The first time I saw Balos it was from above, sweaty and slightly out of breath, standing at the top of the footpath while a cruise boat crawled across water so pale it looked photoshopped. I had driven the last dirt track that morning with my knuckles white on the wheel, and I remember thinking two things at once: this is the most beautiful lagoon in Crete, and nobody warned me properly about that road. A few days later I stood on the pink sand at Elafonisi and had almost the opposite experience, easy to reach, easy to love, and absolutely heaving with people by noon.
These are Crete’s two great lagoons, and they sit at opposite ends of the wild northwest and southwest of the island. They are often lumped together on the same wish list, but they reward very different planning. Here is how I would do each one, what the Balos track really asks of a hire car, and how to time both so you are not sharing them with every coach on the island.
Balos and Elafonisi: what makes each one special
Balos is a lagoon in the truest sense: a shallow, sheltered pool of turquoise and white where the sea barely reaches your knees for a long way out, backed by the dramatic bulk of Cape Tigani and the islet of Gramvousa. The colours shift with the light and the tide, and the sand is soft and pale. It feels remote because it is.
Elafonisi, down in the southwest, is famous for its pink tinged sand, the colour coming from crushed shell fragments mixed through the white. It is a broad, shallow expanse where you can wade across to the little islet of Elafonisi itself when the water is low. The pink is real, though it is subtler than the most saturated photos suggest, strongest in patches near the waterline.
How to reach Balos
You have two honest options, and they are not equal.
By boat from Kissamos
The easy way is the daily boat from the port of Kissamos, which usually stops at Gramvousa island and its Venetian fortress before dropping you at Balos for a few hours. The crossing is scenic and you skip the road entirely. Tickets tend to sit somewhere around 27 to 30 euros for adults, plus a small port and site fee, but confirm current prices and the sailing schedule before you go, as they change with the season and the weather. On a windy day the boat may not run at all.
By road and the track
The drive gives you freedom and an earlier arrival, but the final stretch is the catch. From the village of Kalyviani the road turns into an unsealed track of roughly 8 kilometres: rocky, rutted, narrow, with blind bends and steep drops in places. There is a parking area at the end and then a downhill walk of about 20 to 25 minutes to the sand, and the same climb back up in the heat.
How to reach Elafonisi
Elafonisi is much simpler. The road all the way down is paved, winding through the mountains and gorges of the southwest, and it takes roughly two hours from Chania depending on traffic and how often you stop for the views. There is a large paid car park near the beach and, in high season, public buses run from Chania and Kissamos. Because it is so accessible, it fills fast, which brings us to timing.
When to go so you are not fighting the crowds
Both lagoons are victims of their own beauty in July and August. The single biggest thing you can do is control your timing.
| Best time of day | Best months | Getting there | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balos | Early morning before the first boats, or late afternoon after they leave | Late May to June, and September | Boat from Kissamos, or the rough track by car |
| Elafonisi | Before 10am or after 4pm | Late May to June, and September | Easy paved drive, or seasonal bus |
If you drive to Balos and arrive by around nine in the morning, you get an hour or two of something close to peace before the cruise boats disgorge their passengers. For Elafonisi, an early start genuinely transforms the place: at eight the pink sand is calm and photogenic, by one it is a wall of umbrellas.
Shoulder season is the other lever. June and September give you warm water, long days and a fraction of the August crush. Both spots are exposed, so a windy forecast can churn the shallows and cancel the Balos boat, worth checking the day before.
Planning to drive the northwest coast yourself?Compare Crete hire cars with clear unpaved-road terms and free cancellation.Can you do both in one day?
Honestly, no, not well. They are on opposite sides of a large, mountainous corner of the island, and each deserves a slow half day at least. I would give each its own trip, ideally from a base around Chania or Kissamos. If you are mapping out a wider route, our complete guide to Crete helps you slot these two into an itinerary that does not leave you driving mountain roads at dusk.
A quick reality check
Neither lagoon has much shade, and facilities are limited, more so at Balos. Bring water, sun protection, a hat and sturdy footwear for the walk down to Balos. There is usually a small snack point at Balos in season and more options at Elafonisi, but I would not rely on them. And manage your expectations on the colour: on a bright, calm day both are extraordinary, but under cloud or wind they lose some of their magic.
If you are trying to decide whether these two are worth the effort against everything else the country offers, they hold up well against the field in our roundup of the best beaches in Greece, and for me they remain the two Cretan beaches I would drag a friend to first.
If the crossing is the problem
Both of these beaches involve a boat, a rough road or both, and in high wind the boats do not sail. If that rules them out, or if you want a green island rather than a bare one, the Ionian side of Greece offers a completely different coastline with easier access; our Corfu guide covers what that looks like.
The short version
Balos is the harder win: a rough track or a scenic boat, a walk in the heat, and a lagoon that pays you back completely if you arrive early. Elafonisi is the gentle one: an easy paved drive to pink tinged sand that you must beat the crowds to enjoy. Pick shoulder season, go early or late, and treat them as two separate outings rather than a race.
Which would you choose if you only had time for one, the wild turquoise of Balos or the pink sand of Elafonisi? Tell me in the comments.
