Visiting Spinalonga Island Crete

Spinalonga Island is a small island located in northeastern Crete, near Agios Nikolaos. It is one of the most popular destinations and one of the best places to visit in Crete. This tiny island is one of the strongest fortresses in the Mediterranean, but better known as the site of Greece’s last leper colony.

Welcome to my guide to Spinalonga Island in Crete. In this article, I explore the history of Spinalonga, especially its time as one of the last leprosy colonies in Europe. I also suggest tours to Spinalonga, and comprehensive advice on getting to Spinalonga Island from the three ports offering trips there.

I hope you find it helpful, and enjoy your visit to Spinalonga.

Spinalonga was also a formidable sea fortress, built by the Venetians in the late 16^th century to defend the Gulf of Elounda and the northeast coast of Crete.

The setting of Spinalonga is spectacular, surrounded by gorgeous clear turquoise water. And it deserves to be recognized as one of the outstanding landmarks in Crete.

The island of Spinalonga has been of strategic importance for millennia, as it stands at the entrance to the ancient port of Olous.

Under Venetian rule, the area around the island and entrance to the Gulf of Elounda was used to harvest salt from the sea. 

They recognised the strategic location of the island, and fortified it to guard the northeast coast of Crete. Along with Gramvousa, near Balos Beach in the far west of the island, and Souda) it served to guard the whole island of Crete from naval attack. The 16th-century fortress ensured that the island was impregnable.

The Ottoman Empire conquered all of Crete during the Cretan War of 1645 to 1669 – except for the three coastal forts. Spinalonga was home to Christian refugees for over 40 years, until it fell in 1715.

Spinalonga later served as a last refuge for the Ottoman Turks who fled there during the Cretan Revolt of 1878.

After the Turks left in 1903, the island became a place of exile, and was used as a leper colony until 1957. Conditions on the island were horrendously harsh for the first few decades.  Patients were banished there without any medical care. 

Conditions greatly improved after 1936, when a law student from Athens, Epaminondas Remountakis, was sent to the island. He had tried to hide his symptoms for years, and once on Spinalonga, set about making great improvements for the inhabitants of Spinalonga.

He founded the Brotherhood of the Sick of Spinalonga. His initiatives included the opening of the perimeter path around the island, the opening of a café and cinema, and the whitewashing of the patients’ houses. A public address system was also set up, so that classical music could be played on the streets of the island.

An antibiotic cure was found for leprosy in 1948 – and by 1957 the leper colony had been phased out and closed down. The buildings fell into decay and ruin over the following years.

Interest in the island was sparked by Victoria Hislop’s 2005 novel The Island.  It tells the story of the island through lead character Alexis Fielding, who discovers a family secret. Her grandmother and great-grandmother had contracted leprosy, and both were forced to live at the Spinalonga leper colony.

Leprosy is an infectious disease affecting the skin, nerves and eyes. Untreated, it could lead to nerve damage, muscle weakness, a reduced ability to feel pain, and even a loss of fingers, toes and sections of the nose.  It can also affect the respiratory tract.

As well as suffering great pain, sufferers of leprosy would also be subjected to social isolation, discrimination and stigmatization.

From ancient times to the 20^th century, very little was known about leprosy.  People who contracted leprosy were forcibly banished, as on Spinalonga.  It was believed that all contact with them had to be avoided, but this is a myth. It takes prolonged contact with a leprosy sufferer, usually over months, before one can contract the bacterial infection.

An antibiotic cure for leprosy was found in 1948. However. According to the World Health Organisation, over 200,000 cases of leprosy are reported annually.

Upon arrival, leprosy sufferers would disembark and walk through this gate and the tunnel beyond it to the leper colony of Spinalonga Island.

For many, especially in the early years of the colony, the sight of this gate and tunnel meant they wouldn’t see the outside world again. It’s a horrendous thought.

Sadly, far more suffering awaited anyone left on Spinalonga.

The residents lived in the houses on the west side of Spinalonga island, below the fortress. The houses are all roofless ruins.  This is the area where sturdy walking shoes are necessary. The terrain is often rough and uneven.

It struck me as inhumane to abandon people somewhere like this.  They were often seriously ill, and had to contend with getting around an island like this in terrible conditions.  The poor souls confined there would have dreaded the punishing heat of summer afternoons, when temperatures would often touch 40 degrees Centigrade.

When a patient arrived on Spinalonga, they were largely left to fend for themselves. There was no running water or sanitation, living conditions were primitive and basic. There was no treatment for leprosy. People were just abandoned there.

The small Museum – in the few intact buildings left on the island – documents some of these appalling conditions.  The exhibition includes some photographs and testimonies, and some board games etched into rocks.

Many visitors opt to visit Spinalonga as part of a tour – as we did. Tours from Heraklion to Spinalonga tend to pick up from any of the resorts en route (Gournes, Hersonissos, Stalis, Malia and more). They also tend to be packages, also including stops elsewhere.

This Spinalonga tour from Heraklion also includes stops at an olive oil farm, the city of Agios Nikolaos, and the villages of Elounda and Plaka.

Several tour companies also run tours to Spinalonga with a beach barbecue and time for a swim off Kolokitha beach. My wife and son, the two family fish, opted for this and had an amazing time.

Spinalonga Tip: Check how long your tour allows you on Spinalonga. Most tours seem to give you an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half.

We spent an hour and a half on Spinalonga island. This is enough for many visitors. With hindsight I would have liked an extra half an hour or so.

