Heraklion is the big, busy, slightly untidy capital of Crete, and it has never tried to be pretty. The old Venetian harbour still holds a fortress, the Koules, whose sea walls were built to keep out the Ottomans, and the long ramparts of the town, with their bastions, enclose a centre of narrow streets and small squares. On one of those bastions lies the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis, the author of Zorba the Greek, with a plain wooden cross and an epitaph that says he hoped for nothing, feared nothing, and was free.
The great attraction is just south of the city. Knossos, the palace of the Minoan kings, was the heart of a civilisation that flourished on Crete about four thousand years ago, with frescoes of dolphins, bulls and young acrobats, and a tangle of rooms and corridors that may have inspired the legend of the labyrinth. The Archaeological Museum in the city holds the finest finds, and is well worth a visit, especially for the delicate gold jewellery and the famous snake goddess figurines.
Heraklion has over 137,000 people, so fuel is plentiful. The city itself is chaotic, with heavy traffic, scooters and double-parked cars, and the best advice is to leave it quickly. The mountains lie within easy reach, with roads climbing through olive groves and villages to high plateaus and gorges, and the coast road to the east leads through resorts to quieter beaches. Cretan food is some of the best in Greece, with thick barley rusks topped with tomatoes and cheese, wild greens, snails and lamb, all washed down with raki.
Summers are hot, and the wind can blow hard on the coast, so a spring or autumn ride is more comfortable. In the evening the harbour fills with strollers, and the old fortress glows in the last light. It is a good place to start a trip, with a coffee in hand and the mountains waiting on the horizon.