Kokkinos Pyrgos Beach

About

A sandy Messara beach with shallow water where loggerhead turtles come to nest.

Kokkinos Pyrgos is named after a red tower that once stood here. The village has a little fishing harbour with sandy beaches on both sides and shallow water that gets wavy when the summer wind blows. In summer loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) come up on this coast to lay their eggs.

The water is shallow for a long way out, so it's great for children. Loggerhead turtles nest on these beaches in summer, so please respect the marked nests and keep the beach dark at night. Sunsets over the Paximadia islets are beautiful, and you're close to Phaistos and Agia Triada for a morning visit.

Phaistos covers the western Messara, the largest plain of Crete, and its coast on the Libyan Sea. Here lie some of the most important Minoan sites, Phaistos and Agia Triada, and the beaches of Matala, Kommos, Kalamaki and the long Messara bay. Inland, towns like Moires and Tymbaki are busy farming centres, while villages such as Zaros, Vori and Kamilari are perfect for a slower pace. The area is warm and sunny, with a long swimming season.

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

Organised

Not organised

Characteristics

Good for

Family friendly

Around Phaistos

Heraklion is the heart of Minoan Crete and the island’s busiest region. Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum are the two places almost everyone visits, and they work well together on one day. In the south, the wide Messara plain holds the palace of Phaistos, the Roman ruins of Gortyna and the famous caves above the bay of Matala. More about Heraklion