Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos is a modern marina built at the foot of the town of St. Nicholas, located on the northern coast of the island of Crete, in its eastern part. It truly represents one of the few places with an abundance of moorings on the entire island: however, this does not mean that it is easy to find a place there; in fact, the modernity and convenience of the facility mean that it is always quite crowded.

And after all, it is located in one of the most beautiful parts of the island of Crete. St. Nicholas is a very pleasant town, living entirely on tourism, counting a fine snout of archaeology and, a short distance away, some of the most popular beaches on the entire island. It overlooks the Gulf of Mirabello and prides itself on having some of the highest category hotels to be found on Crete.

A short distance from St. Nicholas, just about ten kilometers, is the seaside resort town of Elounda: luxury hotels and resorts, beaches, five-star tourism. As for tourist attractions, right in the center of town is one, namely Lake Voulismeni: a lagoon that was once a real freshwater lake, later connected to the sea, where myth has it that the goddess Athena bathed. Today it is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours sitting at one of the many bars and cafes on its shores.

Another attraction that is really worth a visit (and can also be done by boat), is the island of Spinalonga, a stone’s throw from San Nicolò, toward the western end of the opening of Mirabello Gulf, almost opposite Elounda. The island is a real fortress and its defensive and strategic role (crucial for the control of maritime traffic) is attested from the mists of time; it was then the Venetians who built the imposing bastions that can still be admired today. Among others, the Christians took refuge there to escape the Saracens; in the early 1900s the island-fortress was chosen as a “colony” for Lepers and officially became a leper colony, a role it held until the middle of the last century.
Boats depart from St. Nicholas and Elounda to visit the island, but a boat ride around its shores is also really worthwhile.

Returning to St. Nicholas, the Agios Nikolaos marina is located at the foot of the town in its southern part, sheltered from the north by the natural shape of the coastline. Approaching and entering the marina is not a problem, however, since it is almost always very crowded, it is mandatory to contact the staff on VHF channel 72 before entering. If there is no response, moor at the outermost dock and head to the offices. These are located north of the docks in a brown building and are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except Sundays.

The marina is sheltered by a long arm breakwater and has 255 berths. Which are actually fewer because many are permanently occupied by fishermen. In addition, the less than titanic size of the port means that only the first three piers and the inner side of a section of the breakwater are usable by boats of a certain size. In any case, each berth has two mooring lines and the staff is always present and helpful.

Let’s come to the services: at the dock you will find columns at each berth, with drinking water and 220/380 V electricity. Next to the offices is the toilet block with showers (and hot water!), nearby you will find coin-operated washers and dryers. There is no fuel station but the marina can provide 24-hour fuel delivery service. There is also room for a bit of nautical services: slipway, 65-ton travel lift, small repair service and sail repair. There is also Internet access.
The marina enjoys a security service and reserved parking. There are no restaurants or cafes inside the ports, but since it is located right in the heart of the city, this is the least of the problems. You will also find plenty of supermarkets and stores nearby.

Up-to-date marina prices can be found on the website, downloadable as a pdf; at any rate, a 12-meter boat pays 24 euros per day in high season and 15 euros in low season.