Elafonisi Beach

About

Famous pink-sand beach and wade-across islet on the south-west corner of Crete.

Elafonisi is the famous pink beach in the south-west corner of Crete. A shallow lagoon separates the mainland from the small island of Elafonisi, and most of the time you can simply wade across through knee-deep water. The pink tint comes from tiny fragments of red shells and coral mixed into the sand, and it is strongest along the water's edge and on the island side.

The island itself is a protected nature reserve with low dunes, juniper bushes and rare sea daffodils. Behind the dunes you'll find quieter little coves, and on the far side a small memorial recalls the 1907 shipwreck of the Imperatrix, a steamship that sank off the coast here. Please don't take any sand home: the pink colour is fragile and has already faded in places.

The beach is a long drive from Chania, roughly 75 km along winding mountain roads, and it gets very busy in high summer. Come early, bring shade and water, and combine the trip with the Chrissoskalitissa monastery a few kilometres north, or with lunch in one of the chestnut villages of Elos and Kefali on the way back.

Getting there

About 1h30 by car from Chania via Topolia gorge road. Paid parking near the beach. Seasonal buses run from Chania and Kissamos.

On the map

35.27029, 23.54031 · See on map