Descriptions & Ratings
Below you will find the descriptions and ratings of all the beaches in the portfolio. The ratings are based on the beauty, cleanliness, crowds, and charm.
1. Chrissi Akti Beach
4 km west of Chania
A long sand beach; one of the best within the reach of an easy walk from Chania centre; one half organised and popular among families and older generations of locals; more singles and couples on the other half
7/10
2. Agioi Apostoloi Beach
5 km west of Chania
A long beach with tourist accommodations to the west and two sheltered beaches to the east, the last one being the best beach in the Chania urban area; a deep inlet of the sea surrounded by rocky promontories; beautiful walks and some gay cruising; the crowds of tourists and locals of all generations don’t bother much
8/10
3. Kalathas Beach
10 km northeast of Chania
The first major beach after Chania on the Akrotiri peninsula; mostly locals and tourists from nearby villas, no daytrippers; the main beach within the curve of the road to the south and a more quiet beach to the north
7/10
4. Machairida Beach
13 km northeast of Chania
The main gay and naturist beach in the Chania area; rocky terrain and little sand, but crystal clear water; hardly any space where to put your blanket; some regulars who have ‘reserved’ their place
6/10
5. Stavros Beach
15 km northeast of Chania
A sheltered bay with a sand beach under the camel-shaped Mount Vardies; one of the filming locations of Zorba the Greek; very popular among locals and tourists; deposites of salt on a rocky terrain to the north; a more laid-back beach to the west, with less people, more space, yellow sand and occasional high waves
9/10
6. Seitan Limania Beach
20 km northeast of Chania
An S-shaped cove flanked by dramatic white limestone cliffs, from which teenage boys jump into water; a steep walk down and up; one of the natural wonders in the area
9/10
7. Loutraki Beach
16 km east of Chania
A busy sand beach and a beach bar with umbrellas and sunbeds on a grassy terrace overlooking the bay; attractive people
8/10
8. Marathi Beach
17 km east of Chania
A low-key beach busy with locals; the view of the mountains across the Souda Bay slightly reminiscent of the landscape of the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro; a Roman cistern and wharf that no-one notices
8/10
9. Balos Beach
15 km northwest of Kissamos
One of the most beautiful beaches in Europe; an expanse of low water with sand on its fringes in endless hues of blue and yellow; the rock formation of Cape Tigani, resembling a frying pan; access by boat or via a difficult road from Kissamos, which acts as a welcome barrier for tour buses; some umbrellas and sunbeds on strategic spots and many tourists
9/10
10. Gramvousa Beach
Imeri Gramvousa Island, some kilometers north of the Balos beach
A beautiful sand beach near the pier of Gramvousa, under a cliff with a Venetian fortress; mostly visited by tourists on daytrips to Balos, otherwise totally empty
9/10
11. Falasarna Beach
14 km west of Kissamos
A coastline with diverse beaches; a big organised beach to the south and smaller wilder beaches to the north; fine yellow sand and turquoise water; gets less hype than the nearby Elafonisi and Balos beaches and thus surpasses them both; an archaeological site to the north
10/10
12. Elafonisi Beach
40 km southwest of Kissamos
The most famous of the beaches of Crete; pink sand made of crushed shells of foraminifera organisms; a lagoon between the Elafonisi island and the mainland; endless hues of yellow, pink, blue and green; totally spoilt by mass tourism: overcrowded, selfies, umbrellas and sunbeds on the most scenic spots; the Disneyland of Cretan beaches
8/10
13. Kedrodasos Beach
1 km east of Elafonisi
The favourite beach of Chania locals; crystal clear water, white sand and crooked trunks of junipers; unorganised and wild, with a laid-back atmosphere; gets a fraction of visitors compared to the nearby Elafonisi; no longer a hidden gem, as shown by the growing number of visitors, the amount of tents under the junipers, tourist boats making stops in front of the main beach, and some plastic bags floating in water
10/10
14. Ammolofoi Beach
3 km southeast of Elafonisi
The first beach after Kedrodasos, visited mostly by hikers on their way between Elafonisi and Krios; huge stones and debris on large pebbles and sand; a perfect setting for a shipwreck
8/10
15. Viena Beach
7 km southeast of Elafonisi
A remote beach on the site of an ancient town, with fragments of columns scattered around and pieces of pottery assembled and displayed on a stone like at a museum; visited only by occasional hikers or visitors by boat
