Messara Bay Beaches

About

The long arc of sandy beaches along the Messara bay, from Kokkinos Pyrgos to Matala.

West of the fertile Messara plain lies the Messara bay, a long sweep of golden sand and fine pebbles split into many beaches: Kokkinos Pyrgos, Kalamaki, Komos and Matala, among others. Some parts have facilities, others are completely wild. Loggerhead turtles nest along this coast every summer.

The Messara bay is the great western bay of the south coast of Heraklion, curving from Kokkinos Pyrgos in the north to the cliffs of Matala in the south. Behind it lies the Messara plain, the largest plain in Crete, which was the breadbasket of the island already in Minoan times.

The beaches along the bay include Kokkinos Pyrgos, Afrathias, Kalamaki and Komos, together forming one of the longest stretches of sand on the island. Many parts are unorganised and loggerhead turtles nest here in summer. In the afternoon the wind often picks up, and the sunsets over the Paximadia islets are among the best in Crete.

Anreise

About 1 hour 10 minutes from Heraklion via Mires.

On the map

35.07117, 24.72731 · See on map