Things to do
10-
Church of Panagia Kera
Outside Kritsa, among olive trees, stands a whitewashed Byzantine church with three aisles under pitched roofs. Every wall and vault inside is covered with frescoes of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: the life of the Virgin, the Last Judgement and rows of saints in deep reds and blues. It is a monument run by the culture ministry, and ticketed.
-
Lake Voulismeni
Right in the centre of Agios Nikolaos, this small, deep lake is closed in by a sheer rock face on one side and cafés on the other. A channel cut in the nineteenth century joins it to the harbour, and fishing boats moor along its edge. Steps up the cliff lead to a terrace looking down over the water and the town, lit up and lively after dark.
-
Spinalonga
For more than fifty years, leprosy patients were sent to live apart on this island behind its sea walls, and Cretans called it the island of the living dead. Plaka harbour is a short crossing away.
View more → -
Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos
Reopened in 2024 after a long renovation, the museum gathers finds from Minoan and later sites across eastern Crete. Its best-known piece is the Goddess of Myrtos, a clay figure cradling a water jug, some four thousand years old. Gold jewellery, seal stones and painted coffins fill the other rooms. It keeps short daytime hours and is closed on Tuesdays.
-
Elounda Mare
A Relais and Châteaux hotel set in gardens stepping down to the water at the southern edge of Elounda, facing Mirabello Bay. Beyond the main building, stone bungalows and villas each have their own pool and sea view. A small private beach sits at the foot of the grounds. The drive from Heraklion airport takes under an hour.
-
Kolokytha
Kolokytha is a beach on the Olous side, a stop for swimming and snorkelling, reached on foot from the causeway area at Olous. The path has little shade and parts of it are steep. Carry water and food from Elounda before setting out.
-
Kritsa
A hill village above Agios Nikolaos, built in tiers on the slope with views back down to Mirabello Bay. Its main lane is hung with handwoven rugs and embroidered cloth sold by local makers. The frescoed church of Panagia Kera stands just below the village, and the road continues up to the ancient city of Lato. Leave the car below and climb the steep upper lanes on foot.
-
Lato
A Dorian hill city spread across a saddle between two summits, a short drive above Kritsa. Stone stairways climb past houses and workshops to an agora with a small temple and a wide flight of steps used for public meetings. From the top terraces the view reaches down to the bay. The site has little shade and keeps short daytime hours.
-
Olous
The remains of an ancient city now lie in shallow water beside the causeway that joins Elounda to the Spinalonga peninsula. Walls and foundations show beneath the surface, and snorkellers swim straight over them. On the causeway, stone windmills line the old salt pans, and an early Christian floor mosaic of fish lies under a shelter nearby. The site is unfenced and free to visit.
-
Plaka, Lasithi
A small fishing village north of Elounda, directly facing Spinalonga across a narrow strait. Fish tavernas sit with their tables on the water's edge, and a clear pebble beach runs along the front. The crossing to the island is shortest from here, with small boats leaving the jetty through the day in season. Parking along the single village street fills quickly in July and August.
