Greece / Crete / Agios Nikolaos & EloundaAgios Nikolaos & Elounda
A Lake-Side Harbour Town and Crete's Luxury Resort Bay
Eastern Crete's Gulf of Mirabello: Agios Nikolaos round its little lake and harbour, and 12 km north Elounda, home to some of Greece's most luxurious resort hotels, with boats to Spinalonga, the Venetian island fortress that was a leper colony until 1957. A good honeymoon base. Heraklion airport is about an hour away by KTEL bus or car; no airport or ferry port of its own for visitors. The town is open all year; most Elounda resorts close from November to March.
Highlights
- Boat to Spinalonga fortress
- Resort day in Elounda
- Kritsa village and its frescoed church
- Lake Voulismeni at night
- Lasithi plateau and the Cave of Zeus
Things to do
- Boat to Spinalonga from Elounda or PlakaMorning · 3h 30m
- Resort and beach day in EloundaAfternoon · 5h
- Kritsa village and the Panagia Kera frescoesMorning · 3h
- Lasithi plateau and the Dikteon caveMorning · 6h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: May – October
Worth knowing
Winter: Fast Boats Stop, Many Hotels Close
From November to March the high-speed ferries stop, island-to-island boats run a few times a week, and most resort hotels, beach bars and boat tours close. The towns stay open with some hotels and tavernas, the conventional ferries and the flights from Athens keep running, and storms can still cancel sailings: keep a spare day before a flight home.
- Orthodox Easter (Pascha) — Greece's biggest festival: candlelit Good Friday processions, the midnight Resurrection service on Saturday with fireworks and church bells, and lamb roasts on Sunday. Corfu's is the most famous, with clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday morning. Greeks travel home, so ferries, flights and hotels fill, and shops, museums and sites close or shorten hours from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Book well ahead.