Balos Lagoon: Boat or Boots, How to Do It Properly

No image of Crete is reproduced more often than Balos: a sweep of white sand hooking towards the islet of Gramvousa, with shallows fading from clear through turquoise to deep blue. The remarkable thing is that the real view from the headland is better than the photographs. The other remarkable thing is how many people do the trip badly. Balos sits at the wild northwestern tip of the island, there are exactly two ways in, and choosing the right one for your group makes the difference between a great day and a grind.

Option one: the boat

Big catamarans sail every morning in season from Kissamos harbour, about an hour west of Chania Airport. The standard route calls first at Gramvousa island, where you get an hour or so to climb to the Venetian fortress on its summit, a stiff twenty minute walk rewarded with views over the whole lagoon. The boats then anchor off Balos itself for a long afternoon swim. It is the relaxed option: no driving on dirt, no descent on foot, food on board. The trade-off is fixed timings and arriving with everyone else. Book ahead in July and August, and check sailing times locally as they shift with the season.

Option two: the walk

The land route turns off the tarmac at Kaliviani village, then runs eight kilometres along an unsurfaced track to a car park on the headland. Goats own this road; drive it slowly, and note that many hire car contracts exclude dirt tracks, so check yours before committing. From the car park a stepped path drops to the lagoon in about twenty minutes. Coming back up in the afternoon heat is the hard part, so carry water. The reward for the effort is timing freedom: walkers can be on the sand by half past eight, two hours before the first boats, with the lagoon almost private.

On the sand

The lagoon is knee deep across great stretches, warm as bathwater by afternoon, and ideal for small children. The open sea side of the sandbar has deeper swimming. A seasonal canteen operates near the beach but bring your own water and snacks regardless, and take every scrap of rubbish out; the whole cape is a protected Natura area, and the pink tint in the sand comes from crushed shell that took centuries to gather. Shade is nearly nonexistent, so a beach umbrella earns its place in the bag.

When to go and what to pair it with

June and September give you the colours without the crowds. In August, go early by land or accept the boat's rhythm with grace. Balos pairs naturally with a night or two in Kissamos and a sunset at Falassarna down the coast, and ticking off the west's big three is easier still with our beach bucket list as the planning map. However you arrive, stay until the light goes low; the lagoon saves its best colour for late afternoon.