8/10
16. Krios Beach
10 km southeast of Elafonisi & 9 km west of Palaiochora
A peaceful beach with small pebbles and clear water; the starting point of the difficult hike to Elafonisi; rarely crowded
8/10
17. Pacheia Ammos Beach
Palaiochora town
A huge city beach, facing a wide expanse of the Mediterranean Sea to the west; some of the most beautiful sunsets that one ever sees
8/10
18. Sougia Beach
Sougia village
A village with an authentic feel, handles tourism better than the other villages along the ferry route on the southwest coast of Crete; one of the most laid-back beaches on the island, enjoyed by locals and visitors, families, groups of friends, couples and singles, and campers, hippies, naturists and gays, all from different generations, in mutual tolerance; never overcrowded; a hidden cove in the shelter of a cave to the east
10/10
19. Lissos Beach
4 km southwest of Sougia, south of the archeological site of Lissos
A hidden beach near the ruins of the Greco-Roman town of Lissos; visited by occasional hikers and tourists on boats from Sougia, otherwise empty
8/10
20. Zeromouri Beach
east of the main beach of Agia Roumeli
A godsend after the long Samaria Gorge hike, just like the busier main beach of Agia Roumeli; campers’ tents and hammocks under the trees; some goats; big pebbles
9/10
21. Agios Pavlos Beach
5 km east of Agia Roumeli
A tiny Byzantine church on the beach, built in honour of Saint Paul, who is believed to have stopped here on his journey to Rome; a scenic hike along the coast far away from the civilization; feels like the end of the world; one can expect one or two middle-aged couples of German naturists at the end of the world; dangerous waves and coarse dark sand that will burn your soles
9/10
22. Perivolakia Beach
2 km east of Loutro
The first beaches east of Loutro following a narrow path on the mountainside along the coast; occasional hikers and perhaps some tourists staying Loutro looking for seclusion; rocks, pebbles and clear water
8/10
23. Timios Stavros Beach
immediately east of the Perivolakia beach
A small secluded bay with a pebble beach on the path between Loutro and the Glyka Nera beach; hardly any visitors, except for some hikers and lonely naturists looking for shade behind large rocks
8/10
24. Glyka Nera Beach
3 km east of Loutro & 4 km west of Chora Sfakion
The pearl of the Libyan Sea; a landscape reduced to the fundamentals: a dramatic descent of the southernmost slopes of the White Mountains towards the sea, a few meters of a pebble beach with some tamarisks, and various shades of blue of the sea; springs of fresh water opening up right on the beach; a difficult hike to access and occasional tourist boats in the summer
9/10
25. Ilingas Beach
2 km west of Chora Saffron
A laid-back beach a short walk away from Chora Sfakion; a wide expanse of the deep blue of the Libyan Sea; crystal clear water and huge caves opening right to the beach; a hidden cove an easy swim away to the east; the beach of preference of the locals
9/10
26. Frangokastello Beach
south of the Frangokastello Fortress
A sand beach dominated by a medieval Venetian fortress; a procession of ‘dew shadows’ (drosoulites), believed to be the ghosts of unburied Greek warriors who defended the fortress against the Ottomans in 1828, appearing early morning for some days in late May; strong meltemi winds that move even sturdy chairs and tables in beach bars during summer months; a beach popular with families and school groups; serious no-nonsense old men; the Wild West of Crete
8/10
27. Orthi Ammos Beach
1 km east of Frangokastello
A quiet beach with high dunes and clear water a short walk away from Frangokastello; strong afternoon winds that create no big waves but splash water from the surface against your face like a friend teasing; the eastern part frequented by naturists
9/10
28. Kritama Beach
a few hundred meters east of the Orthi Ammos beach
The easternmost end of the Orthi Ammos beach, access to which requires some climbing on stones and walk in knee-deep water under the surveillance of some goats; a curtain of white cliffs like a miniature Dover and sandy coves with shallow crystal clear water; a real gem unknown to most, perfect for skinny dipping and taking naked photos
10/10
29. Plakias Beach
Plakias village
A developing resort village along a sand beach that spreads for more than a kilometre; the village centre to the north and the naturist section at the south end; popular among older people and hardly ever crowded; beautiful during sunset and at night
8/10
30. Damnoni Beach
4 km southeast of Plakias
