Spinalonga Island
Venetian sea fortress that later became a leper colony until 1957.
Forts & castles · Agios Nikolaos
History & culture
Minoan palaces, museums, monasteries, castles
Crete was the centre of the Minoan civilisation, Europe’s first advanced Bronze Age culture, and later ruled by Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans. You can walk through Minoan palaces in the morning, a Venetian harbour at lunchtime and a monastery that symbolises Cretan independence in the afternoon.
Panagia Kera (Kritsa)
Painted Byzantine church near Kritsa.
Churches & monasteries · Agios Nikolaos
Ancient Lato
A Doric city between two hills.
Archaeological sites · Agios Nikolaos
Gournia
A Minoan town you can walk the streets of.
Archaeological sites · Agios Nikolaos
Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos
Finds from eastern Crete.
Museums · Agios Nikolaos
Ancient Olous
A sunken city at Elounda.
Archaeological sites · Agios Nikolaos
Dreros
Ancient Greek city near Neapoli, with one of the earliest Greek temples.
Archaeological sites · Agios Nikolaos
Agios Georgios Selinari Monastery
The monastery where drivers stop for luck.
Churches & monasteries · Agios Nikolaos
Hidden gem
Kremasta Monastery
A monastery that seems to hang from the hillside.
Churches & monasteries · Agios Nikolaos
Hidden gem
Areti Monastery
A secluded monastery near Elounda.
Churches & monasteries · Agios Nikolaos
Hidden gem
Faneromeni Monastery (Ierapetra)
A monastery overlooking the sea.
Churches & monasteries · Agios Nikolaos
Hidden gem
Rodanthi Museum
Natural history in Kritsa.
Museums · Agios Nikolaos
Hidden gem
Kritsotopoula Museum
The home of a resistance heroine.
Museums · Agios Nikolaos
Hidden gem
Folklore Museum of Agios Nikolaos
Embroidery by the lake.
Museums · Agios Nikolaos
Hidden gem
Vrachasi Folk House
A traditional home in Vrachasi.
Museums · Agios Nikolaos