Elounda and Spinalonga Scenic Drive: Mirabello Bay and the Island Fortress

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive is one of the most rewarding days out in all of eastern Crete: a gentle coastal route from Heraklion around the shimmering Gulf of Mirabello to the elegant resort of Elounda, the fishing village of Plaka, and a boat across to the haunting island fortress of Spinalonga, Crete’s former leper colony made famous by Victoria Hislop’s novel.

Almost everyone sees this corner of Crete on a packed coach tour. With your own hire car you can do it better, cheaper and at your own pace, and this guide shows you exactly how, including the local trick the tour companies will never tell you.

This scenic drive from Heraklion runs about 150 km round trip and makes a full, unhurried day. The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive follows the modern coastal highway east, loops around one of the loveliest bays in Greece, and includes a short, cheap boat crossing to one of the most moving historical sites in the Mediterranean. Here is the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive at a glance before we take it stop by stop.

The Elounda and Spinalonga Scenic Drive, Stop by Stop

1. The Coast Road to Agios Nikolaos

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive leaves Heraklion heading east on the A90, the modern coastal highway, and settle in for one of the easiest and most scenic hours of driving in Crete. The road is a fast, well-surfaced dual carriageway that hugs the north coast, with the Cretan Sea glittering away to your left and the mountains rising on your right. There are no tolls. After about an hour and 65 km you reach Agios Nikolaos, the capital of the Lasithi region and the elegant hub of this whole coastline.

Agios Nikolaos is built around Lake Voulismeni, a near-circular pool once believed to be bottomless and linked by a short channel to the harbour. Ringed by cafes and tavernas, with fishing boats bobbing alongside, it is the perfect place for a first coffee. Park in one of the signed car parks near the harbour, wander the lakeside and the little shopping streets, and get a feel for the town the writer Jacques Cousteau once came to explore.

Do not overlook Agios Nikolaos itself on the way through. Beyond the famous lake, it is a genuinely charming town, its steep streets tumbling down to a working harbour, with small beaches tucked right into the centre and a lively cafe culture that spills onto the waterfront each evening. Many visitors treat Agios Nikolaos as a mere staging post on the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, but an hour spent wandering its lanes, or a meal by the harbour on the way home, adds a great deal to the day.

2. Elounda and the Sunken City of Olous

From Agios Nikolaos, the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive follows a lovely 10 km coast road north to Elounda, the most upmarket resort in Crete and a byword for discreet luxury, its bay dotted with five-star hotels and private villas. But Elounda is far more than its hotels. The village itself is a working place with a pretty harbourfront, and just beside the causeway to the Kolokytha peninsula lie the submerged ruins of ancient Olous, a sunken city whose walls you can still see beneath the shallow, clear water.

This is the classic embarkation point for the tour boats to Spinalonga, and if you prefer a longer, more scenic crossing you can board here. But the independent driver has a better option just up the road, and it is the single most useful thing in this guide.

If you have time before the boat, a short detour on the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive takes you onto the Kolokytha peninsula that shelters the bay. A narrow causeway, built by the French in 1897, crosses the shallow channel where the ancient city of Olous once stood, and a windmill-lined track leads out onto a quiet headland of coves and clear water. It is a peaceful, uncommercialised spot, and snorkellers can still make out the outlines of Olous submerged just offshore, a genuine sunken city hiding in plain sight beneath a metre of turquoise water.

3. Plaka: The Local Secret for Spinalonga

Five kilometres north of Elounda, the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive ends at Plaka, a small fishing village of tavernas and pebble beaches directly opposite Spinalonga. Here is the secret the coach tours will never share: from Plaka, the boat crossing to Spinalonga is barely 5 minutes, the shortest and cheapest way to the island, with little fishing boats running back and forth every fifteen to twenty minutes. The tour boats from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos take fifteen to forty-five minutes and cost far more, and they all arrive together around mid-morning.