A big organized beach that hardly feels too crowded; clean sand and clear water; breathtaking contrast between the deep blue of the sea and the dark yellow of the meadows between the mountains
9/10
31. Mikro Ammoudi (Ammoudaki) Beach
southeast of the Damnoni beach
A sandy cove with turquoise water; filled to the brim with umbrellas and sunbeds; known as a naturist beach, but can be textile-majority depending on the day
8/10
32. Ammoudi Beach
southeast of the Mikro Ammoudi beach
A beach with white sand and clear blue water, beautifully framed by low rock formations; smaller and more laid-back than the Damnoni beach
9/10
33. Preveli Beach
13 km southeast of Plakias
The Kourtaliotis River flowing through the picturesque gorge of the same name, flanked by some rare Cretan date palms, before its mouth on the beach; a sand beach with crystal clear water; the raison d’être of tourists for being in the Plakias area; crowded, many daytrippers and boats obstructing the view of the sea; a famous monastery nearby
9/10
34. Matala Beach
Matala village
A bay with clear water and hot sand, flanked by a cliff with Neolithic caves; an international hippie hotspot in the 1960s; “Carey” by Joni Mitchell; a picture-perfect village that has suffered a lot from mass tourism; a lot of German-speaking visitors; one of the most famous places in Crete
9/10
35. Kokkini Ammos Beach
1.5 km south of Matala, across the Matala Cape
A dramatic landscape dominated by a slanting limestone cliff of Matala type; fine dark yellow sand with a hue of red; a hard access across the Matala Cape; the most laid-back atmosphere of all the Cretan beaches; many naturists; a mojito bar with a rare PACE flag in Crete; my favourite beach of all
10/10
36. Kommos Beach
4 km north of Matala
The first beach north of Matala in a series of beaches along the coast of Messara; a sand beach with rough water and slippery stones; the nesting beach of loggerhead sea turtles; ruins of a Minoan port town; dunes and groves north of it as a hotspot of gay cruising
8/10
37. Agia Pelagia Beach
25 km northwest of Heraklion
A former fishing village in a picturesque setting, now suffering from the effects of mass tourism; a narrow beach brimmed with umbrellas and sunbeds; no place where to put your blanket at weekends in summer months; pink toy buckets scattered around, wet sand on sunbeds, overweight daddies, and North European tourists with sunburned faces walking half-naked in the beachfront tavernas; only the name that enchants
6/10
38. Fylakes Beach
after the north end of the Agia Pelagia beach along the coast
Access only through the low blue-green water and a path on rocks that leads nowhere; disappointment in the faces of tourists staying in the resorts of Agia Pelagia, and the joy of achievement in the faces of the teenagers and middle-aged men who have managed to swim across
8/10
39. Psaromoura Beach
1 km north of the Agia Pelagia beach
A sheltered beach with turquoise water, a commanding view on the top and umbrellas and sunbeds on the bottom; big resort hotels nearby
7/10
40. Lygaria Beach
3 km southeast of the centre of Agia Pelagia
Slightly more laid-back than the Agia Pelagia beach, because of smaller resort hotels and tourist villas; paths on rocks for the curious at both ends
6/10
41. Karteros Beach
6 km east of Heraklion
A wide sand beach in a row of several east of Heraklion, where the better beaches of the city are; groups of youths at the beach bars; ruins of the Minoan town of Amnisos and the House of the Lilies; the Dia island across the water
7/10
42. Limanakia Beach
1 km north of the Roman fountain of Hersonissos
The first of several small beaches north of Hersonissos, a town horribly spoiled by mass tourism; white sand and clear water
7/10
43. Sarantaris Beach
2 km north of the Roman fountain of Hersonissos
Small beaches sheltered by low cliffs; sand beaches with umbrellas for tourists and one rocky beach for naturists and gays, often packed
7/10
44. Potamos Beach
3 km east of Malia
A better beach than the city beach of Malia and the resort beaches to the west; a crescent of yellow sand around a bay of clear blue water; a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains; scenic pathways along the coast north of the Minoan palace of Malia and near the Chrysolakkos necropolis
8/10
45. Dianiskari Beach
1 km east of Elounda, at the southwest corner of the Spinalonga Peninsula
A rocky beach after the floor mosaic of the Early Christian basilica of Olous (Poros) on the way to the more famous Kolokytha beach; almost no space where to put the blanket; gay men, some teenagers and tourist boats on the deep blue water
6/10
46. Havania Beach
