My second day in Chania, Crete I went on a day cruise to Balos and Gramvoussa. It was the highlight of my holiday. The day excursion was organized by TUI. Early morning we were picked up by the TUI coach at our hotel and driven to Kissamos Kastelli to embark on the boat. The boat is huge and also holds a restaurant where you can literally get anything you like in respect to food and drinks to make your cruise a comfortable one. The cruise to Balos lagoon at the Gramvoussa peninsula is simply beautiful and relaxing. You go past impressive mountain and rock formations, and you are soothed by the sound of the deep blue sea. After an hour of cruising we arrived at the Balos lagoon.
Balos lagoon and beach
Balos lagoon and beach is one of the most beautiful, even said to be the prettiest beach in Crete. Different shades of blue and turquoise waters, pink sand, and surrounding mountains, make you feel like you are in paradise. I was one of the first to disembark the boat so I had a few minutes to take in the beauty before it was fled by the many boat passengers. To reach the beach you have to either climb over coral or wade through water and over slippery rocks. It is therefore wise to bring water shoes. Once all passengers disembarked, I retreated to a more quiet corner of the beach, and I hiked up the mountain to keep this experience as tranquil and close to nature as possible. From above, the lagoon is even more beautiful. Balos and Gramvoussa are both environmentally protected.
The water at Balos is shallow so there’s not much swimming involved but more splashing around and sun bathing. There are several loungers and umbrellas you can rent, or you can just settle somewhere on the soft sand.
Gramvoussa Beach
After a 3-hour stop at Balos, we moved on to Gramvoussa beach where you can hike up to a Ventian fort, see a ship wreck, or continue to enjoy your beach day. I did the latter. Around 6 p.m. we arrived back at the Kissamos Kastelli harbour. It was a great day!
Read more travel tips about Crete and Chania here.
About Post Author
Share this:
You may also like
3 thoughts on “Crete Travel Tip: Day Cruise to Balos and Gramvoussa”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Oh yes, Balos and Elafonisi were already on my list of places I want to visit and they still are!! I’ve been to Greece a lot of times (3 times in the last 15 months!), but not to Crete yet. I definitely want to go!
Oh yes, Balos and Elafonisi were already on my list of places I want to visit and they still are!! I’ve been to Greece a lot of times (3 times in the last 15 months!), but not to Crete yet. I definitely want to go!
ja, ik ben ook helemaal griekenland fan. Ben dit jaar ook 3x geweest (Santorini en Mylonos) Elk eiland is weer anders