Heraklion (or Iraklio) is the capital of the island and Greek’s fifth city and is located in the middle of the island on the North Coast. There is not much interest in the city itself but it is a convenient starting point when about to visit the island. As our flight was landing at the end of the day, it was more convenient for us to spend the first night there. The city center is very close to the airport so a short 5-10 min drive brings you right in the heart of the city. We stayed in a modern jazzy-style hotel called Lato Boutique Hotel located in front of the harbour and the famous Koules Fortress. We stayed in the newer annexe across the street. The hotel room was rather small but very well equipped and making the job perfectly for one night. We paid £68 inc. breakfast (buffet).
After taking a snack (as a French person, I would call it an “apero”) on the restaurant located on the 4th floor of the hotel (which btw was a stunning view on the Koules Fortness plus the food was really good!), we headed towards the city center.
It was relatively vibrant but mostly crowded with locals, being sadly deserted by tourists (the covid impact on tourism was here very visible!). We did a quick tour in the center; we did not find that Heraklion had any particular charm in terms of architecture style but there are a few nice buildings e.g. Town Hall/Museum/Cathedral. Because we wanted to watch a Euro football game, we did not look for any specific Greek restaurant. We just went for dinner to one of these buzzy bars with outdoor tables around El Greco Park. After dinner and before coming back to the hotel, we walked on the old city walls next to the Koules Fortness. The lights are nice by night.
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