4 km north of Agios Nikolaos
A peaceful beach north of the big resorts of Agios Nikolaos on the way to Elounda; a municipal beach with some regulars from the nearby villages, reigning over it like kings
6/10
47. Kitroplateia Beach
Agios Nikolaos
A busy town beach next to a road with traffic and tavernas, offering breathtaking views across the Mirabello Bay; not worse than the more famous beaches of Agios Nikolaos
7/10
48. Agios Panteleimonas Beach
Istro, 12 km south of Agios Nikolaos
A big sand-pebble beach with clear water; gets a fraction of visitors when compared to the adjacent Voulisma beach; the archaeological site of Priniatikos Pyrgos on a promontory to the west
9/10
49. Voulisma Beach & Istro Municipal Beach
Istro, 13 km south of Agios Nikolaos
A touristy, overcrowded part to the west and a non-organised part to the east; middle-aged tourists and families with children in the former, young European travellers and some locals in the latter; seclusion from traffic higher up; low crystal clear water, pebbles and sand; a mass of water like on a plate when seen from the promontory with wild vegetation to the east; one of the most beautiful beaches in Crete
10/10
50. Pacheia Ammos Beach
20 km southeast of Agios Nikolaos, on the road to Sitia and Ierapetra
A village that serves as a stopover on the way from Agios Nikolaos to Sitia or Ierapetra; a beach with pebbles and some sand in a dramatic setting; very scenic walks from the ruins of the Minoan town of Gournia; friendly people at the beachfront tavernas
7/10
51. Ierapetra Beach
Ierapetra town
Pleasant grey-pebble beaches in the town of Ierapetra, the southernmost town in Europe, which is not yet entirely spoiled by mass tourism; beautiful sunsets at the seafront tavernas
8/10
52. Belegrina Beach
north coast of the Chrissi Island, north of the pier
An uninhabited island south of Crete, Africa as close as Athens; a rare forest of juniperus macrocarpa, with dead trunks of grotesque shapes dotted on the dunes of white sand; diverse colour combinations of the sand, rocks and water; tiny sea shells; paradise on earth, with daytrippers as the only downside
9/10
53. Chiona Beach
2 km east of Palaikastro
A quiet sand beach near the Petsofas hill with a Minoan peak sanctuary, the ruins of the Minoan town of Rousolakkos, and the flat Kastris hill, where once a Venetian fortress stood; the preferred beach of some middle-aged and elderly people from the Palaikastro area; coves to the southeast that offer more privacy; a wetland used by migratory birds nearby
7/10
54. Kouremenos Beach
2 km northeast of Palaikastro
A long wide sand beach that hardly ever gets too crowded; the more quiet southeastern end dominated by the dramatic shape of the northernmost cliffs of the Kastris hill, with some slippery stones in the low water; one section popular with windsurfers; one of the most relaxing beaches in Crete
10/10
55. Maridati Beach
5 km northeast of Palaikastro
A hidden beach at the end of a rough dirt road in a valley of natural importance; tamarisk trees, some sand, pebbles and crystal clear water; few people, even at summer weekends; a real hidden gem
10/10
56. Vai Beach
8 km north of Palaikastro
The largest surviving grove of the rare Cretan date palm (phoenix theophrasti); a former hippie hangout turned into a popular tourist beach, the most famous in Eastern Crete; clear yellow sand and turquoise water, scenic paths on both ends
9/10
57. Itanos Beach
2.5 km north of the Vai beach
A quiet sand beach south of the archaeological site of Itanos, with ruins from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian eras; some palm trees and low vegetation; away from the hustle and bustle of the Vai beach and the parking lot
9/10
58. Erimoupolis Beach
north of the Itanos beach, on the other side of the archaeological site
Beautiful beaches overlooked by most daytrippers to the nearby Vai beach; fine sand and water so clear that a swimmer can see the seabed far away from the coast; some shelter offered by rocks; cool atmosphere
10/10
59. Kato Zakros Beach
20 km south of Palaikastro
A place that feels like the end of the world, away from big settlements and hard to access, but of breathtaking beauty; ruins of a Minoan palace and a gorge with Minoan cave burials known as the Valley of the Dead; sand and pebble beach, some slippery rocks with sea urchins in the low water
9/10
60. Lake Kournas
4 km south of Georgioupoli
A scenic freshwater lake surrounded by mountains; some tourism on the east side and deep green water with rich biodiversity on the west side; rare diamondback terrapins, water snakes, eels and various species of birds
9/10