Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
A day trip that combines relaxation and history gives you the chance to visit the highlights of the Northeast part of Crete, where the picturesque town of Agios Nikolaos with the magnificent lake can be found. Elounda, a small village on the shore of Mirabello bay with spectacular views, is where the boat begins the cruise heading to Spinalonga island, a small uninhabited island used during the history as a fortress and later on as a leper colony. On the way back to Elounda Port the boat will anchor so you can dive in the refreshing waters.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Bring with you swimsuit and towel
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Pickup and Drop off from hotels and designated meeting points.
Guide
Transport by air-conditioned coach or minivan.
Food & Drinks
Spinalonga island
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
The town of Agios Nikolaos is the capital of Lassithi prefecture and stands on the shore of Mirabello bay on the east part of Crete's island. The point of attention is the lake of Voulismeni, found in the town center, surrounded by cafes and restaurants. The lake connects to the sea under a tiny road blue bridge and has a historical and geological significance due to its high depth. In the town, you can find many shops and on Wednesdays even an open-air market bazaar. Take your time for a walk to enjoy the views, enjoy some shopping or have a drink in one of the numerous cafes around the lake.
Elounda
Elounda is a former fishing village on the northern coast of the island. Nowadays is well known for its luxurious hotels and Villas. The view across the Mirabello bay is spectacular while enjoying swimming in the crystal water. Elounda is a former fishing village on the northern coast of the island. Modern Elounda is very well known for the Five and Six stars luxury Hotels built in the area. A lot of them can be seen on the way to the port, where we embark to our private boat for the coastal cruise to Mirabello Gulf.
Options
From Heraklion, Ammoudara
Pickup included
From Malia,Stalida,Hersonissos
Duration: 10 hours
Pickup included
From Analipsi, Gouves, Gournes
Duration: 9 hours
Pickup included
Reviews
413 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
It was good. The tour...
Megumi K,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00It was good. The tour size could have been a little smaller but over all it provided what we needed so it was good.
Bad
kumar T,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00We have booked our trip and pick up location and charged me then few hours after they told me change my pick up location far away.
Well constructed tour
Paul C,
Nov 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00An interesting and well organised tour taking in three locations. Good variety of experiences and helpful guides.
Nice and cozy trip....
kimberly d,
Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Nice and cozy trip. Very nice views. Nice that we got the chance to swim from the boat
Well-planned day with friendly and informative guides
TElizzy97,
Oct 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked this excursion ahead of our honeymoon in Crete in October 2025 and had a great time with Altino Travel and their guides. Our main guide, Manos, was friendly and informative, giving us useful information about the places we were visiting. The guides also spoke English, French, and Greek, and so catered to all the nationalities on the trip very well. The company do pick ups and drop off at various places along the routes and ours was conveniently from our hotel in Ammoudara. It was a long day, leaving our hotel at 7:20am and getting back at 5:45pm, but well worth it in order to visit Elounda, Spinalonga, and Agios Nikolaos. The tickets are very reasonably priced as they included the travelling to and from all the sites (including the boat trip to and from Spinalonga island) and the guides all day. You will need to pay the entry fee to Spinalonga when you arrive at the island (I believe it’s around €20 per person). Food and drink are not included, but there was plenty of free time at each location to explore and eat. The coaches/minibuses used as transport were clean and comfortable, and the pick ups/drop offs on time. The only thing I’d say to be aware of is that the guides don’t take you around Spinalonga and so I’d recommend reading up on the island ahead of time as there isn’t much information or signage on the island itself, making it a little confusing if you don’t know the history of the place (this isn’t a negative of the excursion itself - more a criticism of the island!). Overall, a great day packed with places to visit and friendly staff to help you.
Great day well worth doing
Sarah E,
Oct 22, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Was a full day with 3 main stops. There is plenty time at each place to enjoy the areas and have quick drink if you want. The towns are very pretty and Spinalonga very interesting. It is €20 extra to get into Spinolonga but you can just sit and enjoy view of port or paddle if you don't want to walk round. If you want to jump of boat into water for swim on way back ensure you already have swim wear on. Transfers were great and local. All staff were friendly and helpful. Thoroughly enjoyed our day. Totally recommended
Top organized and entertaining
maxw439,
Oct 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Simply impressive, with what planning precision the participants were collected from different places, how the tour was planned in total and at the end of the day everyone was taken away, wow! We have received fixed detailed information after booking and would be picked up as scheduled. The trip was a round trip and very entertaining. The tour guide did a great job, respect for the information in German, English and French. That was a bit much for me during the day, because all the information came three times and would make sure next time that it is possibly only two language versions. But that's a matter of taste.
Amazing tour
Andreea C,
Oct 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This tour was amazing! Special thanks to our guide Manos and to our driver who ensured a lovely and safe experience for everyone. Agios Nikolaos is an amazing place that we instantly fell in love with, and Spinalonga is just breathtaking. The operating company was fantastic, a team of professionals who quickly found a solution to reduce our return time in difficult traffic. I highly recommend this tour!
Highly Recommend this trip!!
Enots5,
Oct 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fabulous day trip, extremely well organised with no waiting around. Ample time at each stop. Highly recommend!! Manos our guide and David our driver were very friendly and Manos was very well educated with info about our stops. The boat trip was again perfectly organised, thank you Manos and Captain John, with no waiting around. Spinalonga was the highlight and a very interesting place to visit..sad but with a sense of hope…
Booked an English tour...
Phil G,
Oct 14, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00Booked an English tour and was surrounded by French and the tour in English and mainly French. Also in the description there is no mention of a swim stop in Elounda bay which meant I feel we wasted 20 minutes so that 4 people out of the 50-60 could get off the boat and swim, stranding the rest with nothing to do. I feel that time would have been better spent on spinalonga as there wasn’t enough time there. If I had know about the swim stop then I would’ve booked a different tour. The amount of time in Agios Nikolaos and Elounda town was just right to see what was there and relax a bit.
Related Experiences
Operated by Altino Travel Services