Spinalonga fortress in Siteia

Extremely atmospheric when you learn about its history. Victoria Hislop wrote a book called the Island which has made this a very popular tourist attraction. Even if you dont have a tour guide you can see the homes of its previous occupants, the hospital and especially the church which is kept in really good repair. If you travel from Plaka you can stay as long as you need as the ferry runs approximately every 40 minutes.

If you have trouble walking not the place to visit but otherwise worth a visit

Id prefer more information about the earlier history, heavily focussed on the Leper elements which is very interesting but there must be so much depth to the islands history. My wife had read "The Island" so was much more interested than me and the kids (7&9but we all enjoyed exploring and the guides story. Unfortunately we perhaps got the wrong trip so we were short on time and couldnt complete a full lap but did have time to sit at a beach around the corner for over an hour that would have been better spent on the island in my opinion.We really should have found a trip more focussed on the island rather than a beach BBQ and shopping.

Fantastic really enjoyed the visit lovely part of Crete.

Lovely boat trip over and very scenic. Lacked any information when walking around. Would have liked more history and info on signs when walking around

Enjoyed the day. Leisurely ferry ride to the island, broken up with a swim If you wanted. Guide was knowledge and is a nice picturesque place. You get bit of time to walk around before return journey. Gift shop is expensive and paying full 8 euros as on eu members a bit of a cheek....

You need at least half a day to dedicate to this visit: time to go, time to visit, time to relax the special location

Nice place and story (better read it before going there)Amazing view and nice walk!We have seen only when we left that there was a tourist guide! Should have been interesting, because apart from some panels you don’t have many informations..

Simply a mustGet boat from Plaka €10 and stay all day

A must go to attraction when in Crete, very interesting

A must see on Crete. We took a boat from Plaka, its the quickest (10minand cheapest (€10 ppway to the island.Local, official guides are waiting next to the ticket office on Spinalonga - for a small fee they will not only guide you through the island, tell about the history and answer any questions you might have, but also tell their personal stories of connection with the island - fascinating and highly recommended!

A really interesting place steeped with history. The tour guide was exceptional and knew everything about the island.We were lucky enough to be the first group onto the island. When we had finished the tour there were literally hundreds and hundreds of people at the entrance. I could imagine it would be a very different experience if you arent in one of the first groups.The cafe is VERY expensive (11 euros for a coke and slushie), so Id recommend bringing your own food.At the end of the tour, the boat took us around the perimeter of the island so we could see the island in its entirety.All in all a very good trip. Would highly recommend to anyone visiting Crete.

Worth visiting and diving into this places tragic history.

Fantastic experience. Best advice though dont book a organised trip. You can get a local boat to take you there and back for 10 euro and spend as long as you want there. We only got a hour and could have spent hours. Bring own food and drink. A can of pop was 5 euro

Amazing!!!!!! Besz option is to take boat from Plaka beach ( 10 e per personalredy from Plaka ypu have amazing site, 10 min ride and you are there, boat are gping every 30 min, entrance fee is 8 e to fortres. Bring your food and drinks

We drove an hour and came at 8 as it was showing that the boats start from 8 only to understand that the first boat is from 10. Why should they update their working time.... EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED....

Went as part of excursion, very interesting, a fair bit of restoration work going on,but good walks around the island with great views.

Very nice place to visit with a guide. It has interesting and rich history that is best discovered with knowledgeable person. Also beautiful sights all around. Cats! Beautifull domesticated cats, not afraid of people and fond of petting 😺

Lovely but of history great info from the tour guide brilliant day out

Was a really nice experience and very beautiful views recommended

Nice fortress....with nice views. I wiah i had more time....1 hour is not enough to go through it. Furthermore directing aigns are scarce. Dwfinetly marking tracks like in mountains will enable tourists to get optimal walk and not hit dead ends.

Absolutely fascinating place ,shame that there isn’t a guide book

Very good place to travel

Great place of interest how is this not a UNESCO world heritage site? Full of history and a great place to explore. A must do when in Crete.

A sadly beautiful place with a troubled history. Worth a visit.

Spinalonga island is a must visit place at the eastern side of Crete! Hope on a ferry boat (€10 /person return ticketevery 30mins.Once you arrive there you will find many guide tours that will offer you 40mins tour of the island. Always try to negotiate the price! It makes more sense when someone explains the history of thePlace instead of walking around clueless (or with the use of google😅).Have your swimsuit with you as you can swim in the crystal waters around the island! There is also a coffee place with WC!

Worth a visit, interesting Greek history.

A must sightseeing if you thought to the island of Crete. It costs you 10€ to go by boat from Elouda, a place in Agios Nikolaos. There you can visit the castle that costs 8€ but if you have the rights you can have it in a half price. Its so beautiful the view from up there and you can swim in the clear and turquoise water. The experience its amazing. But, take a hat, sunglasses and put tons of cream because the sun is so strong!!

We took a boat from Plaka (10 euro). There is a car park (free of chargeright next to the small harbor of Plaka. You can buy the boat tickets directly in the harbor, in the only quiosk that is there.The cruise was only 10 minutes long, which was very convenient and calm. No big waves, despite strong wind. We waited for 10 minutes in the harbor of Plaka, and 2 minutes to return from Spinalonga. The boats leave every 20 minutes and you can spend as much time on the island as you want.There was some queue (10 minutes waitingto pay the entrance fee to Spinalonga (8 euro). We spent about 1,5 - 2 hours sightseeing. The views from the top of the fortress were spectacular, in all directions. The color of the waters around Spinalonga was absolutely insane, you can enjoy all kinds of blue.

