Beyond the Blue Eye: Discovering Agios Nikolaos’ Harbor Secrets
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About the Tour
About the Tour
Perched upon Mirabello Bay, the hilly town of Agios Nikolaos captivates her visitors with a blend of natural beauty and ancient history. On this walking tour, you’ll discover the charming harbor’s secret spots and astonishing views.
This circular tour starts at the Marina Agios Nikolaos Parking, with its colorful yachts bobbing in the harbor. As you wind through narrow streets, I’ll tell you about the mythology, history, and culture that gives this coastal town its distinctive character. You’ll also learn about the region’s historical significance, and its origins as the ancient port of Lato pros Kamara.
You’ll weave around the famous Lake Voulismeni, a mysterious body of water rumored to be bottomless, where local legends claim an underground connection to the Santorini volcano. I’ll point out scenic staircases that you can climb for breathtaking views, and colorful alleyways decorated by local artists. The tour ends at the same place where you started.
During this two-hour tour, you’ll have a chance to:
- Visit the site where the Mirabello Fortress once stood, which gave the entire bay its name
- Hear about local cuisine style and ’Mezedes’ lunches, and pause at a taverna to try them
- Get to know famous Cretan figures like El Greco, and writer Nikos Kazantzakis, through the town’s street names
- Visit Agios Nikolaos weekly Open Air Market, near the Archeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos
- Explore colorful shopping streets where you’ll find traditional komboloi beads and blue eye talismans
- See the Horn of Amalthea and other monuments to influential Greeks, including Eleftherios Venizelos, the architect of modern Greece
- Learn why the name “Vromolimni”(meaning “the stinking lake”) is no longer applicable
- Admire the Greek Orthodox Agia Triada church, with her impressive Byzantine-inspired architecture
Wear comfortable walking shoes for this tour as Agios Nikolaos is built on hills and includes several staircases. But the magnificent views are worth every step!
Tour Producer
Tour Producer
Mr. Routaki
Bio of AJ alias Mr. Routaki:
Since 1995 I have been coming to Crete. An island that has stolen my heart. The Samaria Gorge was my very first working area and in the following seasons many more regions followed in a wide variety of professions.
And always surrounded by friendly guests who had all kinds of questions. That is why the Routaki routes also provide the information desired by you as a guest of the island.
After completing my tourism education (M.T.R.O.) I found the right activities in this wonderful profession.
Guide, tour leader, resort host, underwater-cameraman, restaurant owner, Jeep safari guide or sailing (flotilla) leader. All these experiences I use nowadays when compiling my information and stories which I incorporate into my car routes and city walks.
Daily life on Crete interwoven with the stories of the many acquaintances I have been able to listen to over the past thirty years.
The first routes were created in 2006 using CDs (and even cassette tapes!!). Parts of routes from back then have now, with the help of the VoiceMap app, grown into a beautiful portfolio of day trips in the three languages I master; Dutch, English and German.
The Infotheek on my Routaki.com website will continue to grow and many more routes and walks will follow.
Some of my goals are to apply augmented reality and to show you the traditions of the olive harvest or wedding ceremonies even outside the usual periods.
I continue to immerse myself in the Cretan culture traditions and customs. I read about recent developments and combine this for you into a wonderful holiday day experience.
Through the many ‘interest media’ I am happy to keep you informed.
Preview Location
Preview Location
Location 23
Lake Voulismeni
You’ve arrived at Lake Voulismeni. This small lake has a diameter of 137 metres and a maximum depth of almost 50 metres. Originally, it was a freshwater lake, but in 1870 it was connected to the sea via a small canal, which you can see behind ... Read More
View locations and route
How VoiceMap Works
Major Landmarks
Major Landmarks
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Paralia Kitroplatia
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Horn of Amalthea
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The Abduction of Europe
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Agios Nikolaos Harbour
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Kamara - House of the Roman period. 3rd Century B.C.
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Lake Voulismeni
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Πάρκο Λίμνης Βουλισμένης
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Θέση θέασης Αγίου Νικολάου Λασιθίου
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Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos
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Agios Nikolaos Open-air Market
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Γενικό Νοσοκομείο Αγίου Νικολάου - General Hospital of Agios Nikolaos
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Akti Koundourou
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Εξέδρα Λίμνης Βουλισμένης
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Eleftherios Venizelos Statue
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Agios Nikolaos Bridge
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Agia Trias (Holy Trinity)
Getting There
Getting There
Route Overview
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Start locationMarina, Ag. Nikolaos 721 00, Greece
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Total distance4km
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Final locationMarina, Ag. Nikolaos 721 00, Greece
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Distance back to start location123.13m
Directions to Starting Point
This city walk begins at the Marina parking lot, about 50 meters past the entrance gate.
This marina is easy to find and has a large, paid parking lot.
Show Directions
Tips
Tips
Places to stop along the way
It is wonderful to relax in one of the lunch taverns on Kitroplateia beach. The folklore museum just before the bridge is tiny and cozy.
Every Wednesday, the famous open-air market of Agios Nikolaos attracts people to the city who buy fresh local products directly from Cretan producers. Situated between the Archeological Museum and the hospital building.
Best time of day
You can experience this city walk Agios Nikolaos all day long, and all year around.
Use shadow areas as much as possible to wait and listen the audio items.
About the length of the tour: just by walking and listen to the information the tour takes about 2,5 hours. But this is without any stops for drinks, lunch or visiting one or more of the museums. This city walk is made with the idea of ‘a whole day out’ in the beautiful bustling town of Agios Nikolaos.
Precautions
Wear comfortable shoes. Due to the hilly terrain on which Agios Nikolaos is built, there are several steps to climb and descend during this walk.
Due to the length of the audio information it’s wise to bring your smartphone battery charger, or an extra power bank, to avoid that your battery runs out of power.
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Get The App
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