DISCOVER PHAISTOS PALACE IN SOUTHERN HERAKLION
Renting a car from Heraklion is the best way to explore the largest island in Greece, with comfort and reliability. One of the local tips that the RentCar.gr team always gives to its customers is to explore the south of Heraklion perfecture, making a necessary stop at the palace of Phaistos. It is one of the four Minoan palaces that have been discovered on the island - the most famous one after the Palace of Knossos. If you choose to rent a car from Heraklion Airport, you need about 45 minutes to reach Phaistos, via a well-maintained highway road.
The palace of Phaistos is located on a hill in the fertile valley of Messara. It is famous worldwide due to Disk of Phaistos, which was discovered there. A religious message is engraved on the disk of fired clay 37 centuries ago. Even today efforts are being made to fully decipher it.
Very close to Phaistos is the archeological site of Gortyna as well as the famous Matala, a beach full of rock caves that became a symbol of hippies in the 60's. The archeological sites of Phaistos and Gortyna are open daily from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening, with a very cheap ticket.