The fortified city of Candia, the present city of Heraklion, had four main gates that connected it with the harbour and the Cretan countryside. In addition to these public entrances, several smaller military gates, emergency exits and galleries linked the interior of the fortifications with the moat and the low squares of the bastions.

1. On the northern side, at the end of present-day 25th August Street, stood the Gate of the Mole. It connected the city with the Venetian harbour, the shipyards and the Rocca a Mare Fortress. The gate was associated with important events in the history of Heraklion, from the surrender of the city to the Ottomans in 1669 to the violent events of 25 August 1898. It was demolished shortly afterwards during alterations to the coastal zone under British administration.
2. On the eastern side, below present-day Eleftherias Square and close to the statue of Eleftherios Venizelos, stood the Gate of Saint George. It was also known as the Lazaretto or Maroulas Gate and connected Candia with eastern Crete, the Katsambas district and the city’s quarantine station. Most of the gate was covered during the construction of Dimokratias Avenue, but part of its internal passage has been restored and is accessible.
3. On the southern side of the walls, the Jesus Gate was constructed in 1587. It is now commonly known as Kenourgia Porta, meaning New Gate. Roads from here led towards Knossos, the Messara Plain and the southern provinces. The pipeline of the Venetian aqueduct, which carried water from the springs of Mount Giouchtas, also entered the city near this gate. The modern road opening known as Kenourgia Porta should not be confused with the historical Venetian gate preserved within the walls.
4. On the western side, at the end of the Strata Larga, today’s Kalokairinou Street, stood the Pantokrator or Panigra Gate, now better known as Chanioporta. It was the principal exit towards western Crete. Above its inner entrance is a relief of Christ Pantokrator accompanied by the Latin inscription OMNIPOTENS. Two vaulted passages begin inside the gate, one for ordinary traffic and the other for military use.

The three principal land gates of Saint George, Jesus and Pantokrator were closed with heavy wooden doors at sunset and reopened at dawn. Travellers arriving after the gates had closed were required to remain outside the city and could spend the night in specially constructed covered shelters.

Access to the gates was controlled by the neighbouring bastions, low squares and outer defensive works. The orecchioni, whose name means “large ears”, were the strong curved flanks of the bastions. They protected the low squares and enabled the defenders to cover the neighbouring sections of the walls.

In addition to the four main entrances, Candia possessed several smaller military or auxiliary gates. The Saint Andrew Gate stood on the northwestern side, although only part of its vaulted passage survives today. On the northeastern side, the Sand or Sabbionara Gate connected the city with the sandy shore east of the harbour.

The Dermatas Gate stood approximately halfway along the coastal walls, at Dermatas Bay, close to the present Natural History Museum of Crete. It connected the city directly with the sea and could serve as an alternative exit if the entrance of the Venetian harbour was blockaded.

In November 1668, French volunteers under the Duke François de La Feuillade landed near Dermatas Gate to reinforce the besieged defenders of Candia. Their attack against the Ottoman positions failed and the French withdrew after suffering significant losses. Much of the gate was later destroyed during the construction of the coastal avenue, although substantial remains survive beneath the modern road near Dermatas Beach and opposite the Bodosakio School.