The idyllic Balos beach and looping lagoons of shallow, shimmering turquoise waters are overlooked by islets Agria (wild) and Imeri (tame). It’s a heavenly remote stretch of Crete that merits its inclusions on brochures everywhere. The beach is gorgeous, with lapping translucent waters dotted with tiny shellfish and darting fish.
In summer, the crowds do come, usually by day-trip boat (May to October only), filling the beach from 11am to 4pm. To go independently by car or KTEL bus (July and August only) the final descent to the beach requires 4WD or a long, hot hike.
There is no shade and umbrellas with sunbeds cost €7.
The 12km very rough dirt road (best in a 4WD) to Balos begins at the end of the main street of Kalyviani village and follows the eastern slope of Mt Geroskinos (762m). From here, the views over the shoreline and the Rodopou Peninsula are spectacular. It ends at a car park with snack kiosk from where the path to the lagoon is 1.2km down the sandy cliffs. Nondrivers could try hitching a ride or walk, although you’ll be eating a lot of dust from passing vehicles
If you come by boat, it usually stops at the island of Imeri , which is crowned with a ruined Venetian fortress from which there are stunning views of the peninsula. It’s a steep 20-minute walk to the top and there is a rocky and generally unusable beach below with a (modern and not particularly compelling) shipwreck.