Well preserved fortress with a deep and modern history. Cost of boat is 10 euros cost of entering the fortress is 8 euros .5 to use the bathroom.

Beautiful island with remnants of the old leper colony which closed in the 1950’s. Little left through tbh, but lovely to walk around the island and clamber up the hills to the hospital leftovers. Be careful if you buy anything from the shop though as the prices are bonkers for a can of pop!

Amazing place to visit!

Interesting and picturesque ruins of the former fortress and leper colony. The intriguing history of Spinalonga is laid out in the exhibition rooms, and most of the island is accessible to view both the remains of the fortress and the stunning views from the island. Well worth a visit.

Amazing place, if you are in Crete, definitely worth a visit! Historic fortress and the last leprosarium in Europe. The entrance fee is 8 EUR and should be donated to the restoration of this fortress.

Amazing tour and island. So much history and great to see them conserving it. Would recommend going up the steps to the top of the hill on the island for an amazing view. Only downside was that 1.5 hours was not long enough to see everything.

Wonderful place to take beautiful pictures and to discover. You should be a bit careful with the sun around noon.

A very nice island with lots of history from different periods. Easy to travel to as there are many fairies from different key points at the coast. Highly recommended to read about the place before going there - otherwise it might be "just a normal fortress"...once you know about its history, walking though the little streets and exploring the houses makes for a great history experience. Chose your travel time wisely as tourist crowds arriving with usual boats can.be avoided.

Visitors can get to the island by boat. Not too much information on the history of the place available on site. Taking part in a guided tour would probably make sense for historically interested visitors.From Elounda, the transfer - back and forth - by boat costs 12 € per adult. The transfer to the island takes about 20-25 minutes. Then the visitor has 70 minutes time to discover Spinalonga.In order to enter the fortress/island, one needs to pay another 8 € entrance fee. The old village can be visited with a baby buggy. If you want to climb onto the top, you need to leave the cart on the bottom. The paths to the top are stony, but the view from the top of the hill onto the open ocean is great.Coming down, you may want to hit the restrooms near the little tavern on the island, right next to the docks or have a coffee or cool drink there.All in all, it was a nice trip, but its a tourist attraction, with many people wanting to visit. Thats probably why neither the boat personnel, nor the cashier at the entrance, nor the site supervisors even tried to act friendly, very much in contrast to the other experiences Ive made with most locals on Crete during my 2 week stay there.

What a stunning place! Steeped in history. Excellent information there so you know what you are seeing. Cute boat ride out there too and very good value entrance price of just €8 and half price for kids over 5. Boat ride is €10 per person. Amazing place with such an interesting history. Beautiful views A must see if you are close by for sure would highly recommend to come and visit to think what people did and thought many years ago!

We visited in spring so the place was full of wild flowers and pretty empty. Great experience wondering through the deserted ruins and a lovely boat ride to get there.

A must seen place at Crete.Beginning in 1903 all people at Crete which were infected by lepra were deported to that leper colony.In older days it was a Venetian fortress.

An amazing place to visit. Price to go over on boat 10 euros, per person, from Plaka. Then when you get there (5 minutesit costs 8 euros per person.

Must do if visiting Crete, so beautiful an island plus the boat trip and views from the boat amazing.

Worths visiting. You can take a boat either from Plaka with 10 euros or from Elounta with 12 euros aller retour. You can also take a daily cruise from Agios Nikolaos that travels you round Colokytha and Spinalonga. The ticket to enter to Spinalonga costs 8 euros, but there also reduced prices for certain categories.

Very interesting visit that will give you a better understanding of not only the history of Spinalonga island but also Crete. I definitely recommend to take with you one of the guides waiting on the island (charging 10 per adult, 5 for children). The guide we had was very knowledgeable/passionate and could give us a lot of side information.

This is a great place to visit and far too much to see in a couple of hours. The site is a little exposed so think about what you wear, but get there early try to see it all. You pay both for the return boat trip to the island and entry to the site, but still value. The only amenities are a single very expensive snack bar and toilets, so bring a bit of food and a bottle or two of water. Back in Palak (if that is where you take the boatthere are a wide choice of bars and restaurants to have a drink or meal after your visit.

We had a really nice visit. You have to take a boat from the port which I think was about 5 Euro per person and didnt take more than ten minutes. Once there you have to mind the clock to be back for the return trip. The site is large but you could cover it in as little as an hour if you hustle. There are several exhibits, many places to take great photos, and excellent views if you climb the hill.

Worth a visit to appreciate the history of the island last inhabited in 1957. The local inhabitants were shipped to the island to be isolated as they suffered from leprosy. Harrowing and at times eerie, stunning views over to the mainland, able to catch a boat trip with a tour guide.

Leaving from Plaka in a small boat costing 10€ each we then paid another 8€ to actually get inside this old fort/leper colony. Apart from the views and the old artifacts there is nothing much to see for the 8€. Quite a lot of the old buildings are roped off for "construction" and it certainly isnt wheelchair/pram friendly.The gift shop cafe is also expensive 7€ for a bottle of beer.

Ideal for visiting in June - comfortable temperature, not so many people. Take drinking water with you. Didnt find any good beach there, its mainly historical place. Entrance fee - 8 euro. Ticket price for boat - 10 euro from Plaka, 12 euro from Elounda.