Tours/Heraklion/Spinalonga - Agios Nikolaos From Heraklion
Viator · group up to 100 pax

Spinalonga - Agios Nikolaos From Heraklion

4.1(18)Heraklion1 hour
VIATOR3.5(2)TRIPADVISOR4.2(16)

Description

Originally, Spinalonga was not an island – it was part of the island of Crete. During Venetian occupation the island was carved out of the coast for defence purposes and a fort was built there. During Venetian rule, salt was harvested from salt pans around the island.The island has also been used as a leper colony. Spinalonga has appeared in novels, television series, and a short film. This excursion is a perfect option for those who want to combine land & sea tours. You will also have the opportunity to visit the eastern part of Crete, Agios Nikolaos, a small town with a picturesque harbour and the island of Spinalonga.

Tour Options

French Tour
  • Pickup included
Spinalonga - Agios Nikolaos From Heraklion
  • Pickup included

Itinerary

60 min

Our tour starts with a visit at the Olive Factory In Malia, there you can taste the famous Cretan Olive oil.

300 min

By boat we visit the island of Spinalonga. This island was used as a Leper Colony until 1957. In the small village under the Venetian fortress the stigmatised lepers shared fates when exiled to the island. We make a stop to take a swim in the clean waters of Kolokitha beach in the area of the remains of the ancient sunken city of Olous.

180 min

We visit the eastern part of the island. Passing through Heraklio, we reach Agios Nikolaos, a small town with a picturesque harbour. The hilly town is built around a former sweet water lake.

20 min

Elounda port, take the boat to Spinalonga

Highlights

Boat Ticket
Drop Off
Hotel Pick up
Snack Box
Guide
Transportation

What's included

Included
Boat Ticket
Drop Off
Hotel Pick up
Snack Box
Guide
Transportation
Not included
Tips
Personal Expenses
Spinalonga Entrance: 20 euro per person

Pickup Locations & Times

Hotel pick up and drop off is included only for the preselected areas at indicated hotel or nearby appointed area of our pick up routing. In case of outside proximity property (hotel, AIRBNB, villas) you have to reach meeting point by your own transportation means. We do offer pickup from: Ammoudara, Heraklion, Karteros, Kokkini Hani, Gournes, Gouves, Analipsi, Hersonissos, Stalida, Malia, Sissi, Aghios Nikolaos

Traveller Ratings

4.1
18 reviews
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Important Information

  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Dress code is smart casual
  • Please note that hotel pick up/ drop off is included only for the preselected areas. You will receive a confirmation email with your pick up location and time. If you have not received it till 24 hours prior to your activity's date please do contact your local supplier.

Reviews(18)

E
evelynemotte
June 3, 2026
A very interesting discovery.

Places filled with history after a short boat ride, escorted by a perfectly bilingual guide (French, Dutch) with a very interesting narrative.

E
EdmondJos
July 22, 2025
Remarkable emotions and landscapes

Beautiful day by coach and boat with a French-speaking guide from Stalis (Heraklion). Impressive views of the Spinalonga peninsula and the Elonda region. Crossing the bay by boat and moving discovery of the ancient Venetian fortress of Spinalonga transformed into a leper colony from 1903 to 1957! Impressive historical site, ghost leper colony named in French the Ile des Oubliés. A real must! The tour ends in the charming town of Agios Nikolaos.

Operator response

Merci beaucoup pour votre avis ! Nous sommes ravis que vous ayez apprécié cette belle journée en autocar et en bateau, ainsi que les vues impressionnantes de la presqu'île de Spinalonga et de la région d'Éloúnda. Nous sommes heureux que la découverte de l’ancienne forteresse et de la léproserie vous ait marqué. Nous espérons vous accueillir à nouveau pour une autre expérience inoubliable ! MTM Travel & Tourism

G
Getaway784373
June 26, 2024
A must for a visit

We had already read the book about Spinalonga and felt privileged to have visited the island. It was everything we hope it would be. The tool lady did talk for half an hour which was a needed arrival at the island

S
sharonjS1058TC
May 17, 2023
Agios Nicolaus and Spinalonga

Fabulous and interesting day with Spiridon Tours where we visited the very pretty Nicolaus Agios and Spinalonga island. The tour was well organised, the ferry 20 minutes and the island really interesting. Well worth a day out! Take a tour and expect to start early! Spinalonga is not easily reached from Rethymnon.

