The City
Agios Nikolaos is an international cosmopolitan seaside resort which attracts thousands of visitors each year. Numerous legends surround the Lake, the crown jewel of the city, which dominates its centre with its imposing beauty. Some legends suggest that it is bottomless and others that goddesses Athena and Artemis used to bathe in the lake under the moonlight, away from the eyes of the mortals. Another popular myth is that the lake is connected to the volcano of Santorini through an underground passage. At the end of WWII, the fleeing German army dropped cannons and armoured vehicles into the lake.
The beach at Kitroplatia is one of the few in Crete to provide that town-centre-by-the-sea beach location with is restaurants and bars. Then stroll up to the square and down the other side to reach the marina where another sea front offers its wares. Take a walk around the marina to admire the boats and be dazzled by some of the amazing yachts.
Shopping is fun in Agios Nikolaos where you can find local, handmade products as well as designer fashions among the beautiful stores. During your shopping trip there are many coffee shops around the Square or in the Pedestrian street to stop and enjoy an ice cream or a coffee and take a rest. Walking around the streets of Agios Nikolaos you will relish the aroma of the local herbs and spices and sample the local delicacies. Agios Nikolaos is not just a summer draw for visitors, it is mostly, open in winter. We don't leave!
The Archaeological Museum, a small, easy to navigate museum, exhibiting finds from the whole of Eastern Crete, like the early Minoan cemetery of Mochlos, the Zakros palace, Lato and Elounda.
Good collection of coins ranging from about 330-350 BC to 200 AD. (On Konstantinou Paleologou street, a little before the hospital).
The Folklore Museum with woven textiles, embroideries, handicrafts and a model of an old traditional Cretan house. Old photographs, paintings and costumes...takes you back in time. Overlooking the lake, at street Kondylaki 2.
Every Wednesday in Agios Nikolaos you can visit the open market.
This colourful hive of activity starts around 6am until early afternoon. Fruit, vegetables and everything local people grow is on sale. Experience the hassle and bustle of everyday life where the old and the young buy their weekly produce. Also you can find clothes, souvenirs, household goods and many unusual things!