Agios Nikolaos, often shortened to “Agios” locally, is the administrative centre of Lasithi. The town lies on the western side of Mirabello Bay and had 12,149 permanent residents in the 2021 census. It takes its name from the Byzantine Church of Saint Nicholas at Ormos.

In antiquity, the site of the modern town was occupied by Lato pros Kamara, the port of ancient Lato, near Kritsa. The later settlement was also known as Mandraki. The town grew considerably in the 20th century and became one of Crete’s best-known seaside destinations.

The town’s best-known landmark is Lake Voulismeni, in the centre of Agios Nikolaos. A narrow channel linked the lake to the sea in 1870. Its deep waters inspired the legend that it was bottomless. According to a local account, German forces dumped military equipment into the lake before withdrawing from the area in 1944.

From the lake, the waterfront walk continues towards Kitroplatia and the marina. Offshore, the islet of Agii Pantes is home to a protected population of Cretan wild goats. Farther inland, pedestrian streets and stairways connect the neighbourhoods on the slopes above the shore.