Amali

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Amoudara, Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Neighborhood

Agios Nikolaos is the capital of the region of Lassithi and the city, which surprisingly combines elements of tradition and culture with modern luxury. For more than forty years this place has been a major international tourist destination. Modern hotels, infrastructure, cafés, bars, restaurants amaze guests with its service and hospitality. It has 10,000 inhabitants. Despite its small size, this is one of the largest cities in Lasithi, the eastern district of Crete.

Agios Nikolaos was built in the north-western side of the Mirabello bay, around the picturesque lake of Vougliameni. This extraordinarily beautiful freshwater lake is located in the heart of the city and is connected with the sea by a narrow channel. According to legend, goddess Artemis and Athena bathed in its waters. The ancients believed that the lake is bottomless. It is noteworthy that noone knows why water of the lake does not mix with seawater.

There are huge red cliffs around the lake, which create a beautiful landscape. City tour will fill your memories with unique images. Old quarters, beautiful churches, shops with objects of traditional art (handmade ceramics, knives, jewelery), as well as unique textiles, will amaze you with its grandeur. Visit the luxurious restaurants and traditional taverns, enjoy traditional dishes and drinks and your evening will be unforgettable.

The picturesque harbor of Agios Nikolaos deserves a stroll. At the entrance to the harbor, there are two small islands of spectacular beauty. The beaches of the city stand out for their cleanliness and good organization. Once this bay was the largest port of the city of the Hellenistic period - Lato. Later, it was occupied by the Byzantines, then the Genoese have built a fortress in the Gulf of Mirabello. The fortress was later destroyed by an earthquake, and later the Venetians have built a small church here. However, the city itself appeared only in 1870. It was built by the Cretans, hiding from Turkish persecution. Soon Agios Nikolaos has become the birthplace of the tradition of tourism, which has spread across the coastal Crete.