Amnissos Beach, Heraklion (Crete): Karteros Beach and the Villa of the Lilies
Amnissos is a sandy beach about 3 kilometres long, 8 kilometres east of Heraklion on the north coast of Crete, beside the ancient port of Knossos and the Minoan Villa of the Lilies. The beach, called Karteros, holds a blue flag for cleanliness and safe swimming. It lies close to the airport and under the flight path, so it suits anyone who also enjoys plane-spotting.
- East of Heraklion
- 8 km
- Beach length
- ~3 km
- Villa of the Lilies
- ~1600 BC
- Blue Flag
- Yes
Karteros Beach at Amnissos
The beach at Amnissos is called Karteros, a beautiful sandy beach about 3 kilometres long with sunbeds, umbrellas and a number of tavernas. It holds a blue flag, which means the water is clean and safe for swimming. The beach lies very close to Heraklion airport and under the flight path, so it is a good spot for plane-spotting. Just past the beach on the way to Heraklion, around the corner on the left, stands a small church with wall paintings, partly built into a cave.
Amnissos and the Villa of the Lilies
Amnissos was one of the old ports of ancient Knossos, 8 kilometres east of Heraklion, though almost nothing of it survives. On the hills lie the remains of a 16th-century Venetian village, Messovouni, with no signs leading to it, and a sanctuary of Zeus. At the beach, the Minoan Villa of the Lilies from around 1600 BC is well marked; it had ten rooms and takes its name from the lily frescoes found there, now in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. The villa sits behind a fence at the end of private gardens and is not accessible, though it can be glimpsed from a corner. Nearby is the inaccessible Eileithyia cave, dedicated to the goddess of fertility, where pregnant women once prayed for an easy birth.
