Port of Hersonissos

Why go

The port offers a different rhythm from Heraklion's walled centre: a waterfront built over an older maritime settlement. Alongside the modern resort, remains associated with Roman and early Christian Hersonissos give a reason to look beyond the sea view on this coast.

What to look for

• The harbour area occupying the site of an older port.
• A Roman fountain with fishing-scene mosaics on the seafront.
• Early Christian basilica remains on the hill behind the port.

The full story

The name Hersonissos can refer to more than one place. The seaside settlement is the Port of Hersonissos, while the older village lies inland. The port developed around a harbour serving that inland community, then grew into the resort visible today. Its coast also overlays ancient Chersonesos, a town with a maritime role through Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods. The modern harbour occupies the area of a Roman port, and traces of earlier structures remain around the waterfront. A Roman fountain with fishing mosaics on the seafront ties the place directly to its marine setting. Above the port, remains of an early Christian basilica mark another phase of the town's history. The appeal is in noticing these fragments amid a busy contemporary shoreline, rather than expecting a single excavated archaeological park.

Useful to know

• Set your destination to the Port of Hersonissos if you want the waterfront; Old Hersonissos is inland.
• Allow a separate coastal outing from Heraklion rather than folding it into an old-town walk.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.