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Things to do in Agios Nikolaos

Our most recommended things to do in Agios Nikolaos

Cruise to Spinalonga & BBQ at Kolokytha From Agios Nikolaos

1. Cruise to Spinalonga & BBQ at Kolokytha From Agios Nikolaos

Enjoy a fun cruise in the Greek sun with a barbecue by the sea. Explore  Kolokytha Bay and the historical island of Spinalonga. Start your day boarding the boat at the pretty harbour of Agios Nikolaos. Cruise across the beautiful Bay of Mirabello before arriving at the legendary island of Spinalonga.  On Spinalonga island you will have an hour and a half to tour around and explore the Venetian fortifications and old homes of the victims of leprosy. Learn about the history and people who lived on the island during the first half of the 20th century from the printed guide that will be given to you free of charge. Later the boat takes you on the other side of the Kolokytha island and moors at the beach of the same name. Kolokytha is a beautiful bay with crystal-clear turquoise waters. Relax, swim and sunbathe while the boat crew prepares a hearty barbecue for you. Enjoy grilled pork chops, Greek salad, feta cheese, bread, wine and seasonal fruits. 

Crete: Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island

2. Crete: Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island

Embark on a full-day guided trip to northeastern Crete and take a boat trip to Spinalonga Island. Visit Agios Nikolaos with its famous lake, and explore the picturesque village of Elounda. Begin the day with the visit to Agios Nikolaos, and see the shore of Mirabello Bay. Explore the town, famous for the lake at its center and its shopping and cafes. Take your time for a walk to enjoy the views, enjoy some shopping or have a drink in one of the numerous cafes around the lake. Explore an open-air market on Wednesdays. Move on to see Elounda village, a former fishing village on the northern coast of the island. Depart from Elounda for the cruise to Spinalonga Island. Learn about the island's vibrant history, from a home for the Venetians and Turks to a place of isolation for those suffering from leprosy. Experience the island, more popular after the 2005 historical novel “The Island” about how lepers lived in Spinalonga. Join the hundreds of people who come to the island every day to visit and learn its history.

Agios Nikolaos: Boat Trip to Spinalonga with Swim Stop

3. Agios Nikolaos: Boat Trip to Spinalonga with Swim Stop

Spinalonga is a magnificent island with fortresses dating from the Venetian period. It is an island of legends, a triumph to survival in the early 20th century from the scourge of leprosy, now a place of great archaeological and historical significance. On Spinalonga island, enjoy the opportunity to visit the Interpretive Centre there and discover the settlements of the victims and survivors of this former illness. Explore the Venetian fortifications and learn all about the long and fascinating history of the island. Take time to walk around the island and see the views of the bay and the fortifications. Later the cruise continues, passing along other points of interest in the Bay of Mirabello such as the cave of the legendary Pirate Barbarosa, the sunken ancient city of Olous, and the island where the endemic and hardy Cretan Kri Kri goats live. Have time to relax and swim in the exquisite turquoise waters of Kolokitha Bay. The 40 m boat features two bars, a lounge, and a restaurant serving Greek and international cuisine at reasonable prices with high-quality service from the crew.

From Crete: Santorini Full-Day Tour by Boat

4. From Crete: Santorini Full-Day Tour by Boat

Visit Santorini on this full day-trip from the island of Crete. After pick-up from your hotel, head to the harbor and begin your sightseeing boat tour on the Cretan Sea. Upon arrival, see the white houses of Fira that lie high above the edge of the crater, and decide whether you would like to spend more time on this volcanic island. Wander the small town of Fira or visit the picturesque town of Oia. Enjoy the leisurely Greek lifestyle and visit a taverna or two. Relax on the beach, enjoy the day by the sea, and simply leave your cares behind.

From Heraklion: Spinalonga, Plaka, Agios Nikolaos, & Elounda

5. From Heraklion: Spinalonga, Plaka, Agios Nikolaos, & Elounda

Start with pickup from your hotel and travel along the north-east coast and by St. George’s Gorge. After a short ride, visit an olive oil farmwhere you can experience first-hand the standardization of extra virgin olive oil, table olives, and olive paste. Taste authentic Greek olive oil, which is famous worldwide for its great taste as well as other authentic Cretan products like “raki” and honey. Travel next to the cosmopolitan city of Agios Nikolaos on the Gulf of Mirabello. Agios Nikolaos is famous for its picturesque bottomless lake, explored by the ocean researcher Jaques Cousteau and the subject of numerous legends. Discover the pretty city on your own, stroll through the shops, or relax in one of the cafes and watch the world go by. Continue to Elounda, enjoying some of the most beautiful views of Crete. Look across the Elounda Lagoon at the enchanting islands of Spinalonga and Kolokitha. Spinalonga has been an important place throughout history. Have some time to explore the island on your own. After a short drive, you will reach Plaka, a small fishing village directly opposite Spinalonga. From there a 10-minute boat ride takes you to the island. Plaka was the ferry port of the leper colony, whose history was documented in a book and a Greek television series. Visit the filming sites, enjoy lunch or have a refreshing swim. The last stop of the day is Elounda, a former fishing village but today a famous holiday resort with the most 5-star hotels in Greece. Take plenty of time to stroll through the picturesque harbor and have a cup of coffee before heading back to your accommodation.

