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.
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 3.
Our tour starts with a visit at the Olive Factory In Malia, there you can taste the famous Cretan Olive oil.
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.
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.
Elounda port, take the boat to Spinalonga
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
Excurgo comparison of 430 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Spinalonga - Agios Nikolaos From Heraklion lasts about 10 hours. The itinerary has 4 stops.
Prices start at $57 per person for this Heraklion experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Tuesdays and Fridays, starting at 8:00 AM.
Children aged 7–16 pay from $29, adults from $57. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. 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 Pickup points include Capsis Astoria Heraklion, Kalimera Village, Yades.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 100 participants.
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.2 out of 5 across 20 verified reviews; it is run by MTM Experiences.
The tour and stops in the villages were very good. But we thought it would be English speaking guide only. The guide had to speak several languages for many guests and that took extra time away from the tour, especially in Spinalonga, for touring.
The excursion was booked at the hotel.
Places filled with history after a short boat ride, escorted by a perfectly bilingual guide (French, Dutch) with a very interesting narrative.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinalonga - Agios Nikolaos From Heraklion | 10 hours | 4.2 (20) | $57 | |
 Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island | 8–9 hours | 4.4 (456) | $48 | View |
 PRIVATE Spinalonga & Agios Nikolaos & Olive Oil Factory CRETE | 8 hours | 4.8 (33) | $155 | View |
 Makrigialos-Ierapetra: Spinalonga, Elounda & Agios Nikolaos Tour | 7 hours | 4.8 (5) | $78 | View |
 5Hour Safari Tour in Crete(Heraklion)with Quad,Jeep,Buggy & Lunch | 5 hours | 4.8 (1,268) | $102 | View |
 Knossos - Zeus Cave - Old Traditional Villages-Olive Oil Factory | 7h 30min | 5.0 (758) | $132 | View |
 Dia Island Sailing Cruise with Meal and Water Activities | 5–6 hours | 4.7 (585) | $78 | View |