Full-Day Guided Spinalonga Island Tour

In 1578 the Venetians constructed on the island of Spinalonga an impressive fortress. They built bastions on the northern and southern side of the island, as well as a fortification wall.

The island is also well-known as a “leper colony”. The disease Leprocy was one of the most feared diseases of the ancient times also known as “Hansen disease”. It was the last active leper colony in Europe from 1903 to 1957, the last inhabitant, a priest, left the island in 1962. The tour also includes a visit to a traditional Cretan winery estate where few of the best Cretan wines are produced.

The Tour starts after breakfast by driving along the Northern coast of the island to Kritsa, one of the oldest and most picturesque villages of Crete. Here we will visit  the 12th century Byzantine church of Panagia Kera located 1km from the village. The church contains the finest-preserved Byzantine-era frescoes in Crete, and for that reason , has become one of the most culturally and historically significant churches on the island. We continue our tour through the villages of Nikithianos, Fourni, Karydi,Kato Louma and Valto to the sea-front village of Plaka where we will board the boat to take us on the now deserted island of Spinalonga.  Our guide will guide us through the ruins of what used to be a leper-colony from 1903 to 1957 where lepers could have a better life, medical help and economic support. Upon returning to Plaka we will enjoy our lunch at a seafront traditional tavern.  After lunch our tour continues to the Scalani Hills vineyard and winery. At an altitude ranging between 170 and 215 meters, on a 7-hectare plot, the privately-owned vineyard is cultivated based on the principles of organic farming, hosting various Greek and international varieties. The density of the planting is 3300 plants/hectare. Here we will enjoy a tour of the cellar, the production area and the rest of the estate. We will also visit the wine-tasting hall and enjoy tasting 3 labels of typical wine produced at the winery, served with crispy puff pastry with aromatic olive paste. Late in the afternoon we return to our hotel.

The history and the culture of the island of Spinaloga became one with human tragedy in the course of time. It carries the history of Ancient Greece as it served as a natural guard for the ancient city of Olou, The history of the Saracens pirates, the history of the Venetians as their fortress, the history of the Turks as their settlement and the history of the Greeks as the place where their leper would be sent into exile until 1957.

Children must be accompanied by an adult
Travelers are kindly informed that there may be an extra fee for transportation, according to the pick-up place
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
Our company is not responsible for the client’s failure to appear at the meeting point for the booked tour or activity.
Last minute cancellation of flights or inability to disembark from a cruise ship, is not our company’s responsibility, therefore any refund requests due to such incidents will not be accepted. Should the client be aware of such a change, he/she is requested to communicate with our company more than 24 hours before the tour or activity starts, in order to discuss possible date or time amendment (subject to availability)
Refund requests for last minute cancellations (up to 24 hours before the tour or activity), for any reason, will not be accepted.
All clients are kindly requested to send their preferred meeting point and location until 3:00pm of the previous date, regarding their pick-up for the booked tour or activity. Should they fail to do so, our company will do anything it can in order to locate them (telephone, email, etc), however it is not responsible for any failure to meet them. Meeting points could be, anywhere on the island and the information necessary is either the hotel name or the name of the cruise ship they are arriving with. In the occasion that they are staying at an apartment, clients are requested to send us a google map, a nearby hotel or any information that would help us locate them. Any delay of behalf of the client (up until 15 minutes that we will be waiting for them) affects the transfer schedule and disrupts the smooth conduct of the tour/activity.
For no-name accommodations, our company will set the most convenient location for the pick-up.
For accommodations that are located in a pedestrian zone, our company will set the best possible pick-up point.
Our company is not responsible for knowing whether the client is supposed to book transfer or not. The transfer schedule is prepare less than 24 hours before the operation, therefore we cannot predict such necessity.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers