Mirabello Bay Attractions

Six km/4mi north of Ayios Nikólaos, at the holiday village of Eloúnda, are the remains (partly under the sea) of the Dorian town of Olous.

20km/12.5mi southeast of Áyios Nikólaos are the remains (only partially excavated) of the Minoan town of Gourniá. With its narrow paved streets, its small houses and its palace and temple on higher ground, it gives a good impression of the aspect of a Late Minoan settlement of between 1600 and 1400 B.C.

This is the best preserved of the Minoan settlements, and one of the most noteworthy archeological sites in Crete.

34km/21mi northwest of Áyios Nikólaos, at the village of Mália (beach), situated in a fertile depression irrigated with the help of windmills, are the remains of a Minoan palace, similar to the palaces of Knossos and Phaistós but smaller, which was built about 1800 B.C. and rebuilt after an earthquake in 1700 B.C. and thereafter fell into ruin.

There are also remains of the Minoan town of Mália and of a cemetery.

22km/13.5mi northwest of Áyios Nikólaos (2km/1.25mi northeast of the village of Neápolis) is the site of the Minoan settlement of Dreros, with a sanctuary of Apollo (eighth-seventh C.; bronze cult images).

30km/19mi southwest of Áyios Nikólaos, above a valley running south from Mt Diktí, the village of Máles has remains of the Dorian settlement of Malla.

East of Psyra lies the island of Mokhlós, which in ancient times was connected with the mainland. Here were found numerous tombs of the early Minoan period, the grave goods from which are now in the Archeological Museum in Iráklion.

15km/9mi south of Máles is Myrtos (beach), where there are Roman remains.

On the island of Psyra, at the east end of Mirabello Bay, are remains of a Middle to Late Minoan settlement.

The St Nicholas Museum, founded in 1970, contains artifacts from excavations in eastern Crete.

The Archaeological Museum of Áyios Nikolaos houses a collection of artifacts found in eastern Crete. Some of the finds date from 3000 B.C.