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Home > Guide To Crete > Agios Nikolaos
Holidays To Agios Nikolaos -
Location Of Agios Nikolaos in Crete
Agios Nikolaos is on the far eastern side of Crete
facing out into the Aegean Sea, once the centre of the 18-
Agios Nikolaos -
Aghios Nikolaos, Agios Nikolaos or Ag Nik for short, is situated on the far east of Crete, and is a wonderfully picturesque town, the area is famous for its sandy beaches and more notably in the centre of the city the small lake, known locally as "Voulismeni" Its a circular shape approximately 137 metres in diameter. According to the mythology, the goddess Athena used to take her bath in this lake.
The locals say the lake is bottomless, and this adds to the appeal of the lake, but the actual depth of the lake is about 64 m and was connected to the sea only recently, with a canal opened in 1870. This is where the retreating Germans in WWII dumped all their ammunitions and tanks, never to be seen again. The lake is surrounded by wonderful cafes and small fishing boats, and is a great place to relax and enjoy a coffee and a bite to eat. The cafes are reasonably priced and offer a very warm welcome.
Agios Nikolaos also has some of the best jewellery shops in all of Crete, offering everything from rings and necklaces to intricately carved souvenirs. It has three shingle beaches and also the wonderful Satia Bay, offering fantastic views and lovely clear blue sea is just around the corner.
The port of Agios Nikolaos offers boat trips and daily fishing trips around the island. The best boat trip for history lovers is to the former Leper colony called Spinalonga.
Spinalonga held the largest population of Lepers in Europe for over 50 years, with the last person resident on the island leaving in 1957. You can now get guided tours around the island where you can find out the history of the island, buy souvenirs and then walk the rest of the island to take photographs. Most boat trips offer an inclusive BBQ and a chance to swim off a neighbouring islands beach.
The Cretan Embassy Taverna
The restaurants in Agios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos boasts some great traditional Greek Tavernas, dotted around the town and a few surrounding the bottomless lake of Voulismeni. Our recommended choice of restaurants would have to be The Cretan Embassy, once an official place now a charming restaurant with inside and garden dining. The photo of this restaurant can be found at the top of the page. Also try La Strada for great Greek and Italian food which can be found by going to the top of 28 Octovirou and turn 90 degrees right. Another famous restaurant in Ag Nik has to be Pelagos and this can easily be found by asking the locals. For a nice beachfront restaurant try Thalassa: Beachside Taverna overlooking the beach of Kitroplatia. There are plenty of other restaurants within the town centre of Ag Nik and also on the beachfront and lakeside, our recommendation is to explore and find undiscovered Tavernas for your best experience of Crete.
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Daytime and Nightlife of Agios Nikolaos
The main beaches of Agios Nikolaos are the one in the town centre as such and is a pebble beach with organised sunbed's and snacks. You can travel a little further out of Agios Nikolaos just a few Km and find Almiros Beach and nice sandy beach, also Ammoudara beach another sandy beach but can get quite crowded in summer and has difficult access. Also Havania beach is another popular choice with sunbed's and snack bars provided. After relaxing on the beaches of Ag Nik you have to try out the nightlife and apart from the quieter bars and pubs you will also find a surprising number of nightclubs here. The 25 Martiou street is called by local youths "Soho", try out Captain sky, Scorpios, Sixties, Tounel, Sorrento and Gianni’s bar which are very tourist oriented, while Roxy and Royale are more Greek clubs/bars.
There's a wide variety of hotels in Agios Nikolaos to book, from self catering full and half board and bed and breakfast. You can use the Search engine on this page or the front page of Holidays To Crete or view our “Selected Ag Nik Hotels” to book online now.
Candia Park Village -
This hotel complex is rated number 1 for hotels in Ag Nik and you can see why with
massive pools a friendly welcome and great facilities.
Click to book
St. Nicolas Bay Hotel -
Another amazing resort complex set near the beach in Agios Nikolaos. Can be booked by many tour operators but we have given 1 below to start your search.
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Hermes Hotel -
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