A Spinalonga boat trip crosses to the Venetian island fortress and former leper colony off Plaka in eastern Crete, about ten minutes from Plaka or 19 from Elounda, with fares from 7 euros for the Elounda round trip. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the trip: what it costs, where the boats leave, the crossing times, the island ticket, what you see on the island, the cruises, kayaks and day trips, and how to book.
What does a Spinalonga boat trip cost?
Around 10 euros each way from Plaka, a round-trip ferry from Elounda from 7 euros, 16 to 20 euros each way from Agios Nikolaos, and from 55 euros for a seven-hour Elounda cruise with swim stops, with the island entrance ticket paid on top unless the listing includes it.
The shortest crossing leaves from Plaka. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
Boats from Agios Nikolaos take the longest route across the Gulf of Mirabello. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
Cruises with a barbecue and a swim stop cost more than the plain ferries. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Some listings include the entrance ticket and lunch in the price.
Guided versions add a guide on the island itself.
Coach day trips from Heraklion add the road transfer to the price.
What does the island entrance ticket cost?
Twenty euros for an adult and ten euros for visitors aged 6 to 25, according to current operator listings, paid at the ticket desk on landing unless the boat ticket states that it includes the entrance.
The island is a declared archaeological site. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
Operators list the fee as not included on most ferry tickets. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Some cruise listings bundle the entrance into the price. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
An ID document is needed for the youth rate.
Listings state whether the fee is included or extra.
The fee is the largest single cost of the plain ferry trip.
Where does a Spinalonga boat trip leave from?
From three harbours: Plaka, about ten minutes across 750 metres of water, Elounda, 19 minutes on the round-trip ferry, and Agios Nikolaos, on the longest crossing of the gulf, plus coach and boat day trips from Heraklion.
Plaka is the village directly opposite the island. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Elounda cruises meet at the small windmill port. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
Agios Nikolaos boats run as cruises with swim stops. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
Coach day trips from Heraklion run around 11 hours.
The town page for the departure port sits at Elounda.
The island itself has its own page at Spinalonga.
How long does a Spinalonga boat trip take?
About ten minutes each way from Plaka, 19 minutes each way from Elounda, and a full day of seven hours on the Elounda cruises with swim stops or around 11 hours on the coach day trips from Heraklion.
The island covers 85,000 square metres, so a circuit fits into an hour. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
Operators ask guests to arrive 20 minutes before departure. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
Cruises add Kolokytha beach and other swim stops. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
Guided walks on the island run in English and German.
The return time is fixed when the ticket is bought.
A rushed visit covers the main street and the perimeter path.
What is on Spinalonga island?
A Venetian sea fortress begun in 1579, a perimeter path built by the patients in 1938, the houses and shops of the leper colony, the church of Agios Panteleimon, a cemetery with an ossuary, and the ruins of the Ottoman village beneath.
The island rises to around 50 metres at its highest point. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
Steep cliffs fall to the sea on the northern side. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
Fig trees, cypress, olive and pine grow among the ruins. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
Prickly pears were brought by the French or the Venetians.
European Union funding from 2014 restored 16 structures.
The island was made formally accessible to the public in 2000.
What did the Venetians build here?
A fortress planned by the engineer Genese Bressani, whose foundation stone was laid in 1579 by Luca Michiel, the Provveditore generale of Candia, over the ruins of an ancient acropolis, with blockhouses on the high points and a ring of walls along the coast.
Engineers surveyed the island in 1574. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
Two inscriptions record the foundation, one over the main gate. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
New works on the hilltop followed in 1584. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
The fortress carried 35 cannons.
It protected the salt pans of the gulf and the approach to Olous.
Stone came from the island itself and from Kolokytha.
How long did the Venetians hold Spinalonga?
Until 1715: Spinalonga, Gramvousa and Souda stayed Venetian after the rest of Crete fell to the Ottomans in 1669, and Spinalonga was handed over by agreement in 1715 as the last Venetian fortress on the island.
The three forts guarded Venetian trade routes. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
Christians took refuge inside the walls. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
A church of Agios Panteleimon was built in 1709. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
That church stood only six years.
The agreement promised safe passage to Corfu for the inhabitants.
The Ottomans broke the terms on taking the island.
Who lived on the island in the Ottoman period?
Muslim families who settled inside the walls, 80 families by 1830, joined after 1866 by more from the Mirabello region who feared reprisals, until most left after the Ottoman defeat of 1898 and the last traffickers went in 1903.
