Elounda
A shore of resorts on the Gulf of Mirabello, an island fortress across the water, and Heraklion’s runway about an hour to the west.
- Arrival
- Heraklion Nikos Kazantzakis · HER
- To the resort
- About an hour to 90 minutes by road
- Private jets
- At HER, with PPR and a slot in summer
- Best time
- May to October
The city
Spinalonga across the water.
Elounda lies twelve kilometres up the shore road from Agios Nikolaos, on a stretch of water where Imperial Airways flying boats called on their long-range routes in the 1930s. Under the shallows lie the remains of Olous, an ancient city lost to the sea; across the strait sits Spinalonga, fortified by Venice from 1579 and a leper colony from 1904 until 1957. The large resorts spread along the bay, many of them with terraces turned towards the island.
By June the sea has reached 22 °C, and in July and August it holds at 25 °C with almost no rain. October is still warm, at 22 °C in the air and 23 °C in the water; the winter rains come in November.
Arriving
Heraklion, then the coast road east.
Heraklion’s airport, five kilometres east of the city and shared with the air force, carried ten million passengers in 2025. A new airport at Kastelli, south-east of the city, is due to take over around 2028.
- Istanbul 1 h 15
- Rome 2 h 10
- Munich 2 h 45
- Cape Town 10 h 15 long-range jet
- Bangkok 10 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
May to October.
A dry summer and a mild, damp winter. From May to October highs stay between 22 and 28 °C and the sea warms to 25 °C, with almost no rain from June to August. December and January bring 120 to 140 mm of rain.
- 14° J 137 16°
- 15° F 94 15°
- 16° M 79 15°
- 19° A 36 16°
- 23° M 17 19°
- 26° J 5 22°
- 28° J 1 25°
- 28° A 2 25°
- 26° S 18 24°
- 22° O 71 23°
- 19° N 78 20°
- 16° D 122 18°
What to see and do
Days in and around Elounda.
-
Landmark
Spinalonga
A Venetian fortress on an island 750 metres off Plaka, reached by boat from Plaka, Elounda or Agios Nikolaos.
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Landmark
Olous
The sunken ancient city off Elounda, parts of which can still be seen by divers in the bay.
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Landmark
Knossos
The Minoan palace on the edge of Heraklion, worth a stop on the drive to or from the airport.
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Culture
Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos
Reopened in 2024 after renovation, the museum shows the Goddess of Myrtos of 2500 BC alongside Minoan finds from Malia and Petsofas.
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Culture
Lato
Dorian Lato, mostly of the 5th and 4th centuries BC, keeps its agora and prytaneion on a ridge above Mirabello Bay.
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Culture
Panagia Kera
Frescoes of the 13th and 14th centuries cover this three aisled Byzantine church just outside Kritsa, including a Last Judgement.
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Nature
Dikteon Cave
Held to be the birthplace of Zeus, the cave at 1,025 metres above the Lasithi Plateau is entered by a 250 metre path to an underground lake.
Official site -
Nature
Richtis Gorge
Starting at Exo Mouliana, a trail of about 4 km descends 350 metres past a waterfall to Richtis beach.
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Golf
The Crete Golf Club
Bob Hunt's par 71 course, opened in 2003, climbs through dry hills four kilometres south of Hersonissos.
Where to stay
Around the Gulf of Mirabello.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Minos Palace Resort An adults-only resort on its own small peninsula in Mirabello Bay, with a Waterfall Suite that has its own pool, and a MICHELIN Key.
- Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas Terraced villas and gardens above two private sandy beaches, with five restaurants and suites that come with their own staff.
- Domes Aulus Elounda An adults-only hotel with six restaurants, a rooftop bar and its own shingle beach a few minutes away.
- Domes of Elounda Suites and villas beneath windowed domes, most of them looking straight out at Spinalonga.
Where to dine
Where to book in Elounda.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Crete. These are the fine dining restaurants of two hotels on this page, confirmed open on their own pages or recent reviews.
- Makris Elounda Signature restaurant, Domes of Elounda Greek $$$$ Domes of Elounda, Schisma
- Dionysos Signature restaurant, Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas Mediterranean Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas
Elsewhere in Greece
More reasons to come.
- Athens The Parthenon, the Plaka, and the seaside hotels of Vouliagmeni.
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Mykonos
Windmills, beach clubs, and a runway that takes private jets.
- Santorini Villages on the rim of a sunken volcano.
- Corfu A Venetian old town and the green coves of the Ionian.
- Rhodes The medieval town of the Knights, inside its walls.
- Costa Navarino Golf courses and resorts in the south-west of the Peloponnese.
Flying to Elounda?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.