Full day tour, Agios Nikolaos-Spinalonga-Knossos, Crete

On this route, we travel to the eastern part of the island at 07:00- 08:15 in the morning and pick up at a place near the hotel.

Driving east, along the north coast and enjoying a lovely view of the dark blue waters we reach after 2 hours in the city, the beautiful bay, the colorful streets, and especially the unique freshwater lake in the center of the town, make Agios Nikolaos one of the loveliest cities on our island.

This charming village fuses the artsy and the bohemian with a bustling atmosphere and you’ll learn all these when you pass by the town’s shops and bars. Or, you can opt to stay at the lake and spend your free time there.

Knossos is the most important center of Minoan civilization; It’s the place where the myth of the labyrinth with the Minotaur and the myth of Daedalus and Icarus are connected. The palace of Knossos dated 2000 BC was the prosperous Minoan Capital and the residence of the legendary King Minos. The ruins were excavated and partly restored by Sir Arthur Evans in the late 19th century bringing to the light an enormous complex of over 1000 interlocking rooms which is probably the source of the well-known legend of the labyrinth. A guide will present all the facts and legends of this incredible discovery.

After that, you’ll proceed to the village of Elounda where you’ll board a boat to Spinalonga.  At the port, we take a ship and sail to the island of Spinalonga. The history and the culture of the island of Spinalonga became one with human tragedy in the course of time. This small isle carries within the history of Ancient Greece, as it served as a natural guard for the ancient city of Olous, the history of the Saracens as a hide-out for their pirate, the history of Venetians as their fortress, the history of Turks as their settlement.

The island was used as a Leper Colony until 1957. There you can travel through the Venetia and Turkish periods and roam through the old houses.  You’ll pass by a few rustic houses and see their unique architecture, plus you’ll get to see the ancient Venetian fortress. We will stay there for 1 hour and 30 min. until we come back to Elounda for a refreshing swim or enjoy the local cuisine.

At 19:30 we returned to Rethymno.