Spinalonga held out during the Cretan revolt of 1878. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
The island became a centre for smugglers late in the century. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
The first patients later demolished Muslim homes for building material. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
The former mosque became a medical unit in 1928.
The Cretan State ordered the island cleared for the colony in 1903.
The layers of use show in the stonework.
Why was Spinalonga a leper colony?
The Cretan State declared mandatory isolation of leprosy patients on the island in 1903, following the seclusion theory of the Danish dermatologist Edvard Ehlers, and the first 251 patients arrived in October 1904.
Until 1913 the island took only Cretan patients. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
Patients from the rest of Greece came until the occupation of 1941. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
A yellow flag on the highest point warned passing boats. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
Fishing was banned beyond 200 metres of the shore.
Patients’ names were struck from their home town registers.
Guides on the boats tell the story before the landing.
What was daily life like in the colony?
Hard in the early decades, with rainwater, supplies shipped from the mainland and no medical care until Dr Grammatikakis arrived in 1925, and better after 1936, when the Brotherhood of the Sick organised cleaning, a café, concerts, marriages, electricity and a cinema.
Hygranol treatment reached the island after a visit by Charles Nicolle in 1927. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
Residents played backgammon on the sheltered eastern side. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
Children born on the island went to relatives on the mainland. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
The Brotherhood banned mirrors on the island.
Two new buildings of 24 rooms each were donated after the war.
Many residents died of malnutrition during the occupation.
Who was Epaminondas Remoundakis?
A law student with leprosy who arrived in 1936 and founded the Brotherhood of the Sick of Spinalonga, Saint Panteleimon, which cleaned and whitewashed the streets and in 1938 won permission to build the perimeter path around the island.
The path was built for residents with disabilities. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
Part of the medieval walls was demolished to make it. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
He lobbied the government to let residents marry and run businesses. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
He kept up his campaign from hospital after the colony closed.
In 1972 he co-wrote a book with the ethnographer Maurice Born.
The path he built is the one visitors walk today.
How did the colony close?
New treatments arrived from 1948, the isolation rule was dropped in 1955, and in 1957 the remaining patients were moved to the anti-leprosy station of Agia Varvara in Attica, after hunger strikes in 1953 and a documentary that shocked audiences.
Short-term discharge permits eased the isolation first. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
The government pushed for one central hospital in Athens from 1952. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
Lila Kourkoulakou filmed The Island of Silence on the island. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival.
A British expert’s report criticised the state’s care.
The colony closed in 1957.
Who was the last person on the island?
The priest Chrysathos Katsouloyiannakis, from the Toplou monastery community near Sitia, who stayed until 1962 to hold the memorial services at 40 days, six months and one, three and five years after the last burials.
The island has been uninhabited since 1962. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
Looting followed during the junta years of 1967 to 1974. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
Access was banned on the pretext of an infection risk. A Spinalonga boat trip covers the ground around it.
Werner Herzog filmed Last Words on the island in 1968.
Maurice Born began his research on the island in 1967.
The island was declared an archaeological site in 1976.
What is the connection with the novel The Island?
Victoria Hislop’s novel The Island, set around Plaka and the colony, was translated into 25 languages, sold millions of copies and was adapted for Greek television as To Nisi, and a UNESCO study in 2016 found that 22 per cent of visitors came because of the adaptations.
A further 40 per cent of visitors had read or watched the story. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
Historians call the novel’s version of the colony romanticised. A Spinalonga boat trip covers the ground around it.
Plaka features prominently in the book and the series. The Spinalonga boat trip season turns on this.
The novel changed the state’s approach to the island from 2005.
Guides separate the fiction from the documented history.
The story explains the crowds on the summer boats.
How busy does Spinalonga get?
Spinalonga is the second most visited tourist site in Crete and the sixth in Greece, with the boats from Plaka, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos and the coach day trips all landing at the same jetty.
The perimeter path spreads the groups around the island. A Spinalonga boat trip covers the ground around it.
Queues form at the ticket desk when boats land together. The Spinalonga boat trip season turns on this.
Coach trips from Heraklion arrive in the middle of the day. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
The earliest crossings find the fewest people.
Tourists began visiting in the 1980s.
Greece applied for UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2014.
What is Dante’s Gate?
The name tour guides give to the landing gate, with the story of an inscription from Dante’s Inferno over it; historians find no evidence for the inscription or the name, and patients in fact landed at the southern dock.
