Archaeological Museum

Archaeological Museum Review

Two of the city's museums are at the edge of the old city, amid a busy shopping district in the shadow of the Venetian walls. Artifacts on display at the Archaeological Museum come from all over western Crete, and bear witness to the presence of Minoans, ancient Greeks, Romans, Venetians, and Ottomans. The painted Minoan clay coffins and elegant late Minoan pottery indicate that the region was as wealthy as the center of the island in the Bronze Age, though no palace has yet been located. The museum occupies the former Venetian church of St. Francis and surrounds a lovely garden.