Elounda

Although surrounded by some of Crete's most luxurious resorts, Elounda retains a charming down-to-earth feel. Salty fishing craft bob in its little harbour, where you can board a boat to Spinalonga, a former leper colony and the area's biggest tourist attraction. Attractive shops, bars and tavernas wrap around the harbour and continue north along the sandy municipal beach and south along a paved waterfront promenade. Offshore lies the rugged Spinalonga Peninsula, linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway and home to ancient ruins, beaches and hiking trails.