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Balos Beach is a very popular day trip destination in western Crete. It’s located in one of the most scenic spots in the world, and organized tours will make an additional stop at the island of Gramvousa.
Getting to Balos Beach
While it’s possible to drive to Balos Beach and hike down to the beach, the great majority of people will take a tour by boat.
Tours to Balos Beach
There are a few companies offering full-day boat trips to Balos Beach with a stop at Gramvousa. Tours run from June through October. They leave from the port of Kissamos, which you can reach by car or public bus from Chania in about 40 minutes. You can buy your tickets at the port or online in advance, which is what we did. Keep in mind boats get pretty full in July and August, so it’s best to book early if you’re traveling during those months. To get to Kissamos Port by bus, check the official KTEL website for schedules and fares.
Boats typically leave mid to late morning and the scenery is breathtaking along the way. The first stop is at Gramvousa, which takes about an hour. Once there, you have about 1 ½ hours to enjoy the beach and explore the island. Next, it’s another 15 minutes to Balos Beach, where you have roughly 3 hours to spend. At about 5pm, boats return to Kissamos, which takes about an hour.
We booked our tour with Blue Daily Cruises. Tours start at 27€ for guests over 12, 14€ for kids age 3 to 11, and free for kids under 3 (as of March 2024). The entry fee to Balos Beach is an additional 1€ per person and you can rent an umbrella for 7€ (as of March 2024). They have a bar open on-board all day serving food, drinks, and snacks. I had giouvetsi for lunch between Gramvousa and Balos Beach and it was unexpectedly delicious.
Driving to Balos Beach
If you’ve rented a car and want to drive to Balos Beach, that’s also possible. The first thing you need to do is check with your rental company if you’re allowed to take the car to Balos Beach. Most companies won’t allow it because the road is unpaved and in poor condition. They consider it “off-roading”.
If they give you the green light, leave early because the paid parking lot fills up by mid-morning and drive carefully on the unpaved road. Once you’re at the parking lot, you have to hike down to the beach and back up at the end of the day to return to your car. The one advantage of driving is that you’ll be able to spend more time at the beach if that’s what you desire. A disadvantage is that you won’t be able to visit Gramvousa.
Preparing for Balos and Gramvousa
Pack sunscreen and a hat and wear good shoes. The rocky path from the pier to the beach might be a little difficult to walk in flip flops or water shoes. You may also want to bring your own snacks and drinks, but prices are reasonable and there’s a decent selection on the boat. The canteen at Balos Beach doesn’t have as much to offer.
Gramvousa
Our first stop, as previously mentioned, was Gramvousa (Γραμβούσα). It’s an uninhabited island with a beautiful beach and a ruined Venetian fortress.
As we came around the island towards the pier, the beach and Venetian fortress came into view as well as a shipwreck. The Dimitrios P is an old cargo ship that ran aground during a storm on January 8, 1968. It had left from the town of Chalkida with a load of 440 tons of cement and was en route to North Africa.
We stopped at the pier and the tour leader told us what time we needed to be back on the boat. We then got off the boat and started walking to the beach. The path is short and easy.
Right before reaching the beach, there’s a small memorial dedicated to the Cretan freedom fighters who took the fortress on August 2, 1825, during the Greek Revolution.
From there, we grabbed a nice spot on the beach with view of Balos Beach in the distance. A few members of my group enjoyed the crystal clear water while others zoned out and took a nap. I decided to hike up to the fortress.
Venetian Fortress at Gramvousa
The trail up to the Venetian fortress takes about 20 minutes to complete. It’s not as steep as it looks until the last bit at the end. I recommend wearing good shoes as the terrain is rocky and uneven at times.
One of the nice things about the trail are the views. They get better and better the higher you climb. It also gives you a chance to see how rugged and inhospitable the island is.
At the end of the trail is the entrance to the fortress through a stone guardhouse. You walk through the guardhouse and up a ramp to the fortress. Once inside the fortress, there are paths through the middle and you can walk along the ramparts. Be very careful – in some parts, there’s a steep drop straight down to the sea and no guardrails!
