SPINALONGA (AGIOS NIKOLAOS, KOLOKITHA)

Driving along the North East coast and through the gorge of Saint George we arrive at the pretty, cosmopolitan town of Agios Nicolaos which lies on the shores of the Gulf of Mirabello. Agios Nikolaos is famous for its picturesque “bottomless lake” and it was here that the well known film “The Lotus Eaters” was shot.
You will have plenty of time to discover this pretty little town on your own, to stroll around the shops or just relax in one of the popular cafes and watch the world go by.
Leaving Ayios Nicolaos, and after a short coach trip and a photo stop, we arrive at Elounda.
From here you take the boat and cruise along the bay to the island of Spinalonga (sometimes called the island of Tears). The guided tour on the island will both fascinate and haunt you as you learn the tragic history of this island which was once a Venetian fortress and was then the isolated home of many lepers up to 1957 when it was cleared by the Health Authorities, leaving the place uninhabited.
The Venetians constructed a very impressive fortress with forty cannons which has been guarding the strategic bay of Mirabello since the 15th century.