The story is repeated on many of the boats. The Spinalonga boat trip season turns on this.
Maurice Born’s research found only one similar inscription. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
That inscription on the north-western side read Boulevard of Pain. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
The southern dock was the patients’ arrival point.
The tunnel remains the start of the visitor route.
Good guides tell the legend and the evidence together.
What is the cemetery on Spinalonga?
The colony’s graveyard at the far end of the island, where the remains were moved in 2013 into an ossuary beside the cemetery with new plaques, after tourists had disturbed the graves.
Volunteers to bury the dead were hard to find in the early years. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
The ossuary holds the remains of the colony’s dead. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
New plaques name the site’s purpose. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Visitors walk past it in silence on the perimeter path.
Photography of the ossuary calls for respect.
It is the most solemn stop of the visit.
What boats make the crossing?
Small ferries from Plaka and Elounda, larger cruise boats and catamarans from Agios Nikolaos, private boats for charter, and sea kayaks on private guided crossings from Plaka.
Elounda cruises carry from 10 to 100 guests. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
Catamaran trips from Agios Nikolaos add lunch and water toys. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Fishing cruises from Agios Nikolaos cook the catch on board. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
Charter boats set their own timings and route.
Kayak trips suit visitors comfortable paddling open water.
Each format is listed with its own inclusions.
What is the crossing from Plaka like?
About ten minutes across 750 metres of water from the village jetty, the shortest and cheapest way onto the island, with the fortress walls filling the view the whole way.
Plaka lies five kilometres north of Elounda’s main square. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Tourist boats leave Plaka daily. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
Return times are agreed when the ticket is bought. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
The village has tavernas along the water for the wait.
Plaka is part of the community of Vrouchas.
The village features in Victoria Hislop’s novel.
What is the trip from Elounda like?
A 19-minute round-trip ferry from Elounda, or a seven-hour cruise that adds Kolokytha beach and other swim stops before dropping guests back at Schisma, Elounda’s main port.
Elounda is formed of seven villages. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
Schisma is the most populated and is known as Elounda Centre. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
The community had 2,254 inhabitants in 2021. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
The road from Agios Nikolaos is about 12 kilometres long.
The road climbs over a hill with a view over Mirabello Bay.
Guides meet cruise guests 20 minutes before departure.
What is the cruise from Agios Nikolaos like?
The longest crossing, run as a cruise across Mirabello Bay with the island landing, a swim stop and a meal, on catamarans with water toys, fishing boats that cook the catch, or larger boats with a guided tour of the island.
Agios Nikolaos lies 64 kilometres from Heraklion. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
Boats leave from the town harbour beside the lake. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
Catamaran trips include lunch on board. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
Fishing trips add a barbecue of the catch.
The town page sits at Agios Nikolaos.
This is the format that suits a full day out.
What is Kolokytha?
An islet whose name means pumpkin, lying about 850 metres east of the Spinalonga peninsula and forming a bay with it, used as the swim stop on the Elounda cruises at Kolokytha beach.
The Spinalonga peninsula is also called large Spinalonga. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
The shared name of island and peninsula causes confusion. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
The area of Kalydon covers the island, the peninsula and Kolokytha. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
Venetian builders took stone from Kolokytha for the fortress.
Cruise listings name Kolokytha beach as a stop.
Skistra beach is another stop on the Elounda cruise.
What is the sunken city of Olous?
The ancient city of Olous at Elounda, most of which was taken by the sea towards the end of the ancient Greek period, whose scattered wall bases are still visible to swimmers and divers in the bay.
Olous had a temple of Britomartis. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
Her image appears on the coins of Olous. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
The city fought over boundaries with Lato and then signed a treaty. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
Texts found in the ruins link Olous with Knossos and Rhodes.
The Venetian fortress guarded the approach to its harbour.
The boats from Elounda pass over the bay.
What is Mirabello Bay?
The bay of the Sea of Crete on the eastern side of the island, the largest bay of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean, overlooked by Agios Nikolaos and crossed by every boat route to Spinalonga.
Its coast was important in the development of copper working around 3000 BC. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
Hilltop cities such as Lato overlooked the bay. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
An Imperial Airways flying boat, the Scipio, sank in the bay in 1936. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
The road from Agios Nikolaos to Elounda gives a view over the whole bay.
On a clear day the view reaches the eastern tip of Crete.
Agios Nikolaos overlooks the bay from the west.