History of the Venetian Fortress
The fortress was built by the Venetians between 1579 and 1584 to defend Crete, then under the control of the Republic of Venice, from the Ottomans. It sits 137 meters above sea level and could accommodate 3,000 soldiers. The fortress was capable of holding out against long sieges.
When the Venetians surrendered Crete to the Ottomans on September 16, 1669, they were granted the right to keep control of the fortress at Gramvousa as well as two others at Souda and Spinalonga. This allowed them to protect their maritime trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Venetians kept control of the fortress until the Morean War. On December 6, 1691, a captain betrayed the Venetians by surrendering the island to the Ottomans for a generous bribe. The captain fled to Constantinople (now Istanbul) where he spent the rest of his life. Soon after the Ottomans took control, Cretan pirates began to use Gramvousa as a refuge.
In the summer of 1825, during the Greek Revolution, 300-400 Cretan insurgents dressed as Ottoman Turks stormed the fortress and captured it to use as their base. The Ottomans never retook the island and the insurgents created a community within the fortress. They built a church and school and resorted to piracy for survival.
Finally, on January 5, 1828, the governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831), sent Hatzimichalis Dalianis (1775-1828) with a fleet of British and French ships to deal with the pirates. They destroyed the pirate ships and stationed troops there until 1831. The Egyptians then took control before returning the island to the Ottomans in 1840.
Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary
One of the best preserved structures at the fortress is the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. It was built by the Cretan pirates in 1825 and sites a few steps from the entrance.
Powder Storehouse / Mosque
On the southwest corner of the fortress is a small powder storehouse that was used as a mosque during the Ottoman period. I checked it out from a distance and never walked down to it.
Other Structures at the Venetian Fortress
Other structures visible are the ruins of the barracks and command post. There are also two cisterns. Other than the cisterns, I couldn’t tell what was what.
Views from the Flagpole
On the southeast corner of the fortress is a flagpole. This is probably the best spot for photos and admiring the amazing natural beauty of the area.
Looking south, there are spectacular views of Balos Beach and the mountains of the Gramvousa Peninsula. You can also see the pier on Gramvousa down below.
Also looking down, you can see the entire beach on Gramvousa. To the north, you can appreciate the barren landscape of the rest of the island.
Views from the Northern Part of the Fortress
From the norther part of the fortress, you can see the trail you walked up and get more amazing views of the island.
At the northern tip are views of the neighboring island, Agria Gramvousa, which is uninhabited and inaccessible thanks to its steep cliffs and rocky terrain. Looking down, you can see the steep drops down to the Aegean. From this vantage point, you can understand why the Venetians built the fortress on this spot. No walls were necessary on the west and north sides because of the cliffs.
Finally, looking west across the vast blue sea is another small islet, Pontikonisi, which translates to “mouse island”. It’s also uninhabited.
Balos Beach
After exploring the fortress and coming back down to the beach, we walked back the boat in time to head to Balos Beach. We got off the boat and walked to the beach. Unlike Gramvousa, the walk to Balos is much rockier and longer.
Balos Beach is a thin strip of sand with a small inlet passing through the center. The sand glimmers with a slight pinkish hue as the waves recede. Cape Tigani creates an incredible backdrop to the west while the Gramvousa Peninsula towers over the east side of the beach.
On the north side of the beach, you can swim in the Aegean Sea while on the south side is a calm and shallow lagoon. It’s possible to walk all the way across the lagoon to some natural pools, but I recommend wearing water shoes for that.
There are chairs and umbrellas for rent but if you want to get one, you have to be there early. By the time our boat arrived, every single chair was taken and we had to wait quite a while for one to open up. There’s also a canteen but choices are limited.
Views of Balos Beach
To get the best views of Balos Beach, you have to hike up the trail to the parking lot. It’s a steep trail but well worth the effort. The beginning of the trail is sand and a bit difficult to walk up, but it quickly turns to a rocky path. You might see some friendly goats on the way up as well.
The views get better and better as you climb up the path. Eventually, you’ll get a great view of the entire lagoon and the thin strip of sand that makes up Balos Beach.
The views of Balos Beach are spectacular from the very top. You can see all of Gramvousa as well. It’s no wonder this is one of the most photographed places on earth!
