Things to do in Spinalonga
Tiny islet Spinalonga is just a short boat trip away from northern Crete, but a visit is like stepping back in time. Centuries of history are packed within the walls that encircle this islet, which is no more than 435m long and 230m wide. Over the centuries, Spinalonga has served a Venetian fortress, an Ottoman town and a leper colony, which closed in the 1950s and led to it being known as the ‘Isle of Tears’. You can wander around its eerily empty streets, past roofless, doorless and windowless houses whose walls have so many tales to tell. Take a look round the old hospital and graveyard, then amble up to the ruins of the Venetian castle for panoramic views over the islet, Plaka and Kolokitha peninsula. Another great way to explore this island is with a guided tour.
Our recommendations in Spinalonga
The tiny island of Spinalonga is just a short hop away from Crete but a visit is like stepping back in time. Centuries of history are packed within the walls that encircle the islet. You'll sail to Spinalonga from Elounda, a 25-minute cruise.On arrival at the islet – which is no more than 435m long and 230m wide – you'll find yourself immersed in its history straight away. Over the years, Spinalonga has been a Venetian outpost, an Ottoman town and a leper colony, which led to it being dubbed the ‘isle of tears'.A guided walk will show you around the Venetian fortress and the leper colony – which closed in the 1950s. See the main street, still lined with the shops and houses where the lepers attempted to live ordinary lives. And look round the old hospital and graveyard. After fascinating if poignant visit, you'll board the boat and sail back to Elounda.
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Spinalonga Island Guided Tour with Lunch
The tiny isle of Spinalonga is just a short hop away from Crete but a visit is like stepping back in time. Centuries of history are packed within the walls that encircle it. See it through the eyes of a true local on this full-day tour of its must-see monuments.
en
The tiny island of Spinalonga is just a short hop away from Crete but a visit is like stepping back in time. Centuries of history are packed within the walls that encircle the islet. You'll sail to Spinalonga from Elounda, a 25-minute cruise.On arrival at the islet – which is no more than 435m long and 230m wide – you'll find yourself immersed in its history straight away. Over the years, Spinalonga has been a Venetian outpost, an Ottoman town and a leper colony, which led to it being dubbed the ‘isle of tears'.A guided walk will show you around the Venetian fortress and the leper colony – which closed in the 1950s. See the main street, still lined with the shops and houses where the lepers attempted to live ordinary lives. And look round the old hospital and graveyard. After fascinating if poignant visit, you'll board the boat and sail back to Elounda.
de, fr, nl, pl
Spinalonga Island Guided Tour with Lunch
The tiny isle of Spinalonga is just a short hop away from Crete but a visit is like stepping back in time. Centuries of history are packed within the walls that encircle it. See it through the eyes of a true local on this full-day tour of its must-see monuments.
en
How to get there
Spinalonga
Crete
Greece
Reviews Spinalonga
“Overall Enjoyed the visit. Country on the coach travelling was very poor audio upstairs and very difficult to hear. Although the guide obviously knew the history of the island her commentary didn't really flow and seem to struggle at times linking items of information. She also flitted from period to period back and forth. I was also surprised about an additional stop on the return journey that wasn't mentioned in the itinerary although the guide insisted it was. Ended up sitting around.”
“Our guide, Maria, was excellent! She was so knowledgeable & welcoming. She knew so much about the island & the surrounding towns/areas. The restaurant where we had our food however, was not. Leftover food for starter, chicken leg & some boiled rice with 3 potatoes for main & 1 melted scoop of ice cream for dessert. The man wasn't very welcoming either….Could have booked the boat tour myself and gone to a much nicer restaurant for food! It was so poor 1 couple got up and left to purchase food!!”
“The visit to Spinalonga was good, but didn't last for long enough. We had two hours on the island, one hour and fifteen minutes was spent on a guided tour (which was difficult as the paths on the island are very small and we were an group of 50+ people - there were also many other large tours going on making it very busy). We would have liked more then 45 minutes free time. Lunch was nice, but we didn't have long enough in Elounda. We did not have very long in Agios Nicholas either.”
“The trip itself was worth it What was really disappointing was the 2 hour pickup trip at the start and then the 2 hour plus drop offs Smaller feeder coaches would have been better Over 4 hours of our day was taken up dropping off and picking others up”
