"Heraklion (or Iraklio)" a Heraklion Travel Page by AcornMan

Herklion serves as a common arrival and departure point for visitors to Crete via ferry or airplane. It is best known for its archeological museum and the nearby ruins of Knossos. Sadly, aside from those two features and the Venetian fortress guarding the old harbor it has virtually nothing to offer. The waterfront is a busy, crowded, and congested place hemmed in by heavy traffic and the general ugliness of the city, making it hardly worth your while to go there. If you want to see a Venetian fortress there are much better examples in Rethymnon and Frangokastello anyway. I was put off by Heraklion's run down appearance, its congestion, and its overall lack of a pleasant atmosphere.

To make matters worse, reasonably priced accommodations are almost non-existent here, and even food costs more than in many other parts of Crete. If you can avoid going to Heraklion altogether, do. If you must go for some reason, see the archeological museum and Knossos and get out of town as fast as possible, because there are far nicer places on Crete than this.