Where does the name Spinalonga come from?
Venetian documents say the Venetians misheard the Greek stin Elounda, to Elounda, as spina longa, long thorn, and the name stuck; another view links it to the spine-like shape of the land seen from Elounda.
The Ottomans called the island Spirlonga. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
A local legend ties that name to lovers named Spiros and Longa. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
The island’s official name is Kalydon. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
In the colony years it was called the island of the living dead.
The peninsula to the south shares the name.
Guides explain the naming on the approach.
When is the best time to visit the island?
The first crossing of the morning or the late afternoon, outside the hottest weeks of summer, when the stone paths are cooler and the coach day trips from Heraklion have not yet landed or have already left.
The island has little shade on the perimeter path. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
Coach trips from Heraklion take most of the day on the road and the boat. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
Low light suits photographs of the walls. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
Swim stops suit the warm months.
A weekday beats a weekend in high summer.
Winter day trips run from Heraklion.
What do you wear and bring?
A swimsuit and towel for the cruises, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, an ID document for the youth ticket rate, closed shoes for the stone paths, water, and food and drinks where the listing does not include a meal.
Operators list swimsuit, towel, sun protection and ID as essentials. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
The boat deck is windy on a hot day. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
A dry bag protects a camera on small boats. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
Swimsuits go on under clothes for the swim stop.
Shoulders are covered for the church.
Cash covers the entrance desk and small purchases.
Is the island accessible?
Partly: the perimeter path was built in 1938 for residents with disabilities, and European Union funding from 2014 improved accessibility, but the island is rocky and climbs to 50 metres, so visitors with limited mobility keep to the lower paths.
Boarding small ferries needs a step down from the quay. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
The inner lanes climb over stone. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
The perimeter path is the gentlest route. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
Private boats board more easily than the ferries.
Staff at the ticket desk advise on the route.
A companion helps on the uneven sections.
Is a Spinalonga boat trip good for children?
Yes: the crossing from Plaka takes ten minutes, the fortress holds attention, the youth ticket rate starts at age six, and the cruises add swimming at Kolokytha and fishing with the crew.
The youth rate runs from age 6 to 25. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
The colony story is told gently by most guides. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
Shade on deck matters on the longer cruises.
Fishing cruises suit children best.
An hour on the island suits young attention spans.
Snacks and water come from home.
Can you swim on the trip?
Yes on the cruises, which stop at Kolokytha beach, Skistra beach and other coves of the bay, while the island itself is visited as an archaeological site and the ferries from Plaka and Elounda run without a swim stop.
Plaka and Elounda have beaches of their own near the jetties. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
Swimmers can see the wall bases of Olous in Elounda bay. A Spinalonga boat trip covers the ground around it.
Snorkelling suits the calm coves.
Swim stops are named on the cruise listings.
Some cruises carry paddleboards.
Towels come from the hotel.
Can you kayak to Spinalonga?
Yes: private guided kayak trips paddle to Spinalonga from Plaka, crossing the 750 metres of water to the island, landing for the visit and paddling back along the shore of the bay.
The trip is sold as a private excursion. A Spinalonga boat trip covers the ground around it.
A guide leads the crossing. The Spinalonga boat trip season turns on this.
Calm water decides the timing.
The entrance ticket is bought on landing.
Dry bags protect phones and cameras.
This is the closest view of the sea walls.
What are the day trips from Heraklion?
Coach and boat day trips that drive east from Heraklion, stop at Agios Nikolaos and Elounda or Plaka, cross to the island and return in around 11 hours, with versions that add a barbecue, a walking tour of Agios Nikolaos, or an olive oil tour.
Agios Nikolaos lies 64 kilometres from Heraklion. The Spinalonga boat trip season turns on this.
Pickup is available from hotels on most listings. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
Some versions include the entrance ticket and lunch.
A winter version runs from Heraklion outside the summer season.
Day trips also leave from Rethymno.
These trips suit visitors based in the west of Crete.
What else does a cruise combine with the island?
Swim stops at Kolokytha and Skistra beaches, pirate caves and hidden beaches of the peninsula, line fishing with a barbecue of the catch, lunch on board, and a stop at Plaka on the listed Elounda routes.
Fishing cruises hand out rods and cook the catch. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
Catamaran trips carry water toys. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
Mini-cruises from Elounda visit pirate caves.
Olive oil versions pair the island with a tasting.
Private charters build the day around the guests.
Full-day formats suit a single free day on the coast.
