In an effort to familiarise the public with science and technology, Skinakas Observatory offers open visiting days every year. Visitors have the opportunity to gain a first insight into how the Observatory operates, learn about the latest achievements in Astrophysics, and observe through the 1.3m telescope, weather permitting.

The public visiting dates for summer 2026 will take place either during or close to the Full Moon each month, as follows:

• Tuesday 30 June
• Wednesday 29 July
• Friday 28 August
• Thursday 24 September

In addition, on Friday 21 August, a special evening will be organised at “Topos tou Voskou”, located just outside Anogeia.

The public evenings are also supported by the University of Crete Astronomy Students Group with their own telescope.

As maintenance works are generally scheduled at Skinakas Observatory during the summer period, and since the open evenings also depend on weather conditions, visitors are kindly asked to follow this page and the Facebook page of the Institute of Astrophysics for possible changes.

During the above dates, the Observatory will be open to visitors from 18:00 to 23:00. During this time, visitors will have the opportunity to:

• Observe the Sun through a portable solar telescope until shortly before sunset.
• Attend a presentation about the history and observations of the Observatory on the ground floor of the 1m telescope dome, usually until 20:30.
• Visit the dome of the 1.3m telescope and, once it is sufficiently dark for the stars to become visible (around 21:00), observe a suitable celestial object for the evening through a special camera.
• Observe notable celestial objects through the eyepiece of a portable telescope operated by the student astronomy group, which will be set up on the plateau outside the domes.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the low temperatures at the altitude of Skinakas Observatory, visitors are advised to dress appropriately. Please also bear in mind that the Observatory is a research and scientific facility. There are no public restroom facilities, there is not enough seating capacity for a large number of visitors, and space is limited and not suitable for prolonged stays.

Please note that on evenings with high visitor turnout, waiting times for observation may exceed one hour. For this reason, visits with very young children, as well as visits by people with mobility difficulties, are not recommended on particularly busy evenings.

Additionally, due to the narrow road leading to the Observatory, which presents a serious accident risk, and because of the limited parking space available, visits by buses during public open days are not possible.

Particular caution is required during the final 5 kilometres leading to the Observatory summit (after the left exit from the main road towards Nida) because of the narrow road conditions.

A Google Maps route from Heraklion to Skinakas Observatory is available here. The route via the Municipality of Anogeia is recommended.

A 16-minute video filmed from inside a car, showing the route as it was in 2014 from the Department of Physics of the University of Crete to the Observatory, is available here, while a video of the summit is available here.

In addition, an impressive 3D drone presentation of the Skinakas Observatory summit is available here, while a large collection of photographs of the Observatory, the surrounding area, and the magnificent night sky can be found here. Finally, a large number of Observatory videos are available on the YouTube channel of the Institute of Astrophysics – FORTH.