Cocktail barRooftop bar€€€Old TownDaily 19:00-02:00
Toucan Skybar takes the fifth floor above Plateia Eleftherias in Heraklion, the highest cocktail terrace in the city and the best sunset seat.
Signature drink: Cocktails with a city view
Food: Small plates
Order: A cocktail on the terrace, facing the harbour
Tip: Fifth floor on Plateia Eleftherias, so it catches the light long after the street below has gone dark.
Cocktail barNightclub€€Old Town
Stylvie Bar is a Heraklion dance floor off Tagmatarchou Tzoulaki, running music, cocktails and late nights in a small room that takes bookings.
Signature drink: Spirits by the bottle
Food: No kitchen
Order: A bottle to share, once the dance floor fills
Tip: Reservations are a must here, on +30 697 153 9300, because the room is small and fills on a good night.
CaféEspresso and cocktail bar€€Old Town
The Whistler Espresso Bar works both shifts on Agiou Titou in Heraklion, specialty coffee through the day and cocktails with free nibbles at night.
Signature drink: Espresso martini
Food: Snacks with every drink
Order: An espresso martini, once the coffee shift ends
Tip: Free nibbles arrive with the drinks, which is a habit more Agiou Titou bars could copy.
CaféWine and espresso bar€€Old Town
Think Tank is the quietest drinking option in central Heraklion, a neoclassical espresso and wine bar that turns into a rooftop cocktail spot after dark.
Signature drink: Cretan Kotsifali by the glass
Food: Brunch and snacks
Order: A glass of Kotsifali on the terrace
Tip: Reserve the terrace in advance. It is the calmest drinking terrace in the old town and it fills fast.
Cocktail barCocktail bar€€Old TownSeasonal, April to October
Xalavro built a bar out of a ruined 1900s house on Milatou in Heraklion, and its courtyard is the most atmospheric drink in the whole old town.
Signature drink: Jungle Bird
Food: Open kitchen
Order: A Jungle Bird in the open courtyard
Tip: A seasonal, open-air room running roughly April to October, with an annual summer cocktail festival that brings in bartenders from abroad.
Cocktail barSpeakeasy€€Old Town
The Bitters Bar works a 1920s speakeasy brief on Idis in Heraklion, mixing from a deep bitters shelf and its own jars of homemade marmalade.
Signature drink: Yellow Prince
Food: Homemade marmalades with the drinks
Order: The Yellow Prince, made with house marmalade
Tip: Behind Lions Square on Idis, with jazz and blues on the speakers and homemade marmalades beside every glass.