Spinalonga Fortress

From the village of Plaka you can take a boat to the island with a huge fortress of Spinalonga. It was built by the Venetians in 1579, when the island was used to control the entrance to the bay.

Due to its unique position, it was impossible to capture the fortress, so even after the Ottoman Empire took over Crete in 1669, the island remained under Venetian control for decades.

Already part of Greece, the island was used as a leper colony from 1903 to 1957, one of the last such colonies in Europe. Today, the fortress is a popular tourist attraction in Crete.








The place is extremely popular. While small boats come from Plaka, much bigger boats come from Agios Nikolaos. At first there may even be a crowd around the ticket booth (you buy a boat ticket and then a ticket to the fortress), then people scatter around the island.


These abandoned buildings below are the barracks for lepers. There is also a more or less restored street with souvenirs down there, but since most tourists went there, we immediately turned the other way and went to the top of the island.




Former army warehouses


A lot of tourists simply walk round the island without going upstairs.


The remains of the main bastion where the biggest cannons stood.






This is already the top of the island.


Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa with its own funicular railway.


Children's playground near the car park.


Getting there: Plaka car park 35.297528, 25.727917.