Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island

Badge of Excellence

Heraklion, Greece

Popular pick

Booked 5+ times last week!

8 to 9 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.4

· Andreea_C ·

Oct 2025

This tour was amazing! Special thanks to our guide Manos and to our driver who ensured a lovely and safe experience for everyone. Agios Nikolaos is an amazing place that we instantly fell in love with, and Spinalonga is just breathtaking. The operating company was fantastic, a team of professionals who quickly found a solution to reduce our return time in difficult traffic. I highly recommend this tour!

· Denise_W ·

Aug 2025

Amazing day, on time for all pick ups, drop offs and everything was well organised- our guide was fabulous, knowledgeable, friendly and made the day run smoothly - totally recommend this travel agent - Altino Travel and this tour

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Overview

Spinalonga, an island once used to isolate people suffering from leprosy, has become more popular since Victoria Hislop's novel The Island reimagined it. Visit this historic island, plus the Agios Nikolaos resort town with Lake Voulismeni, and Elounda, known for luxury hotels and beaches, on this guided day trip. Admission to Spinalonga is not included.

Visit the uninhabited fortress island of Spinalonga, once a leprosy colony
Soak up views of Mirabello Bay and Elounda as you cruise to the island
Enjoy free time in bustling Agios Nikolaos with its many cafés
Benefit from hotel pickup and drop-off for easy transport

What's Included

Pickup and Drop off from hotels and designated meeting points.
Transport by air-conditioned coach or minivan.
Guide

Food & Drinks
Admission Fee - Spinalonga island

€20.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pickup and Drop off provided from the areas of Sissi, Malia, Stalida Hersonissos, Anissaras, Analipsi, Gouves, Gournes, Kokkini Hani, Karteros, Heraklion, Amoudara. Pickup time depends on the location of the accommodation hotel. The exact pickup time and location will be sent via email.

Itinerary

Agios Nikolaos

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Elounda

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Spinalonga (Kalydon)

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Infant seats available

Most travelers can participate
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Bring with you swimsuit and towel
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.4

based on 414 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Nice Day Trip

Lynne_P, Mar 2026

Great day trip with plenty of time at each stop. Very friendly knowledgeable guide who’s happy to answer questions. Lots of opportunities for some beautiful scenic pictures.

It was good. The tour...

Megumi_K, Nov 2025

It was good. The tour size could have been a little smaller but over all it provided what we needed so it was good.

Bad

kumar_T, Nov 2025

We have booked our trip and pick up location and charged me then few hours after they told me change my pick up location far away.

Well constructed tour

Paul_C, Nov 2025

An interesting and well organised tour taking in three locations. Good variety of experiences and helpful guides.

Great day well worth doing

Sarah_E, Oct 2025

Was a full day with 3 main stops. There is plenty time at each place to enjoy the areas and have quick drink if you want. The towns are very pretty and Spinalonga very interesting. It is €20 extra to get into Spinolonga but you can just sit and enjoy view of port or paddle if you don't want to walk round. If you want to jump of boat into water for swim on way back ensure you already have swim wear on. Transfers were great and local. All staff were friendly and helpful. Thoroughly enjoyed our day. Totally recommended

Amazing tour

Andreea_C, Oct 2025

Booked an English tour...

Phil_G, Oct 2025

Booked an English tour and was surrounded by French and the tour in English and mainly French. Also in the description there is no mention of a swim stop in Elounda bay which meant I feel we wasted 20 minutes so that 4 people out of the 50-60 could get off the boat and swim, stranding the rest with nothing to do. I feel that time would have been better spent on spinalonga as there wasn’t enough time there. If I had know about the swim stop then I would’ve booked a different tour. The amount of time in Agios Nikolaos and Elounda town was just right to see what was there and relax a bit.

Agios Nikalaos and Spinalonga Day Trip - Book Your Trip Now!

