.
Greece and beyond, by people who live here.
The chronicle · six scenes
Bull-leaping fresco · Knossos · 1600–1450 BCFive kilometres from our door, Minoans painted acrobats vaulting over bulls. Thucydides wrote that Minos was the first to build a navy. Crete has been a departure point ever since.
Candia · 17th-century print · British MuseumVenice takes Crete and makes Candia the capital of its kingdom. For four and a half centuries the harbour links Venice with the East.
Rocca a Mare (Koules) · Heraklion harbour
The Rocca a Mare is finished at the harbour mouth. The winged lion of St Mark is still carved on its walls. Today the ferries to Piraeus and Santorini sail past it.
Morosini Fountain · Lions SquareThe Venetian governor brings water from Mount Giouchtas down an aqueduct and pours it from four lions in the main square. Locals still call the square Liontaria, the Lions.
Candia besieged · 17th-century engravingFrom 1648 to 1669 Candia holds out in one of the longest sieges in history. Its last commander is another Francesco Morosini, later Doge of Venice. The walls he defended still ring the old town.
Heraklion · todayThe fountain still runs. Beside it, we book the flights, ferries and tours that carry people out of Heraklion, the way this city always has.
Departures · Lions Square desk
Also at the desk: an on-site ATM and everyday travel help.
03 — Tours & day-trips
Our own Crete day-trips, plus multi-day tours across Greece — own and trusted partners, all booked face-to-face.
An affiliate link, handled by an independent booking partner and separate from Morosini Travel — the agency arranges no part of it and receives no commission. No extra cost to you.
Local knowledge
Planning the trip? Our friends at Crete Guide keep an independent editorial guide to the island.
Read Crete Guide →The next scene
