Boats bob in the little harbor of Elounda while the lagoon lies flat between the shore and the low island of Spinalonga, and the first coffees of the day are poured at tables on the central square. A few minutes up the coast the fishing village of Plaka looks across the same water at the fortress walls.
What is the best area to stay in Elounda?
For a first visit, the area around the central square of Elounda is the best base, while Plaka suits a trip built around Spinalonga, and Agios Nikolaos suits anyone who wants a full town, ferries and buses at the door.
If beaches are the point of the trip, the village itself is the place to be. Several sandy beaches lie within walking distance of the central square, and the main beach has been awarded the Blue Flag. There is also a children’s play area near that beach, a little way from the square, which makes the village the natural choice for families who want to go from breakfast to the sand without a car.
For ancient sites and history, the village is again a good fit. The original Elounda was the ancient city of Olous, a commercial and religious center, and a sign near the shore marks the site of the sunken city. Some people even ask whether it was the real Atlantis.
The Venetians later laid out salt pans here, and the fortress on Spinalonga was built in the same period to protect the bay. Sleeping close to all of this means the layers of the past are part of your evening stroll.
If you are watching your budget or you like to wander among restaurants and shops in the evening, look at Agios Nikolaos. It is the town of the municipality, the road from Elounda runs to it, and the local bus connects the two.
A larger town usually offers more variety in lodging, from apartments to hotels, and more choice at dinner. Nightlife in the sense of late bars is not what Elounda itself is known for, so those who want evenings out should plan to be in Agios Nikolaos or ride the bus there.
The three bases differ in scale and in what you step out onto. Elounda is a small harbor town with a square, a shoreline and beaches close to the center. Plaka is a fishing village that overlooks Spinalonga and the Kolikithia Peninsula, with the views as its main feature.
Agios Nikolaos is a town of its own, with the harbor, the ferry connections and a wider range of lodging. Choosing between them is mostly a question of whether you want to wake up to a village, to a view or to a town.
Elounda sits on the north coast of Crete, in the lagoon between Spinalonga and Mirabello Bay, so every base here keeps the water in sight. The differences lie in how far you are from the beaches, from the boats to the island and from the buses and the car rental desks that take you further across Crete.
The best areas to stay in Elounda
Elounda village and the main square
The village is the heart of any stay here. The 2021 census counted 2,254 inhabitants, so it feels like a small town, with a harbor, a central square and a shoreline where you can read the story of the place. Cafés and tavernas sit around the square and along the water, and the lagoon in front of you is the same one that the Venetians once used for their salt pans.
Lodging in and around the village runs from hotels to apartments and guesthouses, and staying near the square puts several sandy beaches within walking distance. The main beach, with its Blue Flag, has the children’s play area close by. Families with small children tend to appreciate this: the sand, the play area and the cafés are all within the same stretch of the village.
To get around, you can walk to the square and the nearest beaches, take the KTEL bus to Agios Nikolaos, or rent a car in the village. Boats to Spinalonga also leave from Elounda, although they take longer and cost more than the boats from Plaka. A tip: if you want a base with the least planning, pick a room within sight of the square and leave the car for the days when you head out across Crete.
Plaka, the fishing village facing Spinalonga
Plaka is a small fishing village that overlooks the island of Spinalonga and the Kolikithia Peninsula. It lies north of the main square of Elounda, on the road leading away from Agios Nikolaos, so you are further along the coast and closer to the fortress island. From a table at the water’s edge, the fortress walls are what you look at over dinner.
The boat to Spinalonga from Plaka takes about ten minutes, and it is cheaper than the boats from Elounda or Agios Nikolaos. For anyone whose trip is built around the island, a Plaka base turns the crossing into a simple part of the day. Spinalonga was a leper colony until the hospital closed in 1957, and the fortress itself dates from the Venetian period, so the visit is as much about history as about the view.
Lodging here is generally smaller in scale than in the town, with guesthouses and apartments suiting the village setting. Beaches are not described in the same way as in Elounda, so if sand within walking distance matters to you, the village center is the safer base. A practical tip for the boat: if you go late in the day, check the departure time of the last boat from the island, and when you come back make sure the boat is heading to the right town, or you may end up miles from your car.
Agios Nikolaos, the town next door
Agios Nikolaos is the town of the municipality, and the road to Elounda from here is the one you follow from the airport route. It is where the ferries arrive, with LANE lines running from Piraeus and from Rhodes, and where the connecting buses to Elounda begin. Staying here is the choice of a traveler who wants a town with a harbor and a lake, with restaurants to choose from each night.
