Although being called a lake, Melissani is in fact a cave lagoon with incredibly turquoise water. The water surface is only 150 m long and the visitors can there for a boat ride. The light and sun´s rays penetrating through the rock up to the water surface create a unique magical atmosphere of the place.

Although people knew about the cave for centuries, scientific research only began there in the 1950s and the cave was open for the public only in the 1960s. The local finds bring us evidence of that people knew about the refuge as early as 2 000 years ago. Among the finds, there are mainly clay plates with paintings and inscriptions exhibited in the Archaeological Museum in the island capital.