V
Vanessa0408
July 31, 2022
Spinalonga Island

Excellent day with French guide who tells us a whole exciting story with ruins that are rebuilt identically what a beautiful place full of charms

3 people found this helpful
O
osulan
July 5, 2022
Might Be Better to Drive Yourself if Coming from Heraklion

I went on the Spinalonga- Agios Nikolaos from Heraklion Tour in early July 2022 with my bf. They picked us up in an Orange Travel bus with a "Spinalonga" sign in front. I booked the tour through TripAdvisor which states that the tour operator was MTM D.M.C Ltd so there was quite a bit of confusion and the bus drove off to park down the street from us. Thankfully, we chases after it and check again and found that our name was on the list, even though it was spelled incorrectly (which apparently is pretty normal in Greece). We were the 2nd group to be picked up out of a group of maybe 10 of other stops. It took us over an hour and a half to pick everyone else up for the tour to actually begin. Because of this, we were also the last ones off the bus after dropping everyone else off. I wish they included an optional section under the inclusion section of the tour descriptions for bringing a bathing suit for a potential dip in the water. Because I did not see an option to go swimming in the ticket booking in the TripAdvisor app, we didn't bring a swimsuit for the occasion. The lunch was a soulvaki pork sandwich that did not include any kind of drink at all. I would recommend either bringing money to buy one or bringing your own for the trip. The only bottle of water that was given to us was near the end of the tour when we got to the Agios Nikolaos Lake. The water was not cold, nor was there a restroom in the chartered bus the tour was in. The tour guide, Eva, was nice but it was difficult to understand her at times. I ended up falling asleep when she would give her lectures. All in all, you really get what you pay for. The whole experience wouldn't have been as bad if you were picked up towards the beginning of the tour around 9AM. My bf and I were picked up at 7:35AM at the Ligo krassi ligo thalassa restaurant.

J
Jean Bernard M
June 28, 2022
From Malia, head to the Island of the Forgotten near Agios

A surprising discovery of the fate that was once reserved for lepers isolated from the world and left to their fate. Too bad that this place is so frequented by an uninterrupted horde of tourists. Takes away a lot of charm from the visit.

L
Lerandbleu
September 13, 2021
Too many buses spoiling the fun of the excursion

We took an excursion from Gazi to the island of Spinalonga with the tour operator Sparrow Travel (offered by the Agapi Beach hotel) - be careful, the collection hde all guests in the hotels is endless: departure from the hotel at 7:00 am and arrival in Agios Nikolaos at 9:30 am - too bad because then the excursion itself is interesting - return time about 2 hours - arrival at 7:30 pm

J
Jobix57
August 2, 2021
Anti ecological!!

Anti Ecological!! Departure by bus from the hotel (gas-oil * Air conditioning), arrival at the port departure in a large well polluting boat whose engine will run throughout the duration of the Excursion. Arrival on site the spinalonga visit is subject to a fee (8€ per person, without English translation). The boats arrive in turn and discharge 1 stream of tourists by letting out stinking smoke. The meal is taken on the boat (in the form of barbecue, the meat is good)., some Covid masks end up in the water, the cutlery is plastic, They fly during a gale and also end up in the water. The water is beautiful, but you swim near the boats in the smoke the engines. The worst part, strictly no one cares about the bottles and masks floating on the beautiful blue sea.

9
957pierrickd
October 22, 2020
Memorial visit to a former leper centre.

Moving visit to this ancient Venetian citadel converted into a leper colony until the 1950s. Beautiful walk around the military fort but especially in the old village being restored. Shuttle by nice boat to and from.

1 people found this helpful
Operator response

Dear Customer We are so glad you have enjoyed the tour via MTM DMC Ltd and Trip Advisor. I hope to see you again soon. Kindest Regards

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