Knossos is 64 km west of Agios Nikolaos.

Knossos is the site of the most important and best known palace of Minoan civilization. According to tradition, it was the seat of the legendary king Minos. The Palace is also connected with thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth with the Minotaur, and the story of Daidalos and Icaros. The site was continuously inhabited from the Neolithic period (7000 – 3000 B.C.) until Roman times.

The Linear B tablets (Mycenaean script) of the 14th century B.C. mention the city as ko-no-so.