BLUE FLAG

Blue Flag Status

A beach with a blue flag means:-

A beach with crystal-clear waters-

Good organization and safety-

An environmentally - friendly place

The "Blue Flag" is the international symbol of quality of a well organized beach.

The "Blue Flags Program" is a Program for Environmental Sensitivity and Protection of The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that occurs every year on a grand scale in over 35 countries in Europe and other places around the world.

In Greece, the representative for the program is the Greek Environmental Society for Nature Protection, the oldest environmental organization in our country that has been active in environmental education and the protection of nature since 1951.The awarding of Blue Flag status to a beach is no easy task. The beach must fulfill 27 strict criteria in relation to the cleanliness of the sea and the beach itself, the organization of the beach and the safety of its visitors, the protection of nature and the environment.For a marina there are 22 criteria.The municipality of Agios Nikolaos has had to this day, the largest number of awarded beaches in the region, and for the first time this year (2004), the marina was also awarded the Blue Flag.The managing organizations of the awarded beaches and marinas are the Public Enterprise for Tourism Development of Agios Nikolaos (DETADAN), the Community of Elounda for Tourist Development (KEPANEL), the Public Enterprise of the Marina Agios Nikolaos (DEPAMAN) and also the many excellent hotels in our area.

"Marianthi Apartments" - Ammoudara

Marianthi Apartments Ammoudara Agios Nikolaos Crete

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Agios Nikolaos A walk around

The Place

Agios Nikolaos, with 9.500 inhabitants, is the capital of the Lassithi province of Crete. It is built around a picturesque lake at the north-western side of the Merabello bay, the biggest bay in Crete. The beauty here is endless with the seasons succeeding one another. The climate is unique: Dry, without humidity. The area is inhabited since antiquity.
Agios Nikolaos Today

Major administrative, cultural and communications center, Agios Nikolaos is one of the most developed tourist areas, not only in Crete but in Greece in general.

Thanks to the beautiful coasts, the great sights and the cosmopolitan life, this live city hosts every year thousands of visitors without losing one bit of its tranquillity and traditional hospitality. The modern city of Agios Nikolaos became indernationally well-known during the 60's, "discovered" by famous cinema directors (Jules Dassin, Walt Disney etc.), BBC producers and many others. It was then, that the rapid tourist development of the area started. Today, Agios Nikolaos is an international, cosmopolitan tourist resort, able to accommodate, effectively and efficiently, thousands of visitors each year.

A walk around

The shopping area of Agios Nikolaos is always a pleasure. You can find everything! There are many tourist shops, full of excellent articles of traditional Cretan art, minoan copies and copies from the Popular Art museum, etc. One can also visit fine art galleries and woven handicrafts, jewellery shops, international bookstores, kiosks with greek and foreign press, cafeterias as well as traditional coffee shops, tavernas and restaurants with an inexhaustible assortment of snacks and specialities of greek and Cretan cooking, accompanied with all sorts of wines or the local strong "raki". At night, there are countless chances for fun at the numerous night clubs and discos, or at selected clubs with traditional Cretan dances, songs and mandinades or the latest hits of the greek and international charts.

Agios Nikolaos in Crete

Agios Nikolaos

The capital of Lassithi prefecture since 1904, Agios Nikolaos is a picturesque town in the eastern part of the island built on the northwest side of the peaceful bay of Mirabello. It is named after the charming 7th century Byzantine chapel of St.Nikolas, erected on the spot called "Nissi" during the 7th AD century, with its bell tower, drum and dome. The chapel has a number of well-preserved frescoes of the 19th, 10th and 11th centuries and rewards its visitors with a breathtaking view of the town and bay.

The name Agios Nikolaos means Saint Nicholas who is the patron saint of sailors and of all of Greece. Agios, as it is referred to by all the islanders, retains a traditional, quaint and tranquil fishing town lifestyle which hasn't lost its charm with its busy tourist infrastructure. The small, especially well attended port of Agios Nikolaos, has its own charm, as it is surrounded by the picturesque tile-roofed houses and it is illuminated in the evenings by the lights of the shops and those of the "kaikis", fishing boats moored at the big dock. This is their starting point of their day trips to Spinalonga, Elounda and the picturesque Mirabello Bay.

Agios Nikolaos is accessible from the mainland and the whole of Europe through Nikos Kazantzakis airport in Heraklio and many daily ferry services in Heraklion Port. Two ships directly connect Agios Nikolaos daily with the ports of Piraeus, Sitia and Aegen islands of Milos, Santorini, Karpathos, Kassos, Kos, and Rhodes.