Crete is the largest Greek island. It is considered the cradle of European civilization. The island was the center of the Minoan civilization, and according to Greek mythology, the ruler of the Olympic gods, Zeus, was born here. We have decided to focus on its western part, where unique pink beaches can be found. And we mean literally pink.
What you will find in the article
- How to plan your visit to western Crete
- Detailed guide to the beaches
- Prices and practical information
Detailed Google map with attractions
Practical Information
- One of Crete’s unique features are the pink beaches on the west side of the island – the pinkest beach being Elafonissi Beach
- The island has quite a mountainous terrain, so reaching several beaches involves hiking, e.g., Seitan Limania Beach, Balos, Preveli, or Sweet Water Beach
- Overtaking on main roads works by moving to the side of the road for the overtaking car to smoothly pass in its lane
- It is impossible to explore the whole of Crete in a week, so plan to visit only a part of the island – like the west, center, or east
- Crete mainly features sandy beaches, so you don’t even need water shoes
- Parking at the beaches is free
Day 1 – Arrival and Seitan Limania Beach
Seitan Limania Beach[/caption>
In our planning, we focused on the western part of the island, known for its pink beaches. If you want to see as much as possible, consider booking multiple accommodations. There are interesting places on the island that are even 200 – 300 km apart. To avoid immediate transfers after arrival, we spent the first night near Chania, at the Evillion hotel.
We are arriving at Chania Airport in the late afternoon at 17:45. We booked a car through Ryanair Car Hire and rented from the Abby Car company, which is about 300m from the airport. You will also find the first beach not far from the airport.Seitan Limania Beach is a photogenic meandering beach that can be reached by car through sharp switchbacks. Then you have to descend steeply over rocky terrain, but it’s worth it. We were accompanied by goats during our visit.
Day 2 – Stonehouse and Falassarna Beach
Falassarna Beach
After a refreshing morning at Stalos Beach, we started our journey to our accommodation on the west side of the island – Picturesque Traditional Stone House. It is a traditional stone house with modern amenities, a terrace for sitting, and an incredibly kind host. She was willing to fulfill our every wish. With a booking rating of 9.6, we can confirm that it was one of the best accommodations we have ever stayed in. Beautiful interior and exterior, a homely atmosphere, and the hosts’ approach will definitely convince you as well. However, you need a bit of luck to find available accommodation for your preferred dates.
The west side of the island is unique for its pink beaches. There are a total of 3 main pink beaches, each of which requires a full day for visiting due to transportation. We planned to visit the nearest beach, Falassarna Beach. We recommend stopping at Taverna Sunset café on the way, which offers a fantastic view of the beach. Falassarna Beach is a large beach with fine sand and a gentle slope into the sea. It consists of two parts – the main Big Beach and the smaller nudist-friendly Small Beach located behind the rocks to the right. Falassarna is popular among sunset enthusiasts due to its location.
Day 3 – The most pinkish Elafonissi Beach
Elafonissi Beach[/caption>
Elafonissi and Balos are the most visited beaches on the west side of the island. Dedicate a whole day to each of them. Elafonissi Beach is approximately 50 km away from our stonehouse along the coast, but the navigation shows over an hour, so we were expecting a somewhat worse road. In the end, the road was fine, but we drove on narrow winding roads. The other option is to go inland from the town of Kissamos through an interesting canyon with a tunnel. We took this route back.
The Elafonissi Beach is the most accessible beach by car with a large free parking lot, so it tends to be the busiest. The beach has two parts – a coastal one and an island one, which you can reach by wading through the water up to your knees (depending on the tide). On the right side of the crossing path is a lagoon, and on the left, you can swim. The pink sand at the water’s edge is impossible to miss. Be prepared for quite a windy experience. Continue further behind the hill, where you will have both shelter and more privacy. There is also more pink sand 🙂 Snorkeling here was average; we saw quite a few fish.TIP: At the end of the island, there is a viewpoint with a small chapel – definitely worth a visit. The path leads along the coast and through sandy dunes (GPS route).
Day 4 – Photogenic Balos
Balos[/caption>
The road to this beach is 8 km of off-road driving. If you damage a rented car on this road, unfortunately, insurance does not cover it. It is necessary to drive very carefully and slowly, and the road will be manageable. Despite being off-road, we encountered many cars from rental companies along the way. The parking lot at the descent to the beach itself is quite small, so we recommend going early in the morning. Later on, cars were parked only on the sides of the road in a literal kilometer-long line. Admission to this natural reserve is €1, which you pay at the beginning of the off-road route. There is no parking fee.