The disadvantage for a beach-led trip is distance: the beaches within walking distance of a central square are those of Elounda, not those of Agios Nikolaos. Spinalonga can be reached by boat from Agios Nikolaos, but those boats take longer and cost more than the ones from Plaka.
Getting around is easy on the public side, with the KTEL bus connecting the town and Elounda, and the car rental offices in the area. If you are arriving on a LANE ferry, sleeping in the town the first night saves you from onward transport on arrival day. Move to Elounda or Plaka afterward if the village atmosphere is what you want.
Elounda areas compared
| Area | Best for | Feel | Getting around |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elounda village and main square | First visit, beaches, families | Small harbor town with a central square | Walk to several sandy beaches, KTEL bus to Agios Nikolaos, car rental |
| Plaka | Spinalonga, views | Fishing village overlooking the island and the Kolikithia Peninsula | Boat to Spinalonga in about ten minutes, road to Elounda main square |
| Agios Nikolaos | Ferries, evenings out, a range of lodging | Town with a harbor and the municipality’s services | Bus connection to Elounda, LANE ferries from Piraeus and Rhodes, car rental |
The main trade-off is between the harbor and the hillside, or rather between a place you can walk around and a place you look out from. In Elounda village you give up nothing on the practical side: the square, the beaches and the play area are all near, and the town of Agios Nikolaos is a bus ride away.
Quiet and evenings out pull in opposite directions. A village of just over two thousand people has the pace of a village, with dinners by the water and a stroll along the shore. Travelers split the difference by sleeping in the village and taking the bus into town for an evening.
Cost and time also shape the choice. The Spinalonga boat from Plaka is the cheaper and the quicker one, while boats from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos take longer and cost more. If you plan to see the island only once, that difference may not matter, and you can pick your base for the beaches or the evenings instead.
How to choose your hotel in Elounda
Start with how you want to spend the mornings. If the answer is a swim and a coffee, pick a hotel, apartment or guesthouse close to the central square, because several sandy beaches are within walking distance from there and you will not need the car for the first days. If the answer is the fortress on Spinalonga, a room in Plaka puts you next to the boat that crosses in about ten minutes.
A hotel in the village gives you the services of a hotel and the setting of a harbor town. An apartment or a guesthouse gives you a base in the same village with a little more room to settle in, and in a place of this size the difference is mostly about whether you want breakfast made for you or a kitchen of your own. Villas exist around the coast of Crete, but where they stand relative to the square or the beaches is something to confirm with the host before you reserve.
Think about how you will arrive. Heraklion Airport is about 50 miles from Elounda, a one-hour drive, and the route follows the E74 toward Agios Nikolaos before you turn for Elounda.
If you do not drive, the bus works in two steps: a bus to Agios Nikolaos, then the connecting local bus to Elounda, with modern air-conditioned buses on the local line. A car can be rented in Elounda itself, which suits a stay where you want to explore beyond the lagoon.
Families will look first at the main beach, which has been awarded the Blue Flag and has a children’s play area close to it, a little way from the square. A room near the square puts both within reach. For travelers who find hills or long stretches on foot difficult, it is worth asking each property how far it sits from the square and the shore, since the village layout and the Plaka road are not described in terms of slope.
Finally, decide how much you want the town of Agios Nikolaos in your stay. If you come by LANE ferry from Piraeus or Rhodes, you land there. If you want the choice of restaurants and the bus connections at your door, sleeping there is logical, and Elounda is a bus ride or a drive away. If you want to be done with transport on day one, sleep in the village.
Last, consider the history you want near you. The sign marking the sunken city of Olous stands by the old site of Elounda, the salt pans recall the Venetian years and Spinalonga looks across the water. A base in the village or in Plaka keeps all three in view from your own table.
Good to know before you go
From Heraklion Airport you can drive to Elounda or ride a bus to Agios Nikolaos and change to the local bus. Car rental is available in Elounda, and the KTEL company runs the public transport.
Sources
- Visit Greece (GNTO), Elounda (https://www.visitgreece.gr/islands/crete/elounda/), checked October 12, 2026
- Wikipedia, Elounda (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elounda), checked October 12, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Elounda (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Elounda), checked October 12, 2026
- Wikipedia, Tourism in Greece (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Greece), checked October 12, 2026