Beth_M, Sep 2025

Day trip to Agios Nikalaos and Spinalonga is a must for visitors to Heraklion and the surrounding areas. Manos was a terrific and smart tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about the places that we visited. He also took special care that we knew when to be back to the bus for the next part of the trip. You get to see a lot of Lasithi on this trip. This part of Crete is extremely beautiful. The boat ride to Spinalonga Island was enjoyable with gorgeous scenery. Just about the right amount of time for each activity. Altino Travel Co. did a great job with all the travel arrangements. I highly recommend this tour.

This was a great way to...

Karen_S, Sep 2025

This was a great way to see several places around the island. The tour bus was nice and clean. Our guide was informative. Excellent way to spend the day.

Not worth the money

Ian_A, Sep 2025

You only have a guide on the bus, although very good and knowledgeable the guide leaves ou at Agious Nikolaos and at Spinalonga, so your left in your own to wonder around both stops. Which i found a bit of a let down!!! You have to pay an additional €20 to get in to Spinalonga and you dont have a guide with you. Very disappointing

Excellent day out

Denise_W, Aug 2025

great experience. the...

Manuel_E, Jul 2025

great experience. the tour had 2 guides that spoke 3-4 languages each. the pick up process was a breeze, fascinating history, the island of spinalonga is totally worth visiting.

Spinalonga Island

candace_j, Jul 2025

The drive is very long and the double decker busses do not have great a/c so it is quite warm riding in them. Agios and Nicholaos were not that impressive unless you are a shopper. The Island of Spinalonga was amazing to see. It has beautiful views and the history is very interesting. The guides were good but having to hear everything in 4 languages thoughout the day got pretty annoying. I would recommend ear pieces that everyone can wear that translates into their personal language so the guides do not have to repeat everything 4 times.

Not what was advertised

David_A, Jun 2025

The trip to Spinalonga was supposed to be a larger trip including a trip to Agios Nikolaos. There was no trip to Agios Nikolaos for me just the trip to Spinalonga Island at a cost of €39. I could have easily booked a ferry from Elounda or Plaka much cheaper, so I feel I was ripped off. I received a message telling me there was no pick up from my hotel and I had to proceed directly to Elounda bus park to collect the boat.

Cracking day trip!

Lee_R, Jun 2025

Great day out! Special shout out to our guide, Manos, who was extremely personable & knowledgeable. Our coach was lovely, no tired ‘fun bus’ that’s on its last legs.. Overall, a very well organised day trip which we thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended.

Absolutely spot on.

Steven_S, Jun 2025

Absolutely spot on from pick up to drop off in Stalis. A great guide in Manuel, and the perfect amount of time in each location. Just short of 8.5hrs in total.

On your information about...

paul_y, Jun 2025

On your information about the trip it stated that entrance to spinalonga was 8 euros. When we arrived it was 20 euros, a big difference. Otherwise the trip was excellent. Pick up and drop off very good.

Amazing Day

Stephen_B, Jun 2025

So glad we took this trip, it was a fantastic day with just the right amount of time in both Agios Nikolas and Elounda before heading to Spinalonga. Our guide was very friendly, helpful and informative. A highlight of our time in Crete, would definitely recommend.

Enjoyable day out....

Sauda_I, May 2025

Enjoyable day out. Particularly enjoyed Spinalonga; gorgeous views of the sea from the top. Also Elounda was beautiful.

Amazing Experience

robertwilliamrowe, Apr 2025

The Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island with A. Tours was outstanding from start to finish. The itinerary was well-paced and thoughtfully designed, balancing cultural insight, relaxation, and scenic beauty. Our guide was knowledgeable, engaging, and attentive—sharing compelling stories about Spinalonga’s history that brought the island to life, while also giving us time to explore independently. Agios Nikolaos was charming, with just the right amount of time to enjoy the lakefront, browse local shops, and soak in the atmosphere. The boat ride to Spinalonga was smooth and picturesque, offering incredible views of the Cretan coastline. The logistics—pick-up, transport, timing—were seamless and professional. This excursion was a highlight of our trip to Crete. Highly recommended for anyone wanting a deeper connection to the island’s history and natural beauty without feeling rushed or crowded. A. Tours delivers an excellent, enriching experience.

