How to get to Spinalonga Island - Crete
Crete, Greece
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Spinalonga Island - Crete
Parking
10€ + 8€
1-2h
9/10. (Quite busy)
–
8.5/10
Spinalonga is a fortified island with a land surface of about 10 hectares. It’s located less than 1 km from the coastal village of Plaka, in the East of Crete. Even though the islet boasts a long and rich history dating back to ancient times involving the Venetians and the Turks, its principal cultural interest lies in the contemporary period. Indeed, the island hosted one of the last lepers’ colonies of Europe, which was left by its last residents in 1957.
Plaka is located 25 minutes north of Agios Nikolaos, and 1h 10’ east of Heraklion by car. The easiest way to get to Spinalonga is by boat from the small harbor of Plaka. However, you can also reach it from Elounda or Agios Nikolaos.
Roads are good, so you can make it even with a Fiat Punto. You can park the car for free next to the small port of Plaka. There aren’t many spots though.
There are boat trips every 30 minutes (it costs 10€ both ways), it takes only 5 minutes and you don’t need to book in advance. They said that their payment terminal was broken… so take some cash just in case it's still not working.
The entrance fee to the fortification is 8€ (free if you are under 26 and a student) and it can be paid by card. Once there you can find an expensive café and toilets (0.5€).
You can visit the whole island by yourself in 30 minutes. However, it would be better to go on a guided tour as there are no explanatory boards or audio guides available on site.
There are organized tours from Agios Nikolaos providing guides but it’s better to visit the islet with a local, who will offer you a more authentic and personal experience, in smaller groups. We strongly recommend Pavlos ([email protected]; +30 6940 10 29 90.) from nearby Plaka. You will get to learn about the history of the place, all the secrets of the islet and the Venetian and Ottoman architecture on a 1 to 2-hours long off-the-beaten tracks tour, for 10 euros/person.
Spinalonga is a very popular place, the second most visited archeological site of the island after Knossos. There are big touristy ferries that bring people from organized trips so expect to find it very crowded.
Once per year there is a swimming competition from Plaka to Spinalonga that commemorates the route lepers had to do in order to escape from the island.
There is a beach on the part of the island that faces Plaka. It’s rocky and ugly but good enough to have a dip on a hot day in Crete.
History
The islet, which used to be connected to the mainland, was first occupied during Greek Antiquity. Venetians arrived in the 16th century and built an impressive fortress that they artificially isolated from the rest of Crete.
Spinalonga was then captured by the Ottomans following a long siege, half a century after their conquest of the rest of Crete.
It remained occupied by a Turkish settlement until almost 50 years after the Cretan revolt, when the Greek authorities sent the first lepers to Spinalonga in 1903 setting up the lepers colony.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the island was used to isolate lepers from the rest of the population. Patients from all over the country were sent to the islet and abandoned to their fate, with very few means of support and receiving no health care. In that time, the daily life in Spinalonga was hard and precarious, and misery prevailed among its residents.
Everything changed in the 30s, when a young law student was sent to the island: Epameinondas Remoundakis. Shocked by the dramatic situation of the lepers, he informed the public opinion about their living conditions on the island and managed to progressively negotiate with the authorities and secure a series of benefits such as proper healthcare installations, a decent monthly allowance and even a cinema. When the cure to leprosy was found, the islet started to lose its inhabitants until the last resident, a healthy Orthodox priest, left in 1962 after commemorating the last deceased person 40 days, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years after his death in accordance with tradition.
Long hidden and denied by the Greek authorities, this dark page of Spinalonga´s history is nowadays exposed to the large public, and important rebuilding and restoration works are undertaken with the aim of integrating Spinalonga to the UNESCO World Heritage List. During your visit to the islet, you will get to see houses with some facilities inside, Venetian water tanks, a disinfection room, a market, a cemetery, and even an Orthodox church that is still active nowadays. It has an important symbolic meaning for the locals and celebrations such as weddings take place there.
Spinalonga is a must-do in Crete, and nobody is left unaffected by its recent tragic past, but also by the stories of hope and resilience that happened within its walls.
Comment if you have any question!
