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Agios Nikolaos
From Wikitravel
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Agios Nikolaos is a city in Crete.
[edit] Get in
Agios Nikolaos (Crete) is about 40 miles from Herakleion Airport (HER). The journey time is 45 - 60 minutes by car or taxi.
[edit] By Bus
Local bus service with modern air conditioned buses [1].
[edit] By Ferry
Ferry services run to Agios Nikolaos from Athens (Piraeusport), Rhodes, Chalki, Karpathos and Kassos.
Major ferry lines operate to the port of Herakleion, connecting with bus services at the main bus station near to the port. Ferries run directly to the town via LANE lines [2] from Pireaus and Rhodes.
[edit] By plane
The distance from Heraklion airport to Agios Nikolaos is about 40 miles.
[edit] Get around
By Bus: Local bus service with modern air conditioned buses [3].
Elounda, Kritsa, Sitia, Heraklion (and from there, Knossos), Malia and Hersonnisos are easily accessed with a regular bus service which is very good value.
Scooters: Readily available. Wearing of crash helmets is compulsory. Do not ruin your holiday by receiving a large fine.
Quads: Not designed for use on road. Cause traffic congestion and impatience leading to many accidents and occasional deaths. Think very carefully before hiring one and using it on the roads.
Car Hire: You will not normally need a 4 x 4 to negotiate the roads, most of which are sealed. Some places and rental properties are less accessible. Beware of damage to the underside of the hire car on rough tracks.
Taxis: Excellent value. Invariably will be a large, clean and air-conditioned Mercedes. Most drivers speak basic English and have none of the bad habits of many Med taxi drivers (loud local music, smoking en route etc).
[edit][add listing] See
There are boat trips up the coast to see Barbarossa's cave and the old leper colony (formerly a Venetian fortress) of Spinalonga, which are fascinating and amazing value (do not spend more than 10 euros, there is no need) and usually include an ocean swim.
[edit][add listing] Do
Go to Almyros beach, a long sandy beach with a cold water stream entering the sea at the southern end. Perfect for a cooling paddle if the heat gets too much. About a 20 minute walk from the town center but worth every step! Alternatively, a taxi from the town center will only cost you about €8.
If it is windy, consider a pebble beach rather than a sand beach, of which there is no shortage.
[edit][add listing] Buy
Locally produced fruit and vegetables at the market on Wednesday morning. The tomatoes are superb.
Thyme honey. The bees here take the pollen from hyme and the subtle flavur is transferred to the honey.
[edit][add listing] Eat
There are a good selection of restaurants and tavernas in the town, ranging from the small and friendly "Grigoris" to the superb "Mediterraneo" on the harbour.
Meze restaurants worth visiting are "Barko" which provides a modern slant on traditional dishes and "Chyssofillis" on Kitroplatia. Just around the corner is "9 Muses", a modern restaurant /cafe bar which is popular with local residents. The recently opened "Piato" near Ammoudi beach is an excellent contemporary meze restaurant. Near the taxi rank by tourist information is "Embassy".
For more northern European tastes, "Obelix" is a Dutch operated restaurant near Ammoudi beach which serves large portions with a daily special for variety.
[edit][add listing] Drink
Modern cafe bars on the right of the harbour include "Molto" and "En Plo". Yiannis Rock Bar is an institution and was formerly the haunt of rock stars such as Ozzie Osbourne, U2 and Jimmy Page.
"Puerto" is popular with the young locals and 25th March Street (25 Martiou) is busy at weekends with many of the local student population. Don't be misled by old tales about this street being the hub of the night life for tourists. It is entirely "Greek" and if you don't want to hear modern Greek music you will be in the wrong place.
The bars that have survived the change in tourist tastes over the last few years include "Aquarius", "Sorrento" and "Alexandros". The first two are "British" style tourist bars and the latter is a rooftop garden bar which has a small dance floor.
If you enjoy sport coverage, the two main venues are the small but friendly "Sky Bar" near to the Marina and the much larger and better equipped "Sportz Bar" which is next to "Aquarius".
[edit][add listing] Sleep
[edit] Hotels
- Minos Beach art hotel [4]Deluxe Hotel. Tel: +30 28410 22345.
- Candia Park Village [5]Family Hotel. Tel. +30 28410 26811.
[edit] Get out
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