- Spinalonga ticket price soars to €20 per person starting 2025, up from €8;
- Extra ferry rides push total visit cost to €30-€36 per person;
- Local business owners see visitor numbers drop and worry about the season ahead;
- Staff shortages in Plaka and surrounding areas pile on the trouble;
- Tourists voice annoyance at the sharp price jump.
When a leper island-turned-novel-inspiration makes front-page news, it’s not because of an ancient curse but something even more haunting: the Spinalonga ticket price hike. Starting in 2025, stepping onto Spinalonga Island will cost €20 per adult, up from the modest €8 that had held for years. That’s a 150% jump—one of the steepest increases for any historical site in Greece in recent memory.
This hefty rate comes on top of ferry fares to reach the island’s stone walls. Expect to pay about €10 for the quick hop from Plaka, €12 from Elounda for a slightly longer ride, and €16 if you set out from Agios Nikolaos. Stack up the math, and each visitor is looking at €30 to €36—before considering extras like guided tours or getting to the port towns at all. Rows of ticket receipts do not lie.
Ruth from Manchester summed up the feeling: “We were excited to visit the island, but the price just made us turn back. It’s ridiculous.” Meanwhile, Hans from Berlin, clutching his unused ticket, complained, “This is more expensive than any museum I’ve visited in Europe.”
Plaka Left Guessing: Will Visitors Return?
The news has landed with a thud in Plaka, the bustling village that lives and breathes summer. Early in the high season, shop owners glance up and down empty lanes. They are ready, but the customers are holding back. Many point to the sky-high Spinalonga ticket price as the reason. Coffee sips turn into worried glances as tourists arrive, hear the cost, and shake their heads.
One shop owner noted, “In some cases, foreigners just leave when they learn the new price. Who can blame them?” Greek visitors don’t get much of a break; local entry stands at €10—a figure few call “family-friendly.”
Staffing only adds fuel to the fire. Across Plaka and nearby tourist hubs, business owners chase after staff like it’s a game of musical chairs. The clock counts down, and many worry about keeping up with the wave, or lack thereof, as the season peaks.
What happens when price outweighs nostalgia? The first signs are easy to spot: fewer visitors, empty boat seats, and concerned faces in Plaka. While the fee bump is aimed at controlling crowds and protecting a historic landmark, shopkeepers and travelers are left to do the math. The answers aren’t comforting.