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive rewards an early start: drive to Plaka, park in the free car park by the waterfront, catch the first small boat across, and you can be walking the ramparts of Spinalonga in near solitude before the tour armada lands. Afterwards, a long lunch at a Plaka taverna with the island framed across the water is one of the great simple pleasures of eastern Crete. This is the self-drive advantage in its purest form.

4. Spinalonga: The Island of the Living Dead

Spinalonga, properly called Kalydon, is a small fortified island that has worn many faces: an ancient Greek guard post for the city of Olous, a mighty Venetian fortress built in 1579 to hold off the Ottomans, and from 1903 to 1957 one of the last leper colonies in Europe. It is this last, poignant chapter, immortalised in Victoria Hislop’s bestselling novel The Island, that draws most visitors today.

On the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, walking through the fortified gate and along the streets of the abandoned colony is a genuinely moving experience. You pass the church, the little houses, the hospital and the tunnel the residents called Dante’s Gate, and everywhere the sense of lives lived in exile yet with dignity. Allow ninety minutes to walk the island at a gentle pace. There is a small admission fee, and little shade, so a hat and water are essential in summer.

What makes Spinalonga, the emotional heart of the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, so affecting is not despair but resilience. Cut off from the mainland, the community that formed here built shops, a school, a coffee house and even staged its own entertainments, insisting on ordinary life in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

When a cure for leprosy arrived in the 1950s the colony was disbanded, and the island fell silent until tourism and Hislop’s novel gave it a second life. Walking its lanes today, with the Venetian ramparts above and Mirabello Bay glittering all around, you feel the full weight of that history in a way no coach commentary can convey.

Where to Eat on the Mirabello Drive

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive eats very well. In Plaka, the waterfront tavernas serve the day’s catch with the island of Spinalonga framed across the strait, and there is no finer spot for a long, late lunch after the boat.

Elounda has smarter, pricier restaurants befitting its reputation, several with lovely bay views, while Agios Nikolaos offers everything from lakeside cafes to proper fish tavernas down by the harbour. Wherever you stop, look for the local Mirabello specialities: fresh fish, sea urchins in season, and the fruity olive oil of the Lasithi hills. Just remember the driver saves the raki for the evening.

What to Take and Know Before You Go

A few practical things smooth the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive. The Spinalonga boats take cash for the crossing and the island charges a small admission, so carry euros; not every small boat operator takes cards. Bring swimwear, as the Gulf of Mirabello has beautiful clear water and you may well be tempted, especially at Plaka or the beaches near Elounda. Wear sturdy shoes for Spinalonga, whose paths are uneven old stone, and a hat and sunscreen, as the island is exposed and hot.

Time your day around the boat rather than the drive. Aim to reach Plaka by mid-morning, cross early, and you will have the fortress at its quietest and the afternoon free for lunch and Agios Nikolaos on the way back. Check the boat’s last return time before you cross, and keep an eye on the weather, as strong afternoon winds occasionally disrupt the crossings. Outside the summer season, boat frequency drops, so confirm sailings locally before you set out.

When to Go and How Long to Allow

Allow a full day for the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, around eight to nine hours door to door including the boat and a proper lunch. Late spring, early summer and September are ideal, with warm seas, calmer winds and thinner crowds than the July and August peak. In high summer, start early to beat both the heat and the mid-morning tour boats to Spinalonga. The Gulf of Mirabello is sheltered and stays swimmable well into October, making this a fine choice for a shoulder-season day out when other parts of Crete are winding down.

Making More of Eastern Crete

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive combines beautifully with the mountains just inland. From Agios Nikolaos you can climb to the Lasithi Plateau in under an hour, pairing the coast with the high windmill country for a superb two-day eastern loop.

Further east lie the palm beach of Vai and the laid-back town of Sitia, while south over the mountains is the Ierapetra coast and the Libyan Sea. With a hire car and two or three days based around Agios Nikolaos or Elounda, the whole of eastern Crete opens up at your own pace, something no single coach tour can offer.

