Best beaches of Crete
Explore the best beaches of Crete you must see when visiting the island. Find brief info about these destinations on Crete, that you can easily access with your rented car.
Milatos
The Milatos harbour is interesting. This is a wonderful place to visit, very quiet and off the beaten track but accessible easily from a surfaced road. There is a pleasant stony beach that is fairly narrow and steeply shelving that has wooden steps down from the road, another stony beach closer to the harbour.
The road up to the cave is just before the turn down to Paralia Milatou and is not for the faint-hearted. Although surfaced, it zig-zags precipitously forever upwards, often with no crash barrier in evidence. Parts are very narrow and visibility poor because of the tight bends. I actually closed my eyes at one point and I am not usually affected by such things!!
There is a parking area for the cave and then a walk of some 200 metres along well made cobbled footpath clinging to the edge of the cliff. The land plunges away steeply down a deep gorge but at least the path is "fenced."Make sure you take a torch as it is pitch black inside after the bright sunlight. Watch your heads as well, as the roof dips very low as you concentrate on the uneven ground ahead.
Inside is a beautiful church, built into the cave. This is the church of St. Thomas, built in 1935 to commemorate the mass slaughter by the Turks in 1825 of 3,600 locals. The locals hid in the cave during the Revolution and vainly tried to defend themselves from the Turks who had circled the cave entrance. Eventually, hunger got the better of the Greeks and they had to exit, hoping some would survive. Sadly, most were immediately slaughtered and 18 priests burnt to death. The few that survived were sent to Egypt as slaves.
Elounda
Elounda, a charmer of a port, once the ancient city-state of Olous. Its numerous colourful fishing boats lent a charming backdrop to
this tourist town and the phalanx of eating establishments were testimony to the popularity of dining by the waterside.
While the waves lapped we stepped out over the water and sat down to courgettes and fried sardines as we awaited the arrival of our ferry to Spinalonga and thought how good life was. Definitely worth a look during your trip.
Bali
Bali, between Rethymno and Iraklio, is a beach resort. part of Rethymnon region. It is 34 km from Rethymnon, 50 km from Heraklion and 100 km from Chania Airport. In recent years, Bali has grown a lot and become a popular resort for families, thanks to its excellent beaches. There’s very little traffic - the road going into Bali is a dead-end. The nights are pretty quiet here since there are no nightclubs. The peninsula juts out away from the coast and faces east, creating a natural bay with many curves and shallows.
Bali Μπαλί has many cove beaches – creating the little inlets of Livadi, Kouskouras, Limani (main harbour of Bali), Varkotopos and Karavostasis. These are all protected by the rocky peninsular and the calm seas are perfect for children; young families find these waters very relaxing.
The steep rocky sides of each cove make for good walking and lovely views over the bay to Mount Kouloukonas (known as the Talean Mountains), part of the Psiloritis Range and the coastline to the east. If you are not planning on steep walking, ensure you book a place close to the water’s edge.
Spinalonga
The
island of Spinalonga (Greek: Σπιναλόγκα), officially known as Kalydon (Καλυδών), is located in the Gulf of Elounda in north-eastern Crete, in Lasithi, next to the town of Elounda. The island is further assigned to the area of Kalydon. It is near the Spinalonga peninsula ("large Spinalonga") – which often causes confusion as the same name is used for both. The official Greek name of the island today is Kalydon.
Originally, Spinalonga was not an island, it was part of the island of Crete. During Venetian occupation, the island was carved out of the coast for defence purposes and a fort was built there.
During Venetian rule, salt was harvested from salt pans around the island. The island has also been used as a leper colony. Spinalonga has appeared in novels, television series, and a short film.
Today, the uninhabited island is a popular tourist attraction in Crete. In addition to the abandoned leper colony and the fortress, Spinalonga is known for its small pebble beaches and shallow waters. The island can easily be accessed from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos. Tourist boats depart from both towns on a daily basis. There is no accommodation on
Spinalonga, meaning all tours last only a few hours. Boat trips from Elounda take approximately fifteen minutes while trips departing Agios Nikolaos can take almost an hour.
Agia Pelagia
Agia Pelagia is a small coastal town with a lovely beach, suitable for relaxing holidays in Crete.
20 kilometres west of Heraklion, as the national road drifts high above the coastline, you'll begin to see the first impressive pictures of Agia Pelagia – the type of pictures that postcards are made of.
The large deep cove of Agia Pelagia itself is surrounded by the smaller Ligaria Cove on the east and Mononaftis Bay on the west. The picturesque white buildings, the bluish-green of the Mediterranean and the varying shades from sandy brown to lush green along the shore, create a landscape of rare beauty.
Agia Pelagia is an awe-inspiring example of the beauty of Cretan Nature and it's almost impossible to resist taking a closer look. Don't miss this trip.
Almyros beach
The beach of Almyros is quite long in length and very well organized by the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos. It is sandy and the water is very shallow and cold due to the river and the underwater springs. There are beach bars in the area, and there are also options for water sports. On the south side of the beach, there are small hotels and apartments for rent and pedestrian bridges have been installed to cross the river.
A little further south of Almyros and on the other side of the beach hotels in Akrotiri, and almost on the road to Ammoudara, a tiny beach is formed, unknown to most people. The sandy beach is not organized at all and the waters here are icy, as the wetland is very close. Despite the proximity to the road, it is not visible, due to the dense vegetation of skins.