Descent to the beach Balos Beach takes about half an hour and leads through a steep, paved, stone path. Along the way, you will be treated to beautiful postcard views of Balos as well as the neighboring islands of Gramvousa. Of all the beaches we saw in Crete, Balos was the most photogenic. On the left side of the bay, there is a lagoon, and on the right, you can go for a swim. The edge of the beach has a slightly pinkish sand. As for snorkeling, it was comparably weak to Elafonissi.
The ascent back is a mild hike, as the elevation gain was around 150m. The beach, along with the journey, is a full-day excursion, just like with Elafonissi, so we don’t plan anything else afterwards. I would also like to add that you can reach Balos by boat if you opt for a full-day trip from the port of Kissamos. The tour also includes a stop at the island of Gramvousa.
Tonight we have a barbecue as a bonus at the host’s house, who invited the family and all guests staying there. It was probably the first accommodation on booking.com to receive a perfect 10 out of 10 rating in all services. It was a nice conclusion to our stay there, as the next morning we were moving to the south of the island, to the town of Plakias.
Day 5 – Town of Plakias and the beaches Ammoudi and Damnoni
Lake Kournas
Transfers around Crete took up a lot of our time. Our next accommodation on the south of the island is 130 km away and over 2 hours. During the journey, we stop by the lake Kournas. It means “lake” in Arabic. It is the only freshwater lake in Crete. Apart from a pleasant café overlooking the lake, we also took a swim here. You enter the water through muddy terrain. If you don’t want to wade through it, you can rent pedal boats.We are arriving at our accommodation Albatros Studios & Apartments in the town of Plakias in the afternoon.
The advantage is that the apartments are only a few minutes away from Plakias Beach. Today we plan to visit the beaches around Plakias – Ammoudi and Damnoni.
Ammoudi Beach is a smaller beach nestled between rocks. To the right, there is a beautiful cove. The underwater visibility is excellent, but we saw fewer fish. Beyond the cove, there is another mini beach (marked as Klisidi Beach) that can be reached by a steep descent over the rocks.
Damnoni Beach consists of a long coastal strip. Again, we recommend swimming around the rocks to the left, where there is a fantastic cave.
Day 6 – Rodakino and Frangokastello Beaches
Rodakino Beach
Rodakino Beach is a secluded non-commercial beach in a camping area. We were almost alone there, so if you want to experience more tranquility, we recommend this beach. You can park your car a short distance before the beach, as only an off-road path leads further. We settled at the level of 4 rocks in the water, where snorkeling is possible. However, the conditions for snorkeling were average at that time because Crete was not very suitable for snorkeling.
Frangokastello Beach
Frangokastello Beach is a large peaceful beach with the Frangokastello fortress. It is an ideal place for swimming, as a long stone breakwater provides perfect protection from the sea. Snorkeling is also possible nearby. There is a symbolic entrance fee to the Frangokastello fortress.
Sweet Water Beach[/caption>
At the end of the day, we wanted to visit Sweet Water Beach. You have to park your car on the roadside at a large hairpin turn, which is also marked on the map. I just want to point out that this was the most challenging beach to access for us, and if you are afraid of heights, it is better to skip it. The descent to the beach is via an unpaved stone path, often along the edge of a cliff.
Plakias Beach[/caption>
In the evening, we will go for a swim at Plakias Beach, where another cave can be found. Just take a short walk along the path, next to the rocks on the left.
Day 7 – Preveli Beach
Preveli Beach[/caption>
Preveli Beach promised a beautiful green beach with a palm grove and a stream flowing into the valley according to the postcards. Expectations were set high. In reality, it was not as green, but still quite intriguing. The descent to the beach is similar to Balos, through reinforced stairs and switchbacks. About halfway down, there is also a viewpoint overlooking the beach. A slight downside was the slightly rocky bottom at the water’s edge.
Day 8 – Chania and its beaches
Iguana BeachIn the morning, we will still take a swim at our Plakias beach. After packing up, we have an almost two-hour journey to Chania. If we were to recommend any beach in Chania, it would definitely be the pair of urban beaches Iguana Beach and Agiοi Apostoloi. Iguana is a bay with a church on the promontory, calm waters, a smooth bottom, and a shower. Agiοi Apostoloi is slightly larger and has a cave as a bonus on the right side.
TIP: Right by the airport, there is a cheap Shell gas station where you can refuel before returning the car.
