Agios Nikolaos - a popular resort

To the west of the picturesque Mirabello Bay, on a fairly small peninsula city spread Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas), a "capital" of Santorini. At the heart of the city formed a unique natural lake Vulismeni whose depth is about 67 meters. According to legend, the waters of the lake water treatments took the goddess Athena.

In the city on a permanent basis has approximately 10 000 inhabitants, but with the advent of the tourist season Agios miraculously transformed: the streets are filled with fun and carefree laughter, and in cafes and restaurants there are no free seats. No wonder this resort has no equal in the number of guests on the island of Crete. Despite the very rapid development of the tourism industry, this small town has managed to retain their original unique look.

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The history of the city is quite interesting, which implies that here the many tourists who want to plunge into the world of legends and myths. Of particular interest is the urban archaeological museum, which exhibits unique find absolutely all historical periods. The most important exhibits are: subhuman cult vessel, which shows the goddess of Myrtle Beach, a collection of ancient funerary gifts of the Neolithic, as well as dodvortsovogo periods from the ancient cemetery of St. Photius.

 

Not far from Aghios Nikolaos, in the foothills of the dictates there are many beautiful painted churches, among which we find one of the most beautiful island churches - Panagia Kery, where you can admire the superb Byzantine frescoes. Visit the deserted ruins of the ancient Doric city of Lato, who is in the III century BC. Oe. large in those days, a trading port. Note that once Lato was an independent city in which "walked" their own coin.

From Agios Nikolaos can be done without problems unforgettable excursion to the beautiful island of Spinalonga. Thus, the excursion begins with a visit to the port once a small fishing village of Elounda, which has now become a fashionable resort. Today there are functioning first-class hotels, is in a wonderful climate, while striking beauty of local landscapes by its magnificence. Then, on a cozy little ship offers a fascinating boat ride along the picturesque bay of Mirabello coast to the small island of Spinalonga, which has a special history. For a long time, this island is reliably protected from Gulf of frequent pirate attacks, as well as from the Turks. After all, an island fortress, built by Venetians as early as 1579, was one of the most inaccessible in Crete: its territory were 35 guns of various calibres.

The resort of Agios Nikolaos, you will find a varied and memorable holiday. In the summer of the City Festival is held under the title "Lato".
And when evening falls over the city, with a cozy and quiet Aghios Nikolaos is amazing metamorphosis: the local population and tourists from accumulated during the day by rushing directly to the pier, so as to revive their local area by the presence of bars, which is divided in two by two bright squares.