Photos

The charming town of Agios Nikolaos is 70 km east of Iraklion on the north coast, and is the capital of Lasithi nomos prefecture in Crete, Greece.
It is said that this town is named after Saint Nicholas the patron saint of all sailors and of all of Greece, the modern town in built close to the site of the ancient city of Lato.

It is also said that the town was named after a Byzantine chapel built nearby in the 7th century AD.

With a colourful history and currently a population of nearly 20,000, set on the beautiful Mirabello Bay, the view across to the Sitia mountains is lovely and ever changing.

Lake Voulismeni Limni Voulismeni sits just behind the harbour in the centre of the town, with a channel joining the two. Originally a fresh water lake, the channel was built in 1870. The lake is known as apatos bottomless. Is it? Come and have a look and you decide.

If you look closely enough, you might see the goddesses come down and wash their hair in the fresh waters of the lake.

We enjoy strolling by the lake in the evenings, watching the stunning tiny kingfisher flashing azure as it darts around the lake and stops on the brightly coloured fishing boats.

I took this photo in Agios Nikolaos Harbour

The wide harbour has plenty of room for pleasure craft and daily tour craft, and on the eastern shore is the large port, accepting large ferries and connecting Agios Nikolaos with the major Greek ports like Pireas, Santorini and Rhodos. From here you can take tours to Spinalonga Island, Elounda and Mirabello Bay.