Hi everyone. This is the Santorini Dave guide to visiting
beautiful Balos Beach. Let’s get right into it.
Located in the NW corner of Crete, Balos Lagoon is a popular day trip from both Rethymnon
and Chania. It’s a unique spot that’s not easy to get to; the land route involves
driving along an unpaved road and hiking down a long, unshaded, sandy hillside trail,
and rental car companies often forbid their vehicles from traveling this way.
A better choice is to take a round-trip boat from Kissamos, roughly a 30-minute drive west from
Chania. You can get to Kissamos Port by public bus, private pre-booked transfer, or rental car.
Cretan Daily Cruises operates the moderately-priced trip to Balos that most
people opt for. The ride itself is lovely, with a stunning backdrop of steep cliffs and rocks,
incredible secluded beaches, and infinite blue waters that avoid the bumpy road and dusty hike.
The downside is that Balos is a very popular destination during the summer season
and you can expect there to be large crowds of people arriving by boat.
Visiting during the off hours is to have a completely different experience,
and booking a private boat tour through any hotel or travel agency can give you ultimate flexibility
on timing and exploration of the area.
Now everything featured in this video is explored in our Crete Travel Guide, and,
along with all the other top destinations across Greece are explained in far greater depth across
the pages of our website at SantoriniDave.com. And make sure to subscribe to this channel
as we’re constantly adding new content that’ll help you plan your visit to Greece.
These tour boats are quite large, with covered seating both indoors and out.
There is a snack bar selling ice cream and cold drinks, with beer on tap and bathrooms on board.
The whole tour lasts about 7 hours, with one hour on the boat each way, 4 hours at Balos,
and another hour stop at Gramvousa Island on the way back – which I’ll get to in a minute.
At Balos, it’s a short few hundred meters walk from the boat dock to the very spread out lagoon
area. The beach is famous for its shallow waters, varying between ankle and thigh deep,
where you can walk extensively through crystal clear swimming pool-like conditions.
There are limited facilities at the beach itself, including a toilet that costs 1E to use,
and a small snack bar selling cold drinks and limited snacks. It’s a good idea to
bring your own lunch with you. There are also umbrellas and beach chairs for rent,
though it is not uncommon for the area to have high winds which can make it challenging
to keep an umbrella up. Otherwise, there is very limited shade at Balos.
On the way back, tours stop at Gramvousa Island, home to a large above-ground shipwreck, the
remains of a hilltop Venetian fort, and a gorgeous beach. During a brief visit to the island,
hordes of disembarking guests have the choice to make the short hike up to the hilltop
for sweeping panoramic views, or enjoy the beautiful beach, which goes from completely
deserted, to totally packed, and back to completely deserted within a short time.
Back in Kissamos, if you’ve come on your own by rental car, a great way to end the
day is with a stop at the fabulous Gramboussa Restaurant in the charming town of Kaliviani,
just a 5 minute drive away. It’s a large outdoor space, surrounded by gardens and farmland,
with fabulous food and atmosphere and breathtaking views out to the water.
As always, you can find lots more detailed information about Crete
and the rest of Greece’s most popular destinations across the pages of our website SantoriniDave.com.
If you enjoyed this video, make sure to like it with a thumbs up, and to subscribe to our channel
as we are constantly adding new content that will help you in planning your visit to Greece.
Thanks for watching.