How do you reach the departure ports by road?
Elounda lies about 12 kilometres from Agios Nikolaos on a coast road that climbs over a hill above the bay, Plaka lies five kilometres north of Elounda’s main square, and Agios Nikolaos lies 64 kilometres east of Heraklion.
Heraklion airport is the nearest international airport. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
The Elounda road gives the classic view over the bay. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Sitia airport serves domestic and charter flights.
Taxis link Agios Nikolaos to Elounda and Plaka.
Hotel pickups come with the coach day trips.
A hire car gives the freedom to choose the port.
Do you need to book ahead?
Book the cruises, catamarans, kayak trips and coach day trips ahead in summer, since they cap numbers and need pickups arranged, and buy the short ferry crossings on the day at Plaka or Elounda.
Elounda cruises cap at 100 guests. The Spinalonga boat trip listing states it plainly.
Free cancellation is standard on the platform listings. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
Kayak and private charters need advance notice.
Ferry tickets are sold return with a chosen time back.
Weather cancellations are refunded or moved by operators.
Coach trips confirm the pickup time the evening before.
What happens if the wind cancels the crossing?
Operators cancel sailings when the sea is unsafe and refund or move the booking, and the short crossings from Plaka and Elounda close to shore run in conditions that stop the longer open-water trips from Agios Nikolaos.
The short crossings stay close to the shore. This is what a Spinalonga boat trip delivers.
The route from Agios Nikolaos crosses open bay. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
Morning departures meet the calmest sea.
Operators message guests on the day.
A flexible day in the plan covers the risk.
Refund terms are printed on each listing.
How does a Spinalonga boat trip compare with a coach day trip?
The boat trip from Plaka or Elounda costs less, takes a few hours and leaves the day free; the coach day trip from Heraklion runs around 11 hours and adds Agios Nikolaos and the drive along the coast.
Visitors staying in Elounda gain nothing from the coach. Spinalonga boat trip crews prepare for it.
Visitors staying in the west need the transfer. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
The boat trip sets its own timing.
The coach trip includes pickup from the hotel.
Private transfers sit between the two on price.
The choice follows where the hotel is.
What did Maurice Born record on the island?
The ethnographer Maurice Born began research on the empty island in 1967, rented a home in Plaka by 1969, crossed daily by inflatable boat, documented the intact colony and made the film L’Ordre in 1973.
He was the first academic to visit after the abandonment. A Spinalonga boat trip settles this at the jetty.
He took nothing from the island. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
Much of what he recorded was later lost to looting.
He traced surviving former residents.
His book with Remoundakis appeared in 1972.
His research underpins the site’s history today.
What are the common Spinalonga boat trip mistakes?
Landing at midday in the heat, wearing sandals on the stone paths, carrying no water, forgetting ID for the youth rate, booking the long crossing from Agios Nikolaos while staying in Plaka, and leaving under an hour on the island.
The heat on the walls is the most common complaint. The Spinalonga boat trip route is set by it.
The circuit needs an hour to walk properly. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
Return times are fixed when the ticket is bought.
The entrance fee catches out those expecting it included.
Guides’ legends differ from the documented history.
The nearest port is the better buy.
How do you book a Spinalonga boat trip?
Book the cruises and guided landings online a day or more ahead in summer, buy the Plaka and Elounda ferry tickets at the jetty, and add the island entrance ticket unless the listing states it is included.
Listings state the departure port and the meeting time. Guides raise it early on a Spinalonga boat trip.
Operators ask guests to arrive 20 minutes early. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
Private charters quote by the boat and the hours.
Groups are capped on the catamarans and the kayaks.
Listings mark which include lunch and the entrance.
The wider island sits at Crete.
What is a private boat charter to Spinalonga?
A boat hired with a skipper by the hour or the day from Elounda, Plaka or Agios Nikolaos, landing at the island at a chosen hour and adding coves, swim stops and lunch around Mirabello Bay.
Charters land before or after the busiest crossings. It decides which Spinalonga boat trip suits the party.
Prices are quoted per boat rather than per person. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
Drinks and snacks are arranged with the skipper.
The route is set by the guests.
This format suits families and small groups.
The entrance ticket is still bought on landing.
What is a fishing cruise to Spinalonga?
A cruise from Agios Nikolaos that stops for fishing with the crew in Mirabello Bay, cooks a meal on board, lands at Spinalonga and adds a swim stop, sold as a catamaran trip with fishing and a meal or a boat trip with fishing, swimming and a barbecue.
