Spinalonga Island is a tiny piece of land located just 200 m off the east coast of Crete in Greece. The area of the property is 0.085 km2. The island is uninhabited. It is located opposite the fishing village of Plaka, surrounded by the waters of the picturesque Mirabello Bay. Today, visiting Spinalonga is very popular among tourists, and first of all the object attracts attention with its ancient architectural structure – once a majestic fortress, which managed to survive well to this day. The island has a rather interesting history, which will be interesting and useful to get acquainted with before visiting the object.
Brief history
The first notable fact in the history of Spinalonga Island is, in fact, its origin. The fact is that initially the object was geographically part of Crete and was a peninsula. The ancient city of Olus once flourished on this site, which was completely destroyed in the 4th century as a result of a powerful earthquake. Even today, travelers can observe large, centuries-old cracks in the coastal rocks. As a result, the disaster separated the peninsula from Crete by a small bay.
Until the 9th century, Crete belonged to the Greeks, but in 824 it was captured by the Arabs, who, however, were not destined to rule it for long. Already in the 10th century, the Byzantines conquered the island, where they built the Church of St. John the Baptist in honor of the victory over the Arab aggressors. Phoki, which can still be seen in Crete today. In the 13th century, power over the island passed to the Crusaders, who later sold these territories to the Republic of Venice.
In 1526, the Venetians decided to transform Spinalonga from a peninsula separated from the mainland by a narrow bay into a full-fledged island. And on the site of the remaining ruins of Olus, the Italians built an impregnable fortress, the main purpose of which was to protect the port of Elounda from frequent pirate raids. It is known from history that the Venetians dominated Crete until 1669, when the Ottoman Empire entered the arena and captured the island. However, the Italians managed to hold Spinalonga thanks to the strong walls of the fort,which finally fell under the onslaught of the Turks only in 1715.
For almost two centuries, the Ottoman Empire dominated Crete and the island of Spinalonga. History took a sharp turn only in 1898, when the inhabitants of Crete staged an uprising against the Turks on the eve of the Greco-Turkish war for Greek independence. But Spinalonga remained in the hands of the Ottomans, who took refuge in the walls of the fortress. Then the Greeks began to collect leprosy patients all over the country and send them to the fort. The Turks, who were afraid of getting infected, left the island without thinking twice.
So, since the beginning of the 20th century, a completely different, tragic story begins to take place within the walls of the fortress, which made Spinalonga famous as the island of the damned. We decided to tell you more about this period in a separate paragraph.
Leper Island
Leprosy (or leprosy) is a chronic infectious disease that first struck Europe in the Middle Ages. There was no cure for the disease at that time, and the only way to stop the spread of infection was to isolate patients. For this purpose, special places were created, as far away as possible from the cities, called leper colonies. In 1903, the Greeks chose a fortress on the island of Spinalonga as a hospital for lepers. After 10 years, not only patients from Greece, but also from European countries were sent here for treatment.
Spinalonga, being an island of lepers, did not promise recovery to the sick. The Greek authorities did not pay enough attention to the development of the hospital, so its inhabitants dragged out a miserable existence in anticipation of death. But this story also has a bright spot, whose name is Remundakis. A young student who contracted leprosy arrived on the island in 1936 and, thanks to his will and self-confidence, radically changed life in the leper colony. Attracting the attention of various organizations to the hospital, the young man managed to establish and develop the infrastructure of the institution. Electricity was added to the island, a theater and cinema, a cafe and a barber shop were opened, and public events and holidays were held. So, over time, patients returned to the taste for life and faith in recovery.
In the mid-20th century, scientists managed to find a cure for leprosy, and by 1957, Spinalonga was abandoned by its last patients. Those who were at an incurable stage of the disease were distributed to different hospitals in the country. This was the end of another stage in the history of the island of Spinalonga in Crete. After a small piece of land remained useless for two decades. And only at the end of the 20th century, it gradually began to attract the attention of tourists.
Spinalonga in our days
A real boom in visiting the island of Spinalonga in Greece broke out after the publication of the book “Island” (2005) – the brainchild of the British writer Victoria Hislop. 5 years later, a series based on the novel was shot, which only fueled the interest of travelers to the place. Today Spinalonga is a popular tourist attraction in Crete, which is visited primarily for a walk through the medieval fortress.
You can go to the island yourself by boat or as part of an excursion group. It is best to start your acquaintance with the attraction from the Archaeological Museum, located to the left of the pier. The fortress welcomes visitors with dilapidated staircases, tunnels and churches. In addition to the ruins of a medieval building, tourists will be able to appreciate the spectacular views that open from the upper platform of the structure. It will be interesting to walk around the island in a circle, slowly observing its natural landscapes. Travelers who are familiar with the history of Spinalonga in advance will be able to mentally travel back several decades and feel the gloomy past of the area.
After exploring the island, everyone has the opportunity to linger in a local cafe located near the pier. The restaurant serves traditional Cretan cuisine with salads, meat and a variety of snacks. Also in the south-west of Spinalonga is a picturesque beach, where you can enjoy panoramic views of the east coast of Crete.
- Opening hours: Monday and Tuesday – from 09: 00 to 17: 00, Wednesday to Sunday-from 08: 00 to 19: 00.
- Cost of visit: 8 €.
How to get to the island
You can get to Spinalonga in Crete by boat from three different locations. The fastest and cheapest way to get to the island is from the nearby village of Plaka. Transport departs to the attraction every 15 minutes. The cost of a round trip is 10 €. The journey time is no more than 5-7 minutes.
It is also possible to go to the island from the port of Elounda. In summer, boats run every 30 minutes. The round-trip ticket price is 20 €. The trip takes about 20 minutes, which allows you to enjoy plenty of seascapes. Free parking is available on the Elounda pier, but it is often crowded, so many people leave their cars in a paid parking lot for 2 €.
You can also take a boat to the property from the city of Agios Nikolaos. In high season, transport departs every hour. You will pay €24 for a round trip. It can be reached in up to 25 minutes by car.
Useful tips
When traveling to the island of Spinalonga in Greece, be sure to take into account the advice of travelers who have already visited the place. After studying the reviews of tourists, we found the most effective ones among them:
- To visit the sights, wear comfortable sports shoes, even in the heat. Inside the fortress, there are a lot of stones under your feet, so flip-flops or sandals are completely unsuitable for excursions.
- It should be borne in mind that on the island the weather is always perceived much hotter than on the coast of Crete. At the same time, there is practically no place to hide from the sun. Therefore, it is important to take care of sunscreen, glasses, and headwear in advance. It is best to take a cap or headscarf, as it is very windy on Spinalonga, and wide-brimmed hats will only cause inconvenience.
- Be sure to stock up on bottled water.
- The cheapest way is to visit the attraction yourself. The cost of excursions from travel agencies ranges from 40 to 60 €. At the same time, the quality of organizing tours often leaves much to be desired. To make your self-guided walk as interesting as possible, read the map item’s history in advance.
- If you plan to thoroughly explore Spinalonga Island, explore all the corners of the fortress and stop for a rest in a local cafe, we recommend that you set aside at least 3 hours for the tour.
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