Discover Chania

Balos lagoon is a heaven on earth of turquoise waters, pink-tinged white sands and wild, exotic beauty. Located at 17 km northwest of Kissamos, between the Gramvousa Cape and small rocky peninsula of Tigani, which connects with the rest of Crete via a thin strip of land, thus forming the famous Balos lagoon. Its southwest side is open to sea and forms a natural harbour, protected by winds due to the islet of Imeri Gramvousa across from it. On its open side the shore is deeper and rockier at places; a favourite for spearfishermen and scuba divers. The other side of the lagoon is closed to the sea and forms a generally quite shallow lagoon.

It takes a few seconds for the visitor arriving at Elafonisi to grasp the majestic, natural masterpiece that is laid out before them. A small peninsula split at its tip by the sea’s waters, resembling a separate island. The setting is tropical and enchanting, triggering an instant sense of marvel.

Falasarna beach is located on the Gramvousa Peninsula, 15 km west of Kissamos. This is one of Greece’s most renowned beaches, listed in the top ten of dreamy European shores and has been awarded in the past as Crete’s finest beach. With a vast, ca. 3 km, coastline that essentially consists of five consecutive beaches divided by rocks or sand dunes, with two of them attracting the largest crowds. The most popular is Pachia Ammos, spanning 1 km in length and of ample width; that is why it never looks crowded no matter how many its visitors.