Agios Nikolaos

The town wraps around Voulismeni, a small round lake just under fifty metres deep, connected to the harbour by a short channel cut in the nineteenth century and ringed by cafes and restaurants under a low cliff; local legend once claimed the lake was bottomless or that Athena bathed in it. Beyond the channel the harbour opens onto the Gulf of Mirabello, with the mountains of Sitia across the water. The town is a working centre with a good archaeological museum, a folk museum, small municipal beaches and a long promenade to Almyros. Since the 1960s it has been a tourist base for eastern Crete, more compact and walkable than Malia or Hersonissos, and boats leave from the harbour for Spinalonga.

What to look for

• Lake Voulismeni - a deep round lake in the middle of the town.
• The harbour channel - the cut joining lake and sea.
• The archaeological museum - eastern Cretan finds from Minoan to Roman.
• The gulf promenade - a coastal walk toward Almyros beach.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the town at its most pleasant; summer fills the waterfront and prices rise. Evenings around the lake are the local ritual in any season.

Good to know

The town beaches are small and crowded; better swimming needs a short drive. Lakeside restaurants are geared to visitors with prices to match. The town is built on slopes, so walking involves hills.

Nearby

Spinalonga and Elounda lie north; Kritsa and Lato are in the hills behind.