What to do in Elounda, North-East Crete

Elounda is a few kilometres from Agios Nikolaos on Crete's north-east coast, perfectly located
in the Gulf of Mirabello, with mountains as a backdrop.  This idyllic setting also ensures a
temperate climate as the town is protected from the worst vagaries of the weather. Even if you
are not a 'morning' person, it's worth getting up early for the absolutely gorgeous sunrise over
the stunning Mirabello Bay. With ‘Elounda island’ ( a series of almost islands connected to
the mainland by a thin strip of land) directly in front, you couldn’t ask for a better view. 

The harbour in Elounda town is a working port and quite picture-postcard perfect.  It most
certainly hasn’t lost any of its original charm despite the ongoing building of luxury villas in the nearby hills and several five-star hotels.

Elounda has become popular in recent years due to the success of Victoria Hislop’s ‘The Island’ set partly in the fishing village of Plaka just down the coast and on the former leper-colony island of Spinalonga. You can get boats there from Elounda or Plaka but Plaka is a shorter and cheaper crossing. If this area of history is of interest then author Beryl Darby has also written a fascinating account of the island’s history in her book ‘Yannis’ and of course, not forgetting the original ‘ The Eagle of Spinalonga.’

As you head out of town towards Plaka, there is a children's park and a small sandy beach ideal for families. You can also take the land train which is a great way to see the area for people of all ages, not just kids. It currently leaves at 12pm from just behind the children's park and goes to Plaka and then into the mountain villages where you visit a couple of churches before stopping at a local taverna for lunch or refreshments. It returns around 4pm.

From the town of Elounda, it's worth walking past the fish restaurants and taking the fifteen-minute walk along the causeway.

Carry on over the canal bridge and turn left until you come to a lovely fish restaurant called 'To Kanali'. This is a perfect place to stop for a drink or to treat yourself to a special lunch. At the far side of the restaurant is a track which leads to a Byzantine mosaic. Amazingly, this is fenced off yet unattended and left to the ravishes of the weather. It's easy to miss the signs so if you get to the church, you've gone too far.

There's an excellent local bus service running between Elounda and Agios Nikolaos.
This is one of the most scenic routes on the island and all for less than 2 Euros. Elounda stole a little piece of my heart and it won't be long before I'm back.

• Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new windoififiiIf you carry on towards the church, you come to the sunken city of Olous. Although this is an important archaeological discovery, unless you are a diver, there is very little to see from the surface apart from some rocks.