It is very much worth having a private guide explain everything to you as you walk through the palace and ruins. We would not have learned as much about the palace history and Minoan civilization. Our guide was Vangelis Alefantinos and he was amazing and had a wealth of information and history that he shared with us.

Vangelis was an excellent tour guide. It would be impossible to understand the context of Knossos without a guide and he went above and beyond to make our time there interesting and memorable. Skipping the line is a fantastic perk as well, since there was definitely a long wait to get a ticket for those without a tour pre-booked. Would highly recommend.

Our guide spoke German very well and informed us clearly and in detail about Knossos. Due to the few panels, you definitely cannot learn so much without a guide. He took very good care of our seven year old daughter. You should definitely be there by 9 a.m., otherwise you'll be surrounded by huge crowds of tourists and won't be able to see a lot of things in peace.