Rods and instruction come with the ticket. The Spinalonga boat trip price reflects it.
The crew cooks the meal on board. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
Children enjoy the fishing stop most.
The trip fills most of a day.
Groups cap at the size of the boat.
Listings state what the meal includes.
What is a catamaran trip to Spinalonga?
A sailing catamaran day from Agios Nikolaos with lunch and water toys, sailing across Mirabello Bay towards Spinalonga and Kolokytha, for a smaller group and a quieter deck than the large cruise boats.
Catamarans stay stable in a swell. A Spinalonga boat trip fills first on that count.
Water toys are carried on board. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
Lunch is served on deck.
The sail runs when the wind allows.
Listings state whether the island landing is included.
The trip returns in the afternoon.
What is the pirate caves mini-cruise from Elounda?
A short cruise from Elounda that combines Spinalonga island with the pirate caves and hidden beaches of the Spinalonga peninsula, for visitors who want the landing and a swim in a few hours rather than a full day.
The cruise leaves from Elounda. The Spinalonga boat trip calendar is shaped by it.
The caves lie along the peninsula shore. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
Hidden beaches give the swim stop.
The island landing is part of the route.
The format suits a half day.
Families pick it for the caves.
Can you combine Spinalonga with an olive oil tour?
Yes: day tours pair Spinalonga and Agios Nikolaos with an olive oil tour, starting from Plaka, so the island visit sits beside a tasting of Cretan oil in one day.
Olive groves cover the hills around Kritsa. Guests meet it within the first Spinalonga boat trip hour.
The tasting balances the history of the island. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
Transport between the stops is included.
The tour suits visitors without a car.
The food side of the island sits at Crete food tour.
Listings set out the stops in order.
Can you visit Spinalonga from Rethymno?
Yes: day trips run from Rethymno to Spinalonga island and Elounda, with a coach along the north coast of Crete and a boat for the crossing, taking a full day.
The road passes Heraklion on the way east. That is the Spinalonga boat trip advantage over going alone.
Pickup comes from the hotel on most listings. A Spinalonga boat trip covers the ground around it.
The crossing leaves from Elounda.
The day is long on the road.
Lunch stops are named on the listing.
These trips suit visitors based in the west of Crete.
Can you visit Spinalonga in winter?
Yes: a winter day trip from Heraklion to Plaka, Spinalonga and Agios Nikolaos runs outside the summer season, and private boats cross from Plaka and Elounda when the weather allows.
Winter light is soft and the island is quiet. A Spinalonga boat trip covers the ground around it.
The town of Agios Nikolaos has mild, rainy winters. The Spinalonga boat trip season turns on this.
Wind cancels crossings more in winter.
A jacket is needed on the boat.
Booking ahead matters for the crossing.
The perimeter path is at its emptiest.
Is the crossing rough?
The short crossings from Plaka and Elounda stay close to the shore, while the longer route from Agios Nikolaos crosses open water in Mirabello Bay that turns choppy when the wind rises.
Morning departures meet the calmest sea. The Spinalonga boat trip season turns on this.
Sitting at the back of the boat reduces the motion. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
Seasickness tablets are taken before boarding.
Catamarans roll less than monohulls.
Captains adjust the route in rough water.
The Plaka crossing lasts about ten minutes.
What can you photograph on the trip?
The fortress rising from the water on the approach, the walls from the perimeter path, the houses of the colony, the church, the view from the highest point at 50 metres over Mirabello Bay, and Plaka across the water.
The approach from Plaka gives the classic wall shot. A Spinalonga boat trip is booked around it.
Late afternoon light warms the stone. Every Spinalonga boat trip is routed around this.
The northern cliffs frame the open sea.
The ossuary calls for respect and restraint.
The boat deck is the only place for the whole island in one frame.
A phone is enough for most shots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which port is best for a Spinalonga boat trip?
Plaka for the shortest crossing of about ten minutes, Elounda for the widest choice of boats and swim stops, and Agios Nikolaos for a full-day cruise across the Gulf of Mirabello.
Is the island entrance included?
Not on most ferry tickets, where the fee of 20 euros for adults and 10 euros for ages 6 to 25 is paid on landing. Some cruises and day trips include it, and the listing states which.
Who ran the leper colony on Spinalonga?
The Cretan State opened it in 1904 and the Greek state ran it until 1957, when the last patients moved to Agia Varvara in Attica.