Getting There: Your Gateway

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive begins in Heraklion, so the natural gateway is Heraklion Airport (HER), on the eastern edge of the city and already pointing the right way for the coastal highway. Pick up a hire car at the airport, join the A90 heading east, and you are on your way around the Gulf of Mirabello within minutes.

A small car is all you need; the roads are excellent throughout. For prices, suppliers and the full lowdown on collecting your car, see our guide to cheap car hire at Heraklion Airport, or browse the full car hire in Crete guide.

Driving Tips for the Mirabello Coast

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive is one of the easiest in Crete. The A90 from Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos is a modern dual carriageway, and the coast roads on to Elounda and Plaka are well surfaced, if narrower and more winding in places, with some pretty sea views that tempt you to look rather than watch the road. Take the coastal bends gently and use the marked viewpoints for photographs.

Parking is straightforward: Agios Nikolaos has several car parks near the harbour, and Plaka has a free car park by the waterfront, though it fills in peak season, so arriving earlier helps. Watch for the yellow lines that mark no-parking zones, as fines are enforced. Drive on the right, and expect slower vehicles to pull onto the hard shoulder to wave you past. For the official rules of the road and current requirements, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office keeps an up to date summary on its Greece travel advice pages.

What Most Guides Do Not Tell You

On the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, the single biggest thing is the Plaka boat. Almost every organised tour leaves from Elounda or Agios Nikolaos because that is where the big operators are contracted, and they will tell you those are the places to sail from. They are not the best. The little fishing boats from Plaka make the shortest crossing at just 5 minutes, cost less, run frequently, and let you reach Spinalonga before the tour crowds. Driving yourself to Plaka is the whole game.

Two more things. On the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, buy your Spinalonga admission and boat ticket separately at Plaka rather than as a bundled tour, and you will save money and keep control of your own timings. And do not rush straight home after the island; the drive back through Agios Nikolaos in the late afternoon light, with a stop by Lake Voulismeni for an early dinner, is one of the loveliest ways to end the day, and something the coach passengers, herded back to Heraklion on a fixed schedule, never get to enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get to Spinalonga by car?

On the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, drive from Heraklion east on the A90 to Agios Nikolaos, then follow the coast road through Elounda to Plaka, about 76 km and 1.5 hours in total. Park in the free car park at Plaka and take a short boat across, as Spinalonga itself is a car-free island reached only by boat.

Which is the best boat to Spinalonga?

On the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, the boat from Plaka is the best for independent travellers, as it is the shortest crossing at about 5 minutes, the cheapest, and runs every fifteen to twenty minutes. Boats from Elounda take around fifteen minutes and from Agios Nikolaos up to forty-five, and both cost more and arrive with the tour crowds.

How long do you need on Spinalonga?

On the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, allow about ninety minutes to walk the island at a gentle pace, taking in the Venetian fortress, the abandoned leper colony streets, the church and the tunnel. There is a small admission fee, little shade, and uneven stone paths, so wear a hat and sturdy shoes.

Is the drive from Heraklion to Elounda difficult?

No, the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive is one of the easiest in Crete. The A90 to Agios Nikolaos is a modern, toll-free dual carriageway, and the coast roads on to Elounda and Plaka are well surfaced, if narrower and more winding in places. A small car handles the whole route comfortably.

Do you need a car to visit Elounda and Spinalonga?

A hire car is much the best way to do the Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive, letting you drive to Plaka for the short, cheap boat crossing and set your own timings rather than following a coach schedule. Buses do run from Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos and on to Elounda and Plaka, but they are slow, involve changes, and do not give you the freedom the drive is built around.

Download the Elounda and Spinalonga Drive Guide

Drive the Gulf of Mirabello for Yourself

The Elounda and Spinalonga scenic drive gives you a shimmering bay, an elegant harbour town, a sunken city and an island that holds one of the most moving stories in Crete, all on one gentle day’s drive from Heraklion. Skip the coach, drive to Plaka for the little boat, and see Spinalonga your way. Pick up your car at Heraklion Airport and the Gulf of Mirabello is yours.

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