Greece's 'Island Of The Forgotten' Was Abandoned And Transformed Into A Scenic Beauty Filled With History

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Just off the eastern shore of Crete, Spinalonga is a tiny island tucked in the Gulf of Mirabello that looks like any other bucket-list Greek oasis. The tall fortress walls along the shore and medieval stronghold standing behind them speak to a history of empires long past, while small tour boats coast on calm turquoise water and tie to a small pier. It's a quintessential sun-drenched Greek island, but it has no residents and carries a stranger history than most.

Among Spinalonga's many kingdoms and eras, the darkest decades occurred in the early 20th century, when the island was a leper colony where those afflicted with the disease were banished to live out their days. The disease was always shrouded in stigma, fear, and misunderstanding, and for many years, that's how people looked upon Spinalonga. But a cure was eventually found, and an unexpected and best-selling work of fiction based on the island completely changed the perception. 

These days, Spinalonga is uninhabited, but tour boats from a variety of nearby villages stop at the island, allowing visitors to wander the historic streets of the fortress that became an isolated village for castaways. Spinalonga is a great addition to a travel itinerary to the southern Aegean or Crete. It's a remote spot on the eastern side of Crete, so getting there from larger hubs can take some travel. A good move is to make a nearby seaside town like Agios Nikolaos a base for visiting Spinalonga. Agios Nikolaos is only one hour from Heraklion airport (3 hours from the airport at Chania) or is reachable via ferry from Piraeus, a large passenger port just outside of Athens. 

Like the larger island of Crete, which has one of the oldest cities in Europe, Spinalonga has a deep history, with a blend of empires, kingdoms, and nation-states swapping control over centuries and each leaving its mark. It was the Venetians who gave the island its name (Spina-longa, meaning "long thorn") and built it into a formidable military outpost at the end of the 16th century. Then, after a prosperous period under Ottoman rule, when the island had over 1,000 residents, the people of Crete took back control in 1904, and Spinalonga started its decades-long period as a leper colony.

For millennia, leprosy carried immeasurable stigma and isolation. In early 20th-century Greece, a diagnosis meant the victim was stripped of their assets and citizenship before being banished to Spinalonga for the rest of their lives. In the early years, it was a desperate place of solitude and survival, but the colony organized, and the quality of life improved with schools, cafes, and shops. A treatment for leprosy was finally found in 1940, but the Greek government didn't close the island until 1957.

Visitors sporadically came to the mysterious and uninhabited island after it was abandoned, but it was a best-selling novel in 2005 based on the leper colony by Victoria Hislop that turned Spinalonga into a must-see destination. Since then, some renovations have been made, and today, guide boats drift in from various seaside villages and allow tourists to wander the ancient streets. "Truly impressive, one of the most interesting and diverse places we have seen in Crete," wrote one visitor on Google. "There are Venetian, Ottoman, and modern prints you will find. History at its best! Old stone buildings, you can search around, mighty walls, and beautiful views."

The boat tours to Spinalonga vary in amenities, cost, and duration, from a simple two-hour there-and-back journey to full-day trips exploring the eastern coast of Crete, with swimming in the clear waters of Kolokitha Bay, a fresh lunch under the Aegean sun, a guided tour of Spinalonga Island, and a look at the markets and tavernas of nearby port town Agios Nikolaos. "A very interesting trip for two," wrote one visitor on Google. "We had a guided tour of Spinalonga and spent about two hours there. The trip was amazing... and Spinalonga is a very interesting island. Highly recommended!"

There are a few logistical notes to making the most out of a visit to Spinalonga. For one, you'll want to follow Rick Steves' advice while on Crete to avoid the "swarms" of crowds. And while many villages along the shore offer overnight stays, the easiest ones for accessing the island are Agios Nikolaos, Plaka, or Elouda (which is famous for its luxury hotels).

Tour boats often include a pick-up option if your hotel is outside of those towns, and there's an entrance fee of $24 per person for Spinalonga in addition to any tour costs. Also, it can be a long day under the sun, so many reviewers recommend bringing your own liquids and solid walking shoes. Other than that, it's pretty hard not to enjoy the "Island of the Forgotten," just as it's nearly impossible not to appreciate a vacation in Crete, a quintessential getaway of sun, food, and beach.