Spinalonga is a small fortified island in Mirabello Bay, off the north-east coast of Crete near Elounda and Plaka. The Venetians built the fortress in 1579 to guard the entrance to the bay, and it held out against the Ottomans for decades after the rest of Crete had fallen. From 1903 to 1957 it was a leprosy colony, one of the last in Europe, where several hundred people lived a full civic life behind the walls, with shops, a church, a cinema and their own municipality. Entry is 20 EUR per adult and the boat from Elounda or Plaka takes about fifteen minutes; the walk around the island is gentle, on stone paths with some steps.
In sintesi
- Entrance fee
- 20 EUR per adult, paid on the island
- Boat ticket
- About 14 to 15 EUR per person, paid separately
- Crossing time
- About 15 minutes from Elounda; less from Plaka, directly opposite
- Drive from Rethymno
- About 2 hours each way
- Fortress built
- 1579, by the Venetians
- Leprosy colony
- 1903 to 1957
- Time on the island
- One to one and a half hours on stone paths with some steps
The fortress
The Venetians fortified the islet in 1579, cutting it away from the Kalydon peninsula and ringing it with bastions to control the approach to Elounda's natural harbour. When Crete fell to the Ottomans in 1669 Spinalonga held out, and it was not surrendered until 1715. An Ottoman community then settled inside the walls and stayed until the beginning of the twentieth century.
The colony, 1903 to 1957
In 1903 the newly autonomous Cretan State designated the island a leprosy colony, and residents of the Ottoman village left. Patients from across Greece were sent here, initially in very poor conditions. Over time they organised: a main street of shops, a church, a laundry, a cinema, a hospital, and eventually municipal recognition. Effective treatment reached Greece in the late 1940s and the colony closed in 1957. The last inhabitant, a priest, stayed on until 1962 to keep the burial rites.
Victoria Hislop's novel The Island and the Greek television series made from it are why the island is now the most visited site in eastern Crete.
Visiting
Boats leave from Elounda and Plaka, and from Agios Nikolaos on longer trips. Plaka is the closest, directly opposite. You land through the tunnel the Venetians cut through the rock, walk the main street past the ruined houses and the hospital, and follow the loop around the fortifications back to the jetty. An hour to an hour and a half is normal.
Practicalities
Entry is 20 EUR per adult, paid at the island, and the boat is a separate ticket, typically 14 to 15 EUR per person return. There is almost no shade inside the walls, so a hat, water and sun cream matter. From Rethymno the drive is about two hours each way, which makes it a long day, not a half day.
Buono a sapersi
How much does it cost to visit Spinalonga?+
The island entrance fee is 20 EUR per adult, paid on arrival. The boat from Elounda or Plaka is a separate ticket of roughly 14 to 15 EUR per person. Neither is included in tour prices from Rethymno.
How do you get to Spinalonga?+
By boat only. Crossings run from Elounda, from Plaka directly opposite and from Agios Nikolaos. The Elounda crossing takes about fifteen minutes.
How long do you spend on the island?+
An hour to an hour and a half is enough to walk the main street, the hospital ruins and the loop around the Venetian fortifications.
Was Spinalonga really a leper colony?+
Yes. It operated from 1903 to 1957 and was one of the last leprosy colonies in Europe. The residents built a functioning community there, with shops, a church and a cinema, and the site is presented as a story of that community rather than only of the illness.
How far is Spinalonga from Rethymno?+
About two hours by road each way, on the far side of the island. A tour from Rethymno runs eight to ten hours, a good part of it driving.