The best beaches in Crete have nothing to envy to the typical paradisiacal ones that we see in the advertisements of travel agencies. Crete has some of the best beaches in greece and from Europe! They are also perfect to enjoy with the family: fine sand, crystal clear water, extensive and shallow. In this post we tell you the 10 best beaches in Crete for you to enjoy the largest island in Greece.
What do we tell you in this post?
- THE 10 BEST BEACHES IN CRETE
- 1. Elafonisi, paradise is in Crete
- 2. The Balos lagoon, one of the best beaches in Crete to go with children
- 3. Voulisma, the jewel of Mirabello Bay
- 4. Falassarna, a very beautiful beach near Chania
- 5. Seitan Limania, one of the best beaches in Crete
- 6. Stavros, another perfect beach to visit with the family
- 7. Matala, the beach where Zeus arrived turned into a bull
- 8. Belegrina, on the island of Chrissi
- 9. Vai, the largest palm beach in Europe
- 10. Preveli and its beautiful landscape, one of the best beaches in Crete
- LOCATION OF THE BEST BEACHES IN CRETE
THE 10 BEST BEACHES IN CRETE
1. Elafonisi, paradise is in Crete
We believe this beautiful beach is the best on the island of Crete. We fell in love with your crystal clear waters and its curious pink sand. Well, it’s actually white, but because it contains millions of little bits of shell, it sometimes turns pink. Often it is known as the greek caribbean. And as we have said, It has nothing to envy to the most famous beaches of that paradisiacal part of the world.
Getting to Elafonisi beach is very easy. The most comfortable is book a day trip from Chania o Rethymnon. You can also go by public transport from Chania or by car, there is a large parking lot. Definitely, one of the best beaches in Crete.
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2. The Balos lagoon, one of the best beaches in Crete to go with children
As a beach we stay with Elafonisi. However, as a landscape, we are left with the beautiful Laguna de Balos. It is spectacular! Its crystal clear waters are shallow, perfect to enjoy with the family. The beach is very long, so even though there are crowds in the months of July and August, you really don’t feel so overwhelmed. So there is also no doubt that the Balos lagoon is another of the best beaches in Crete.
As a negative point, we want to highlight that it is a bit complicated to get there by car. You will have to travel 9 kilometers on an unpaved road. You should keep in mind that insurance companies do not cover damage done on this type of road, so getting there on your own is risky.
The best option is to do it through an excursion from Chania or Rethymnon, which will also give you the opportunity to get to know the beautiful island of Gramvousa. It costs around €15.
In any case, if you want to get there on your own, we advise you to visit it before 2:00 p.m. or after 4:00 p.m. During those two hours a lot of people arrive by boat from Kissamos.
3. Voulisma, the jewel of Mirabello Bay
Mirabello Bay It is one of the main treasures of Crete. There you can enjoy some of the best beaches on the island. However, if we had to choose just one, this would be Voulisma.
It is about a 20-minute drive from Agios Nikolaos, the main tourist center in the area. Do not miss it and enjoy its crystal clear waters. If you want to arrive by bus, there are also several frequencies a day from Agios Nikolaos to visit one of the best beaches in Crete. The only downside is that it is very popular and is usually packed.
4. Falassarna, a very beautiful beach near Chania
And sleeping in Chania you can’t miss Falassarna beach either. Its waters are spectacular! Come on, it looks like paradise: white sand and crystal clear water. It is also easily accessible: it is only an hour from Chania by car. If you want to go by public transport, there are also several daily frequencies to visit one of the best beaches in Crete.
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5. Seitan Limania, one of the best beaches in Crete
But for difficult access, Seitan Limania beach! If you are near Chania, you can’t miss this little piece of paradise. It is a quite small and hidden cove that is located on the Akrotiri peninsula.
Getting there is a bit tricky as the road is very dangerous and without any protection. However, when you arrive, you will fall in love with the beach. If you don’t rent a car you can also get there by public transport from Chania.
6. Stavros, another perfect beach to visit with the family
Stavros beach has become one of the most visited in Crete. Especially for its beautiful landscape. It is also close to Chania, about half an hour away by car. Best of all, it’s inside a circular bay, surrounded by mountains, so is completely isolated from the winds. Unlike Elafonisi for example, which is unprotected.
It is a very quiet beach, perfect for swimming with children. We believe that Stavros is one of the best beaches in Crete to enjoy with your children.
Our hotel
7. Matala, the beach where Zeus arrived turned into a bull
Matala is one of the best beaches in Crete if you like places steeped in history. According to legend, Zeus turned into a bull to conquer the princess Europa. He managed to kidnap her and bring her to this beach before raping her and getting her pregnant.
But it is not only interesting for this mythological story. Matala is surrounded by thousand-year-old caves that were used as houses by followers of the hippie movement in the late 1960s.. Now the atmosphere is not as calm as then, since it is one of the best known beaches. It is worth getting to know its unique landscape.
8. Belegrina, on the island of Chrissi
One of the best beaches in Crete is off the island, specifically in Chrissi. This mini island is in the south of Crete, near Ierapetra. In fact, the only way to visit this beautiful paradise beach is by boat from this town. The journey takes about 50 minutes but we are sure that you will enjoy this uninhabited island and its most famous beach.
you can book one Chrissi tour including all transfers from Heraklion or Agios Nikolaos.
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9. Vai, the largest palm beach in Europe
The palm beach of Vai is one of the main attractions of Crete. It has the largest natural palm forest in Europe, so the setting is perfect for relaxing and enjoying a day at the beach. However, it has not always been as calm and pretty.
In the 80s the beach was filled with disrespectful tourism that destroyed much of the forest and littered the beach. Since then it had to be declared a protected area. Fortunately, years later we can once again enjoy its beautiful crystal clear waters. The only downside is that it is a bit far from most attractions, although it is certainly one of the best beaches in Crete.
As you can see, the island of Crete has some of the best beaches in the country. However, we also recommend you visit the paradisiacal island of Naxos. Have Beaches amazing!
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10. Preveli and its beautiful landscape, one of the best beaches in Crete
And finally, To finish this list of the 10 best beaches in Crete, we do not want to forget Preveli Beach. It is somewhat curious since you can see how the river flows into the same beach. What we liked most about this beach is the landscape, surrounded by forest. To complement your visit to the beach, you can go to the Preveli Monastery, one of the most beautiful on the island. The beach is about a 45 minute drive from Rethymnon.
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LOCATION OF THE BEST BEACHES IN CRETE
On the following map you will find marked top 10 beaches in Crete.
Source: https://lostraveleros.com/mejores-playas-de-creta/
