Boat from Ierapetra · 15 km Chrissi Island
A protected, uninhabited islet of juniper forest and shell-white shoreline, seen on a swim-stop cruise across turquoise water.
Gulf of Mirabello · North-east coast
Spinalonga
The island fortress off Elounda
The place
The islet of Spinalonga sits on the north-east side of Crete, between the town of Elounda and the Gulf of Mirabello. Its great fortress was built by the Venetians in 1579 to guard the entrance to the bay, and it never fell to siege.
In the 20th century the island had a very different life: from 1903 to 1957 it was the leper colony of Crete — one of the last in Europe — a self-contained village behind the old walls. Victoria Hislop's novel The Island brought its story to readers around the world.
Today you walk in through the Venetian gate, along the village street, and around the ramparts, with the Mirabello bay glittering on every side. Boats run across from Elounda, Plaka and Agios Nikolaos.
