Move your mouse over the beaches to see details

Sfinari
One of the few accessible beaches on the west coast, it is a gently sloping pebble beach with patches of sand under the water. There are three or four laid-back tavernas and a camping site behind the beach. There are a couple of mini-markets and tavernas in Sfinari village, about 1km above the beach. You can watch fabulous sunsets from here! Faces west.

Falassarna
A marvellous bay that sweeps away towards the ridges of the Gramvousa peninsula. The main beach has wonderful white and pink shell sand sloping gently into an azure clear sea, which has underwater cold springs in places. A safe beach with a few laid-back facilities, surprisingly undeveloped and remarkably unbusy. Stunning sunsets can be watched from here! At the north end, is an unofficial naturist stretch with sandy beach and rocks offshore for good snorkelling. Further north - for those who are sure-footed and don't mind a bit of a climb in the heat - there are a few deserted pebbly coves, some containing spots of oil from an old wreck but otherwise good for privacy and snorkelling. Faces west.

Balos & Gramvousa
Near the tip of the barren and isolated Gramvousa peninsula, is the beautiful beach of Balos. The beach on Gramvousa island is equally wonderful. Like Falasarna, both these beaches are very special. Exposed, so best in gentle or easterly winds.

Getting there: Access by road to Balos is not recommended - it is a dirt track with a long walk at the end. The best method is to go on a day trip to Balos and Gramvoussa by boat from Kissamos Port. The boats are sophisticated, offering full facilities. They stop first for about 2 hours at Gramvousa, giving plenty of time for a swim or to view the Venetian pirate fort, then on to Balos for a further 2-3 hours, where you can bathe in the shallow warm lagoons. Tickets are available from travel agents, hotels etc., or simply buy them on the day in the Port.

Viglia
Apart from the rather scruffy pebble beach in the south west corner of Kissamos Gulf, which has a rocky pavement under the water, there are two sandy beaches just to the west of Kissamos Port. The westernmost is crescent-shaped and good for swimming. The other, nearest the Port, is fine for sunbathing but has rocky outcrops just under the water, and so is not ideal for swimming. Faces north.

Kissamos - Mavros Molos/Plaka
Mavros Molos means "Black Rock", alluding to the remains of one arm of the Hellenic harbour at the west end of this 1km crescent of sand. Plaka means "flat", which describes the sand underwater - level and shallow for a long way out. A gem of a beach that is never busy and makes you feel that it is your own personal discovery. There are three or four cafés and a couple of small hotels on the beach. Faces north-east.

Kissamos - Teloneio
Teloneio means "Customs House", which was located 200 metres away and is now a café/bar among several others on the relatively-new promenade. The beach is a mix of sand and pebbles, but always sand under the water, and remains shallow until a long way out. Teloneio beach starts at the east end of the promenade and (in name anyway) stops by the football stadium. Faces north.

Kissamos - Gulf
A seven-kilometre long beach, which starts where Teloneio stops and continues the width of Kissamos Gulf, to Nopigia. A mixture of sand and pebbles on the beach, however it is always sand under the water which remains shallow for up to 20 metres from the beach, becoming gradually deeper. Safe for children. Most of the plots behind the beach are agricultural or contain small private houses, thankfully keeping large hotels at bay! Towards the eastern end, is a camping site with taverna, at Mithimna which can get busy-ish during peak season. However - and this is a miracle nowadays - it is still the norm to find long stretches completely deserted. Faces north.

Nopigia
On the eastern side of the Gulf of Kissamos, are a couple of quiet beaches at Nopigia. They are a mix of pebble and rock and become deep quite quickly - perfect for scuba-diving. In Nopigia, there is an attractive camping site on the waters edge where you can use the swimming pool, camper or not, for the price of a coffee or snack. Faces north.

Menies
A spectacular, remote and sheltered cove opening to the sea on the east. There is a cliff wall on the north side, and the beach is on the south side. The beach is pebble and the cove is 3-5m deep, perfect for snorkelling. There are the remains of a Roman temple here, and 100m behind the beach, are benches under shady pines for picnics. A tiny church looking nothing like a church (it's made from white aluminium!) is behind the beach, and you can sign the visitor's book. Faces north-east, but very sheltered.

Getting there: A 4x4 is necessary if you want to drive, leaving the asphalt road behind at Rodopos village. It's about 20kms of bad back-breaking rough road, almost to the tip of the Rodopos peninsula. Allow an hour each way if you don't want to break any records (or your vehicle!), also be aware that because of the altitude you can sometimes be driving in cloud, even in summer. It is very isolated, and the landscape is spooky - outcrops of limestone crags give the impression you're on the moon. DO NOT attempt this road with mopeds, motorbikes or trial bikes - if you come off the bike and injure yourself, there are very few people around. More easily, there are boat trips to Menies from Kolymbari Marina every summer morning, departing around 11am and returning around 6pm.

