# Amnissos Beach, Heraklion (Crete): Karteros Beach and the Villa of the Lilies

> Amnissos is a sandy blue-flag 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 from around 1600 BC.

| | |
|---|---|
| East of Heraklion | 8 km |
| Beach length | ~3 km |
| Villa of the Lilies | ~1600 BC |
| Blue Flag | Yes |

**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.

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

 

_Photo: Amnissos, Karteros Beach, near Heraklion, Crete, Greece_

## 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.

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Source: [Amnissos Beach, Heraklion (Crete): Karteros Beach & the Villa of the Lilies](https://fly2greece.net/amnissos.html) — fly2greece.net, an independent guide to Greece written and photographed by Hans Huisman since 2000.

Reviewed July 2026.