Balos Lagoon
Turquoise shallow lagoon at the tip of the Gramvousa peninsula, framed by pink-tinted sand.
Lagoons · Kissamos
Beaches
Lagoons, pink sand, secret coves
Crete has more than a thousand kilometres of coastline, and almost every type of beach you can imagine: shallow turquoise lagoons in the far west, pink-tinged sand at Elafonisi, palm-fringed river mouths on the south coast and tiny coves you reach on foot. As a rule of thumb, the north coast is easier to reach and well organised, while the south coast (the Libyan Sea) is wilder, quieter and often calmer when the summer meltemi wind blows from the north.
Elafonisi Beach
Famous pink-sand beach and wade-across islet on the south-west corner of Crete.
Sandy beaches · Kissamos
Falasarna Beach
Long, wide sandy beach on the west coast and Crete’s favourite sunset spot.
Sandy beaches · Kissamos
Imeri Gramvousa Beach
The sandy cove on Gramvousa island, below a Venetian fortress and next to a shipwreck.
Sandy beaches · Kissamos
Hidden gem
Kedrodasos
Wild coves backed by an ancient juniper forest, a short way from Elafonisi.
Secluded coves · Kissamos
Kissamos Beach
The town beach of Kissamos, calm and shallow, with a sandy cove and a long pebbly part.
Sandy beaches · Kissamos
Sfinari Beach
A big pebbly beach at the end of a green valley on the wild west coast.
Secluded coves · Kissamos
Nopigia Beach
A long sandy beach with shallow water east of Kissamos, quieter towards the east.
Sandy beaches · Kissamos
Drapanias Beach
A long, quiet beach of sand and pebbles east of Kissamos, often a bit wavy.
Pebble beaches · Kissamos