Kolymbari
A very long beach at the western end of Gulf of Chania. Mainly shingle but every now and again patches of sand appear. A beach for the "I want to be alone type". There are some good tavernas in Kolymbari, and an attractive lounge bar "Mylos" in the Marina. The Gulf of Chania is one the breeding grounds for the rare and protected caretta-caretta turtle. Faces north.

Tavronitis
A long and quiet beach, lined by tamarisk trees. The beach is a mix of sand and pebbles, and there are two well situated tavernas behind the beach. Faces north.

Maleme
Famously known for the Battle of Crete, Maleme is a small and quiet village that offers all the expected holiday facilities. It has a decent enough beach of pebbles and some sand. Faces north.

Gerani
Gerani beach resort has a good mix of pebbles and sand, backed by some large holiday complexes. The beach continues into the large resort of Platanias. Faces north.

Platanias
Platanias is the classic resort of old - many hotels, apartments, tavernas, bars, and even mini-golf! But having said that, it is a pleasant fun resort with a wonderful sandy beach that’s ideal for families in the day and strolling couples at night. Behind the beach is the charming village of old Platanias, whose lanes and restaurants straggle up a high rocky cliff. Faces north.

Agia Maria & Stalos
A continuation of Platanias beach, but very much quieter and still very sandy and safe. They lie directly opposite the interesting island of Theodorou known possibly in antiquity as the city-state of "Pergamos" with a Venetian fort that was built to fend off Turkish invaders and later, pirates. It is now a nature reserve for the protected wild Cretan goat, the kri-kri. Water activities and excursions are made from the diving and water sports centre situated by the beach. Faces north.

Daratso & Agioi Apostoloi
Daratso beach is in a small bay that sweeps away from the coast road towards the protected beach and nature reserve of Agioi Apostoloi. It is a very attractive and well maintained sandy beach with some hotels and restaurants. The recreation areas are a must for local swimmers, picnickers, and beach volleyballers - summer and winter. There are fine ‘mini’ sandy bays overlooked by tamarisk-dotted sand dunes. A very beautiful place and so close to the centre of Chania. The various beaches face north, west and east, so it's easy to find one that is calm.

Nea Hora
This is Chania's town beach. Used by tourists, but also by local workers during siesta time and weekends. The promenade is lined with very good fish restaurants and the small fishing harbour is a sunset must. Even though this lovely but busy sandy beach is just 10 minutes walk from central Chania, it is clean and well looked after. Faces west.

Kalathas
A beautiful wide sandy beach, with a sheltered shallow bay. You can swim out to the small rocky island offshore. It's usually fairly busy, and is popular with local people at weekends. There are a taverna, 2-3 kantinas and a diving centre here. Faces west.

Tersanas
A small, pretty and very sheltered sandy cove. Popular with local people - because it is very safe for children - but because it is so small, can feel crowded with just a few people. Once a small harbour when sea levels were higher, there are remains of an ancient quay and piping system that brought grape-juice direct from presses 2kms inland, to barrels on the moored boats. The juice would then be sailed immediately to Chania for wine-making. Faces north west, but sheltered.

Stavros
Famous as the main location for the film "Zorba The Greek", there are actually two beaches in Stavros. The first, and most popular, is north-east of Stavros and predictably known as Stavros beach. It is a circular sandy bay nearly cut off from the sea, and therefore very sheltered. Backed by several tavernas and overlooked by the mountain supposed to be a coal-mine in the film, it gets very busy at weekends. The other beach, on the north side of Stavros, is known as Pachia Ammos ("Fat Sand") and is a wide sandy beach fronted by rocks in places, leading to smooth limestone under the clear water - good for swimming and snorkelling. There is a kantina at one end of the beach, and this beach is much quieter than the other. If you wonder why the limestone rocks to the east form such symmetrical and rectangular shapes, it is because the Venetians quarried much of the seaside stone from here for buildings in Chania city, to where it was taken directly by barge. Faces north.

Marathi
A small sandy beach, much favoured by local people at weekends, with beautiful views south across Souda Bay. Sheltered and safe for children, the water is shallow. There are several tavernas behind the beach. Faces south-east.

Wind
The prevailing wind in Crete is from the north-west, but it can come from all points. Most of the beaches described here face north, but if you want a calm swim on a windy day, it's best to choose a beach facing opposite to the wind direction. For example, if the wind is from the east, choose a west-facing beach.