Elounda is a world renowned tourism resort located at the north-eastern part of Crete, 10km from Agios Nikolaos. The history and the beauty of Elounda attracts thousands of visitors every year.
The road that leads to Elounda offers a spectacular view of the Mirabello Gulf and Korfos. In our days is a destination famous for its luxury hotels and visited by many celebrities around the world.
In the past ancient Elounda (Olous) was an important city of the Minoan Crete with a population of over 30.000 people, also a theory suggests that it might be the lost Atlantis since a big part is sunken under the sea. The main attractions are, Spinaloga island, the windmills, the ancient Olous, the peninsula of Kolokytha and the four small settlements, Shisma, Mavrikiano, Pano and Kato Elounda.
Elounda’s main beach just to the north of the harbour is awarded annually with the Blue Flag, is a well organized beach with restaurants, cafe's and ideal for water sports. Another beach to visit, is the Driros beach which takes 15 minutes walk along the coastal path. East of Skisma in about 800m are the awarded with the Blue Flag beaches Xiona and Poros. Another beautiful place to swim is the pebble beach at Plaka which takes 5 minutes driving with a car to visit. At the end of the settlement is located the Agia Marina beach, and if you follow the road you will find the church of Agios Loukas, from there a downhill walk will take you to Kolokytha beach, famous for its turquoise water.
The famous island of Spinaloga back at ancient times was guarding the port of ancient Olous, the Venetian fortress of Spinaloga is a recognized archaeological site and a rare example of Venetian fortress building and island fortification. In the recent history it became a leper colony (1903-1957). Spinaloga's history has inspire several writers and filmmakers, one of them is the award winning author Victoria Hislop with the best seller «The Island»,which has been translated in 22 languages. Boat trips from Elounda to Spinaloga are made on daily basis every 30 minutes from 09:00 to 17:00. Reservations and departures are made from Elounda's main harbor. Furthermore the visitor can select between fishing trips, which include fishing from the boat, time for swimming and mini cruises which include a visit to the island of Spinaloga, swimming at the sandy beach of Kolokytha and a visit at the sunken city of Olous.
Elounda offers to its visitors some of the most beautiful landscapes in Greece, because of its intense mountainous region offers the ability to enjoy biking activities within paths, coastal areas and barren mountainsides. We suggest three bike routes:
Only 16 minutes driving from Elounda is located the city of Agios Nikolaos, with 27,047 inhabitants (2011), is the capital of the Lassithi province of Crete. It is built around a picturesque lake «Voulismeni» at the north-western side of the Mirabello bay, the biggest bay in Crete. This lake is connected to the sea by a straight channel, its shape is circular with a diameter of 137m. Αccording to mythology, the goddess Athena used to take her bath in there. Along the water's edge is a parade of pastel coloured taverna's, cafe's and little boutiques.
Elounda Oasis is located a few minutes walk from the beach of Elounda Crete
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