Crete: Knossos Palace & Heraklion Guided Tour

6. Crete: Knossos Palace & Heraklion Guided Tour

Start your day with pickup from selected regions in Crete and first head to Heraklion for a guided tour of Knossos Palace. Walk through this Minoan palace with your guide and find out how people lived here 4,000 years ago. The Throne Room, the frescoes, and the Minoan columns will allow you to imagine how the Minoans once lived. Continue towards the city center of Heraklion where you can visit the Archaeological Museum and the town itself. The Archaeological Museum brings together findings from all over Crete, covering over 5,500 years of the island's history.   Head to the Heraklion town center and walk through Daidalou Street to Lion Square and the famous Morosini Fountain of the Venetian era. Explore the permanent outdoor market of the town and the Valide Mosque, a remnant of Turkish influences. Explore the Venetian Loggia and head to the sea and the Koules Fortress before being dropped back off at your hotel.  

From Heraklion:Spinalonga, Elounda, Agios Nikolaos with BBQ

7. From Heraklion:Spinalonga, Elounda, Agios Nikolaos with BBQ

Embark on a full-day trip to the island of Spinalonga from Crete and enjoy a walking tour of the island. Visit the towns of Agios Nikolaos and Elounda and take a swim in the crystal water. Be picked up from the Heraklion area and taken along the picturesque northeast coast through the gorge of St George, reaching the small fishing village of Elounda. Today Elounda is a popular holiday resort, often visited by celebrities for the luxurious white beaches. From there, take the boat to the small island of Spinalonga. The history and the culture of Spinalonga are laced with different diverse strands of history. In Ancient Greek times it served as a natural guard for the city of Olous; later it was used as a hide-out for Saracen pirates, turned into a fortress by the Venetians, and later settled by the Turks.  After your visit to the island of Spinalonga (1.5 hours), the boat will head for one of the bays in the area. Swim in the crystal clear waters, and then savor a delicious barbecue served on board. Later, return to Elounda, where you take the bus to go to the picturesque town of Agios Nikolaos. Enjoy shopping, exploring and marveling at the bottomless lake there. At the tour's end, the bus will take you back to Heraklion area.

From Ierapetra: Cruise Around Chrissi Island With Swimming

8. From Ierapetra: Cruise Around Chrissi Island With Swimming

Start your boat cruise from the port of Ierapetra and head to the exotic Chrissi. Sail in the emerald waters of the Libyan Sea, accompanied by seagulls and dolphins. The self-service bar of the ship remains open during the cruise, offering light meals, with salads, wine, soft drinks, coffee, and ice cream available to purchase. Jump off the boat and swim in the refreshing water off the coast of Chrissi Island. After a relaxing swim, dry off on board and enjoy views of the island's blue and green waters, golden beaches, and protected cedar forest. The cedar forest extends to the center of Chrissi, covering an area of 350,000 square meters. The colors of the rocks are spectacular, while almost the entire island is covered by golden sand. 

Agios Nikolaos: Semi-Submarine Cruise

9. Agios Nikolaos: Semi-Submarine Cruise

Board a comfortable air-conditioned semi-submarine vessel at the port of Agios Nikolaos. Discover marine life which inhabits the coastal waters of Agioi Pantes Island. Learn more about the flora and fauna you will see from the onboard audio guide. See many different species of colorful fish as the boat crew feeds them. If you are lucky, you may spot curious sea turtles, dolphins, and seals who sometimes choose to investigate the vessel. In the second part of the tour, take a seat on the main deck of the boat in order to admire the spectacular views of Agios Nikolaos Bay. Feel the sea breeze as you cruise through the bay before heading back to the port.

From Heraklion or Agios Nikolaos: Full-Day Santorini Trip

10. From Heraklion or Agios Nikolaos: Full-Day Santorini Trip

Discover the beauty of the island of Santorini on a bus and catamaran tour from Heraklion or Agios Nikolaos. Capture pictures of the classic blue and white houses in Oia and have some free time to explore Fira in the shadow of the Santorini volcano.  Enjoy the convenience of being picked up directly from your accommodation. Sit back and relax on the air-conditioned bus transfer to the high-speed catamaran in Heraklion harbor. Sail across the Mediterranean to the island of Santorini. Hop off the boat to take a tour of the beautiful island in a comfortable and climate-controlled bus. Listen to live commentary about the history of one of the most romantic destinations in Greece. Travel to the village of Oia at the northernmost tip for magnificent views of the typical blue and white houses across the hillside and stunning views of rolling hills meeting the sea. Continue to the capital at Fira and have some free time to browse the shops or enjoy a drink at a bar with views of the volcano and the returning boat in the evening. Cruise back to Heraklion and transfer back to your hotel.

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Elounda

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What people are saying about Agios Nikolaos

Overall rating

4.4 / 5

based on 3,482 reviews

Great day out! Michael, our tour guide, was brilliant and knew a lot about the local areas. As it was the national Independence Day of Greece , we had our schedule moved around a little so we were able to experience the parades that were happening - a really lovely consideration for the team to have made! Our pick up was very smooth and the bus journey was a beautiful route that allowed us to see the Cretan scenery. Elounda and Agios Nikolaos are stunning places and definitely worth a visit!! We had a good amount of free time in each place - the best part, jumping off our boat into the sea on our way back from Spinalonga Island! Bucket list check! Highly recommend this day out to everyone!

Highly recommend the trip to Zeus cave. Our tour guide- Petra, was amazing and answered any questions that we had. The views were out of this world and Petra kindly pulled over to allow our group to take some amazing photos. Thank you!

It was a long but fun day. Visited two beautiful and nice pictures and a beautiful lake with a nice view. Everything was well arranged, they were on time at the pick-up location and a nice guide.

Altough you don't have to much time, the tour was enough to see the important stuff in Heraklion. The guide was constantly giving us information and the bus driver also was very friendly

Very nice trip. They picked me up in a van very close to my hotel because the streets were very narrow. Recommended!