Spinalonga is a tiny island at the entrance to the Gulf of Elounda in northeastern Crete,  3 miles (5 km) north of the small town of Elounda. It’s part of Lassithi province. It’s also just off the northern end of the Kalydon Peninsula, which is sometimes referred to as the Spinalonga Peninsula.

Distances from Spinalonga Island:

• Plaka – 1 km
• Elounda – 5 km south
• Agios Nikolaos – 15 km south
• Heraklion – 67 km west

The boat from Plaka to Spinalonga takes around 10 minutes. The adult return fare in 2024 is €12, and children cost €6. Make sure you bring cash – the ticket booth on the jetty in Plaka doesn’t accept card payment.

And you can’t book online either.

You can drive to Plaka or catch regular buses from Agios Nikolaos bus station or Elounda.

The further your starting point is from Spinalonga, the higher the cost. So if you’re just planning to visit Spinalonga from Agios Nikolaos, you’re looking at €20. Some operators offer a guided tour of the island as part of the package.

The Agios Nikolaos Spinalonga boat trips often also include a swimming stop at Kolokitha Bay.

The official Spinalonga opening hours are between 8.30 am and 8.30 pm from April 1^st to October 31^st.

The island of Spinalonga is then nominally closed from November 1^st to March 31^st. However, the island is open on weekends in favourable weather conditions. My advice, having spent a November in Crete, is not to count on it or plan ahead around it!

You can also check the official Greek culture and monuments website, Odysseus. Click here for information on Spinalonga.

Bear in mind that it’s an old website, and if the link takes you to a homepage instead (it shouldn’t, but…) then click on F in the alphabetical index and then click on ‘Fortified Islet of Spinalonga’.

Adult tickets cost €8.

Children and reductions (seniors, students) cost €4.

Bear in mind that these entrance fees are not included in any Spinalonga tour costs. 

Is Spinalonga Worth Visiting

Yes, Spinalonga is definitely worth visiting.

Does Spinalonga Have A Beach?

Yes, Spinalonga does have a beach.  The water is beautiful, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to visit the beach. It’s full of sharp stones and rocks, so water shoes are essential if you plan to go there.

Is Spinalonga a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

No, not yet. It was accepted onto the UNESCO Tentative List in 2014. It can take a decade or more for a submission to reach acceptance onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. I worked on a successful bid for UNESCO World Heritage status back in 2011 – and it took ten years for it to be formally accepted.

Is there somewhere to eat and drink on Spinalonga?

Yes, there is a café with an adjacent souvenir shop. However, it is ridiculously expensive – €3 for a small bottle of water, €5 for a small can of Coke – so my advice is to bring your own!

I think it’s a great thing that Victoria Hislop’s book brought the story of Spinalonga to a much wider audience.

However, I feel much more of the story of the leprosy patients should be told. These people were demeaned and discriminated against, indeed dehumanized. One of the most shocking stories of Spinalonga is that the patients were forced to give up their healthy babies. The whole story is absolutely appalling.

I hope that this and other stories are better documented in future.

Spinalonga Island has been made famous by Victoria Hislop’s book. This in turn inspired to Greek TV series To Nisi about the island.

In my research for this article I was also delighted to come across a short early film by one of my cinema heroes, the German director Werner Herzog.

His film Last Words (Letzte Worte) was shot in two days in 1968, based around a fictional character who was the last inhabitant to leave the island. You can watch it on YouTube here. It is quite bizarre, but worth seeing just for the scenes with the two policemen.

I hope you have found my guide to visiting Spinalonga useful.

Spinalonga is one of the most popular places to visit in eastern Crete, and we have written many more articles on this region. Don’t miss my guide to Elounda Crete, one of the most exclusive resorts in Greece, and still a lovely seaside village.

Take a look at my guide to the best Agios Nikolaos beaches. This covers all the beaches around Agios Nikolaos city, a half-hour drive south of Spinalonga and Plaka. There are some superb beaches around Agios Nikolaos, particularly Almiros Beach, just to the south of the city.

Also don’t miss my guide to Voulisma Beach, a stunning tropical paradise a short drive or bus ride from Agios Nikolaos.

Agios Nikolaos is a short drive from some of the most beautiful landscapes in Crete, including the gorgeous Lassithi Plateau. Check out our Unique Crete Tours Review for more on this. Also take a look at my guide to Kritsa Crete, one of the most beautiful villages on the island.

Don’t miss my guide to Sissi Crete, one of the most beautiful villages in Crete. This small harbour village below the mountains is gorgeous, with superb mountain views and stunning summer sunsets.

It’s not far from there to the party town of Malia. Check out my guides to the top things to do in Malia, the best Malia Beaches, and my individual guide to Potamos Beach.

There’s plenty more to see along this highly developed stretch of coast. Take a look at my guide to Stalis Beach (also known as Stalida Beach) and the nearby Lychnostatis Open Air Museum.  And don’t miss my guides to the best things to do in Hersonissos, best Hersonissos Beaches and Old Hersonissos village, a taste of a quieter Crete on the hill above the resort town. If you’re trying to decide between the two towns check out my Hersonissos or Malia guide.

Finally, don’t miss my guide to the best things to do in Heraklion, the capital of Crete, including visiting Knossos Palace, beaches and superb Greek food. And see my guide to visiting Heraklion Archaeological Museum, the best museum in Crete.