The restored Odeon is a small theatre consisting of semi-circular terraces supported by vaulting. It was built in the early 2C AD under Trajan, on the site of - and with materials taken from - an earlier rotunda. Here and there lie damaged statues. At the rear of the Odeon are several blocks of stone, taken by the Romans from the earlier building, bearing the 17 000-letter text of the Twelve Tables of Gortyn dating from 480 BC.

The massive outline of the Frankish castle (Frangokástele) is visible from afar; it was built in 1371 by the Venetians as a defence against pirates, Turks and insurgent Sfakiots. It is rectangular in plan with crenellated walls and a square tower at each corner, one of which was reinforced to form the keep. It surveys the empty sea as if it were at the ends of the earth (during the low season at any rate). Over the sea gate the lion of St Mark looks down on the remains of the deserted harbour next to a fine sandy beach.

The outbuildings include workshops for craftsmen, such as the one for potters (remains of kilns), and storerooms including one containing the pithoi (terracotta jars). From the central courtyard a passage lined by a portico decorated with animal sculptures leads to a room known as the Customs House. Not far away there is a lustral basin. The Royal Road probably led to Katsámbas and Amnisós, the ports of Knossós. It passes by a set of well-preserved terraces, thought to be part of a theatre mentioned by Homer as the setting for ritual dances.

The sanctuary is in the heart of the Minoan Palace of Knossós. A vestibule, where the British archeologist Evans (1851-1941) placed a porphyry basin, leads into the Throne Room containing a bench and the alabaster throne on which the high Priestess of the Labyrinth sat. Opposite the throne, steps descend to a basin designed for ablutions. Another vestibule leads into the Pillar crypts where the ritual ceremonies took place and into the Treasury beneath which the famous Snake Goddesses were found, now on display in the museum in Herakleion.