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Agios
Nikolaos in Crete
Hotels and apartments
Charming little town, which for many years has attracted
ever greater numbers of visitors, is situated right in the heart of
the glorious Bay of Mirabello with its breath taking vistas, azure
blue seas and very pleasant climate.  Agios
Nikolaos sits on the ancient site of the town of Lato-Etera. Both
towns were administrative centres and reached their pinnacle in the
3rd Century A.D. Today, Agios Nikolaos is an important
centre for Administration, for the Arts and for Transport Service,
and has become one of the most advanced regions for these in Crete,
and in Greece.
This is the place, where tourism first began in Crete
and it gradually became
a much favored area, thanks to very traditional big open hearted welcome
given to visitors, the wonderful coastline, the clean beaches, nine
of which in the region as a whole have now been awarded the European
Blue Flag plus of course the very rich variety of ancient sights to
visit. Agios Nikolaos has much to offer both young and old. It is
ideal for walkers, for those who seek history and culture, and there
is a wide selection of nightlife to suit every taste. Every
summer the town council arranges a programme of cultural events. It
is also an ideal centre for all kinds of watersports, and various
hotels and sports centres have swimming pools, basketball, volleyball
and tennis courts.
In the centre of the town is the picturesque harbour,
with the curious little round lake of Voulismeni, and the cafes around
provide a popular meeting point for locals and visitors alike. To
add to the attractions, one of the most beautiful yacht marinas in
the Aegean was built here in 1994.Always appealing too are the numerous
small shops to browse through in the little
The town is furthermore an ideal springboard for day
trips to explore other regions of the eastern and central island.
For example a trip to the old mountain village of Kritza, to the Lassithi
plain, to Malia or intriguing Spinalonga, the island with mellow stone
venetian buildings, which in times past was used as a leper colony.
Agios Nikolaos can be reached via a direct ferry link with Piraeus
harbour, Athens, and for air travel, the airport of Heraklion is only
about 45 minutes drive away.
Hotels & apartments in Agios Nikolaos
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| Tel/fax: +33(0)4 92 15 14 62 --- Mobile: +33 (0)6 08 10 00 85 |
| Address in France: 20, Boulevard Joseph Garnier
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| Address in Greece: Astrikas - Chania - Crete |
Samaria gorge. Crete, Greece
Having a total length of sixteen kilometres, this gorge is the largest in Europe and certainly the most famous and visited among the many gorges of Crete.
Until about the middle of the century it was a wild landscape with a totally undisturbed ecosystem and home to a great number of wild birds and mammals as well as to a small population of woodcutters and shepherds who lived in Agia Roumeli or in the village of Samaria inside the gorge.
Today this village has been abandoned, but the steep slopes of the gorge and the thick forests in the surrounding area are still populated with many rare species. These include over fifty species of wild birds - among them, the extremely rare harrier eagle (Gypaetus barbatus) and golden eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos), both threatened with extinction - and about ten species of mammals among which the famous Cretan wild goat otherwise known as kri kri and the Cretan polecat known as zourìdha. As for the flora of the area, it is abundantly rich and includes many wild flowers native to this land.
In 1962, the gorge, together with a small area to the west and east of it, was officially declared a National Park, so that its delicate ecosystem could be protected.
The park extends over an area of 5100 hectares and, unlikeits quiet days in the past, today it is visited by some 300,000 people a year, all of them determined to walk the gorge. Visits are allowed between May and October, but in July and August the tourists are so many that it is impossible to be alone even for a minute. On the other hand, if you can come between May and early June, or between the middle of September and the end of October, you will certainly enjoy it a lot more.
A good time to visit the gorge (in fact, a time before it is officially opened to the public) is the first weekend of April, when a two-day festival is held in Samaria in honour of Osia Maria. The liturgy in the small Byzantine church is chanted by father Giorgis Chiotakis of Sfakia, an amazing priest who likes a good feast as much as anyone else and yet is a truly holy man.
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