Agios Nikolaos Travel Guide

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Vai, Ayios Nikolaos, Crete © GNTO

Overview: Agios Nikolaos (or Áyios Nikólaos), about 43 miles (69km) east of Heraklion, was formerly known as a destination for package-tour groups but is now a cosmopolitan resort with high standards of harbour-side café-bars and top quality restaurants. The night clubs and karaoke bars are a thing of the past in this relaxed, yet busy, town. Ideal for couples of all ages, it is an excellent base from which to explore the eastern part of the island. The town itself does not boast any major historical or archaeological sites, but it does have a curiosity: the deep pool in the environs of the harbour, called Lake Voulismeni, has many tales and legends attached to it, and was once believed to be bottomless. Ágios Nikólaos also has a fine Archaeological Museum, worth seeing for its growing collection of Minoan artefacts. The museum houses finds from the cemetery of Aghia Photia, dating back to 2,300 BC, including more than 1,500 vases. Besides all the Minoan finds the museum also has the skull of a young Roman athlete wearing a gold olive-leaf wreath dated to the 1st century AD. Many visitors to Ágios Nikólaos take the excursions to the fortified islet of Spinalónga to see the ruins of, and hear the fascinating story of what became the last leper colony in Europe.
Shopping: Good clothing and shoe shops, with excellent, high quality jewellery available. The street market (Wednesdays from 7am to 12pm) is a good place to rummage with the locals for clothes and bargains. The top end of the market is a great place to buy traditional foodstuffs and local honey, herbs, fruit and vegetables.
Restaurants: The lake area is full of tourist-orientated tavernas that charge more for the location than the quality of the food. Aggressive waiters will often try to pull you into the restaurants on the lake. A firm 'No' is often required. 9 Muses, Mediterraneo and Barko (harbour and Kitroplatia area) are consistently good. For Meze (small dishes of different foods) Xryssofilo (Kitroplatia) is hard to beat. For northern European variety try Obelix, a Dutch run restaurant near Ammoudi beach.
Nightlife: Ágios Nikólaos used to be famous for its bar culture and still maintains a few 'touristy' bars serving up the traditional mix of 80s disco music (Aquarius, Sorrento, Alexandros). The more modern and relaxed café bars on the south side of the harbour tend to attract more customers nowadays and are popular with the locals as well as tourists.
Activities: The area around the resort is ideal for hiking, and the coastline lends itself to the pursuit of all kinds of watersports. The various hotels in the resort have swimming pools, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. The town council organises a programme of cultural events each summer season.