Agios Nikolaos Crete

The splendid town of Agios Nikolaos, we find it in the prefecture of Lassithi to the north east of the multifaceted Crete Island.

Once a small fishing village, in recent decades it has turned into one of the most sought after tourist resorts on the island and in Greece for the beautiful beaches that surround it and for its ancient history.

Its center is delightful with stone alleys, traditional houses, squares, local craft shops, small boutiques, cafes, typical taverns and trendy restaurants all around the Voulismeni Lake which intersects between the settlement and then flows directly in the sea. To see it it looks like a small but modern Venice in miniature.

There are many accommodation options ranging from simple guest houses, to apartments or hotels of all stars, you will be spoiled for choice.

From the findings, it seems that it was already inhabited in the Minoan period and that in the eighth century BC it was the seat of the Doric city of Lato with a port called Kamara which, developing much more rapidly than the town, became the most important center in Roman and Byzantine times. of the Lassithi region. The change of name from Lato to Agios Nikolaos is due to the Byzantine church of San Nicola. Many conquerors followed one another in the area from the Arabs, to the Genoese who built the Mirabello Castle on the Nomarchia hill, to the Venetians who developed trade especially with the export of salt up to the Ottomans.

Let's start with the Byzantine Church of San Nicola which, as we said before, gave the city its name and not to forget that it is the patron saint of Greek sailors. It is located in the southern part on the bay of Ormos in the small peninsula. Built between the 7th and 9th centuries in a purely Byzantine style, it has a single nave with a dome inside and a bell tower from the Venetian period. Originally it had only geometric motifs but in 1300 when following a violent earthquake that damaged it, frescoes and icons were added with the restoration.

The Archaeological Museum. Founded in 1970, it is considered the second most important in Crete after Heraklion. Housed in a modern building you can admire finds ranging from the Neolithic to the Greek-Roman period found especially in the east of the island from Malia to the distant Zakros . In addition to 1500 vases from the 3rd millennium BC, there is a large collection of the necropolis of Agia Fotia which is located about an hour from Agios Nikolas almost on the extreme eastern tip of Crete. And again a beautiful vase-shaped artifact of a woman with a very small head, an elongated neck and a bell-shaped body called the Goddess of Myrtos, a locality in the southern part of the Lassithi region. In the museum you can also observe a limestone figure found in the cave of Pelekito of Zakros and gold jewelry from the Minoan period. Finally, a skull adorned with a diadem of golden olive leaves with a coin from the period of the Emperor Tiberius in its mouth and a wonderful stone vase with a triton shell shape from the Minoan palace of Malia.

Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos

Konstantinou Palaiologou 41

Opening hours: 08.00-15.00.

Tel. 28410-24943

Another very nice point to visit in Agios Nikolaos is the Marina. Like all seaside towns that have a port that is natural or not, the Marina area is always very suggestive and full of nice cafes and restaurants. With a soft and almost magical atmosphere, this area is perfect for a walk after dinner or to stop and enjoy excellent fresh fish or for an aperitif at sunset.

The main attraction of the city is certainly the Voulismeni Lake, right in its center with volcanic origins, it forms a small lagoon. With a circular shape with a diameter of 137 meters and a depth of 64, it is connected to the sea by an artificial canal built in 1870. A very particular area, where you can find many cafes (in this regard, try the Saumada a typical milk drink from almond) and restaurants that are reflected in the water. Fantastic beliefs revolve around Lake Voulismeni such as that the bottom does not exist or that the Goddess Artemis and the Goddess Athena particularly loved bathing right here. Do not miss the walk all around the lake which today is also used as a dock for fishermen.

The archaeological sites to visit in the immediate vicinity of Agios Nikolaos are very interesting and help to have a vision of how life was prosperous and intense even in antiquity. We advise you to visit ancient Lato, the best preserved city of the classical period and considered one of the most important Doric city-states. It is located about a couple of kilometers outside Agios Nikolaos and dates back to the 7th century BC although its walls and buildings seem to date back to the 4th and 5th centuries BC. In the western part of the site is the main door with a staircase leading to one of the two agora. On the left side, the road towards the center right on the top of the hill where you can admire the ancient port. The five-pointed square is in the middle of the two promontories. In the northern part on the west side instead the remains of the great temple and the Pritaneum the area of the administrative buildings. Where the nobles resided is located behind the theater. It was destroyed in 200 BC and consequently completely abandoned.

Near Elounda about nine kilometers north of Agios Nikolaos is the sunken city of Olous on the spit of land that once connected the Spinalonga Island to Crete. Famous in antiquity for the statue of the Goddess Vritomartis (the goddess Artemis) in the days when the sea is calm you can see the ruins on the bottom of the sea. Finds from this ancient city such as rock-cut tombs can be found at the Archaeological Museum. Its maximum splendor was between 3000 and 900 BC in the Minoan period and was destroyed in the ninth century by the Saracens.

We continue with the archaeological site of Driros, Neaopoli today about fifteen kilometers from Agios Nikolaos. A settlement of the 12th century BC which had its greatest wealth in the archaic geometric period up to the Hellenistic period. Two beautiful acropolises separated by an agora are the remains that can be visited. We end with the Vrokastro village a few kilometers from Kalo Chorio and eleven to the south of Agios Nikolaos. Dated late Minoan, it was inhabited until the 7th century BC and connects the end of the Bronze Age to the beginning of the Iron Age. In 1910, excavations were made which led to the discovery of a Minoan settlement in the north at about 300 meters above sea level.

Spinalonga Island. About twenty-five kilometers from Agios Nikolaos north of the Mirabello Gulf, is the Spinalonga islet. Here the fortress built by the Venetians above the ancient stronghold of Olous in 1497 to defend the salt flats from the Turks, presents an imposing stronghold which after the Ottoman invasion became a place of exile and then transformed in the twentieth century as a quarantine area for the lepers. Today it is possible to visit the high walls that surround the citadel and inside two-storey houses, courtyards and shops. It can only be reached by boat of course but don't worry, from Elounda, Plaka and Agios Nikolaos there are many organized excursions to get there.

In the city for the more lazy, Ammos beach (sand in Greek) is ideal. A sandy beach near the tourist port, public and partly equipped. A good compromise for a day of leisure.

Moving out instead you can meet Istro beach about eight kilometers away. Soft sand in the middle of the Mirabello  Gulf with a narrow and long coastline with a cliff of lush Mediterranean flora. Equipped and perfect for families with children as the seabed drops gently and the sea is transparent and turquoise. Nearby hidden coves for those who love privacy.

Ammoudara beach is located five kilometers away. A long beach of golden sand surrounded by rolling hills, a crystalline blue sea with sloping sandy bottoms. Protected by the bay here the wind is almost non-existent. Equipped and well organized during the summer it is quite crowded.

Havania beach is located a couple of kilometers from Agios Nikolaos. A beach of about center meters with golden sand bathed by a clear and turquoise sea from the seabed that descends slowly, perfect for those who love to swim. Behind a low hill that gives a relaxing atmosphere. It is well equipped from all points of view.

Also in this case there would be things to report but we think that the surprise is always the best thing so 'in addition to writing our tips on the list of things to do in Crete, indulge yourself in finding new places to put in your suitcase of memories of your holidays in Greece 2023.