Malia Palace

Malia's palace was built around 1900 BC and rebuilt after destruction, covering some 7,500 square metres on a flat coastal site, which makes its plan unusually easy to read: the central court with its altar pit, the ceremonial staircase, the pillar crypt, the storage magazines with pithoi still standing, and a large round stone with thirty-four hollows, the kernos, probably used for offerings. To the north lies the Chrysolakkos burial complex, where the gold pendant of two bees holding a honeycomb, one of the finest pieces of Minoan goldwork, was found; it is displayed in Heraklion. A French-run excavation has worked here since the 1920s, and part of the site is sheltered under a modern roof. The modern town of Malia, three kilometres west, is a very different proposition.

What you actually see

• The central court - the palace heart with its altar and paved surface.
• The kernos - a round offering stone with thirty-four hollows.
• The storage magazines - rooms with their great jars still in place.
• Chrysolakkos - the burial complex where the gold bee pendant was found.

When to go

Spring and autumn; the site is flat, coastal and shadeless, and midsummer is punishing. Morning visits avoid both heat and the day-trip traffic from the resorts.

Honest expectations

The palace is less immediately impressive than Knossos and less scenic than Phaistos, and the famous finds are in Heraklion. The neighbouring resort town is a busy nightlife destination with no connection to the site.

Nearby

Heraklion and Knossos lie west; the Lasithi plateau road climbs south from here.