Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας Κρήτης

One of the best museums in Heraklion. Recommend for families and children. It has a really great view and is near the city centre (10min walk). They have a lot of discounts. The gift shop has really cute stuff too. Must visit if you want a more cultural experience in Heraklion.

The museum is interesting for sure, but the live animals that are kept there are sadly in bad and unhealthy conditions. Enclosures seem dirty and the water they have is dirty too with algae growing in the drinking water and it just seems sad overall. I can not understand why live animals are treated like this especially in a place that has "museum" and "university" on the building. Take care of your animals.

Interesting museum if you want to learn about the nature of Crete and the Mediterranean, however the main exhibits have not changed in as long as it has existed. It is located in a unique building of Heraklion which used to be a factory. It is right on the seaside but it unfortunately has no accesible viewpoints or balconies. I think it is worth visiting at least once though.

The only reason this museum has 4 stars instead of 5 is because it's still undergoing renovations! Do not let this put you off though! Any nature lover visiting Crete should come to this museum. Everything is translated into English and it is jam-packed full of information and wonders to explore and look at! As you enter there is a long row of lockers that are free to use so you dont have to carry your bags around with you (I really appreciated this). The museum is set out over numerous floors, so there are quite alot of stairs in the building but there are also lifts available. The discovery centre part of the museum I imagine is pretty useful for kids and school education groups. I imagine that once the renovations are complete this museum really will be in good condition. I thoroughly enjoyed all the specimens on display and the different modes of information being displayed (films, interactive panels, information panels etc).

Quite nice, but it was quite hot on the upper floors when we were there (September 2025). The earthquake simulator, which we were most looking forward to, wasn’t working.

Interesting museum but unfortunately the earthquake simulator was not open. Lots of stuffed animals on view but also some live ones. Spent about 1,5 hours there leaving a little wiser about Crete ( Greece) and its natural history. Worth a visit.

Very informative. The stuffed animals look quite real. But what makes me very sad is that they exhibit live animals here. Half of the showcases are uninhabited or “Under Construction” because the animals are probably not doing very well here and are dying. Only freedom is species-appropriate!

This place needs a complete overhaul. It’s a nice building but the displays lack imagination and most are broken. Disappointing dusty dioramas. The earthquake simulator wasn’t working and the attendant who sold us our tickets didn’t bother mentioning that. We couldn’t locate 85% of the live creatures they claimed to have and the glass boxes they are stored in are too small to be humane. Robotic dinosaurs need repairs as the faces are starting to peel off. Save your money and do something else.