Awesome tour...book it!

Jonathan_S, Apr 2025

This tour was very well organized and had the perfect amount of time at each stop. The guide Michael translated in three different languages and had clear suggestions about options for our free time. The bus driver was excellent in navigating some tight spots and definitely deserved a tip. It's a long day from Heraklion but well worth it. It's an awesome tour full of beauty and emotion. Spinalonga was the highlight especially after reading, The Island. This is an awesome tour...book it!

An interesting day

Ann_D, Apr 2025

Our bus journey from Heraklion to the first stop took over 2 hours because of all the pick ups. We didn’t anticipate it would be this long and weren’t informed of the timescale when we got on the bus. Our journey back to Heraklion was slightly shorter because there were fewer stops as minibuses collected passengers from different hotels at one drop off point. Maybe this should be considered on the outward journey. On the boat back from Spinalonga, there was an opportunity to swim in the sea, very few people took advantage of this. For those who didn’t participate the lack of sunshine made it cold and unpleasant sitting on the boat. Apart from this the day was well planned and our guide, Elena was very pleasant, informative and knowledgeable and gave clear instructions about how long we had at each place and when we would leave. Overall we enjoyed the trip. Not sure about recommending this experience in its current set up.

Great trip!

oana_h, Mar 2025

Amazing and relaxing trip! Our guide was awesome!! Spinalonga was just beautiful and it was such an enjoyable trip.

Nice tour

Janet_W, Nov 2024

Wonderful tour of Agios Nikolaos. The tour guide was very informative and very friendly. A very nice town by the water. Nice shops and restaurants. A beautiful ferry ride to the island.

The driver and tour guide...

Pouieng_L, Oct 2024

The driver and tour guide were friendly, the itinerary was well arranged, the price was reasonable, and everyone in the group had a great time.

Good tour with good guides

Masayuki_K, Oct 2024

The two guides were polite and took care of the guests very well. Spinalonga Island and the surrounding sea were beautiful. We enjoyed the tour very much!

Spinolonga

Julie_H, Oct 2024

Spinalonga island so interesting, whole trip good, never got taken anywhere where you feel obliged to buy, two swim stops, I found shops and cafes to keep me entertained.

I wasn't wrong in my choice

MUSTAFABURAK_A, Oct 2024

I have travel show on a national Turkish TV, Teve2... While I was shooting our Crete episodes, I found your tour and it was really helpfull for my footage. The tour was very professional but also that warm and friendly. İts was satisfying and nearly showed all Northern beauties of Crete. Thank you. Burak Akkul/ Çok Gezenti Travel Show presenter and producer

Long Haul Spinalonga Tour

Lynnette_B, Oct 2024

Very well organized, and highly informative tour. This all day trip takes the hassle out of driving yourself to see other parts of Crete if you're staying near Heraklion. I was exceedingly impressed by how well the guides kept everyone organized with such a large group of multilingual people traveling together to multiple stops. Kudos to them!! My only complaint was the length of the day. Having been one of the first picked up and dropped off, the entire day was more like 11 hours than the 9 I was expecting. Still, it was a good time and I'm glad to have experienced it.

Fantastic Day !!

Lynda_j, Oct 2024

Fantastic day didn’t disappoint at all. Full credit to the tour guide Natasha and Driver Yannis for looking the group so well. Everything was kept to time really well. Highlight was Spinalonga Island visit, and the picturesque bay/ islands etc. might be worth clearly advertising that the pickup and drop do make it a longer day , today pickup was 7.30am drop off about 6.15pm due to so many pickups on the way. Aside from the suggestion it was an excellent tour. Really wish passengers would tip the amazing hosts for exceptional safe and friendly service.