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Chania (Balos & Elafonissi)

A Venetian Harbour, the Samaria Gorge and Pink-Sand Beaches

Plan this trip
3 daysIdeal stay₹7,460From / night₹2,660Food / dayFreeEntry

Western Crete's lovely old port: a Venetian harbour with a lighthouse, a mosque on the waterfront and lanes of old houses. Day trips reach the lagoon of Balos and the islet of Gramvousa (by boat from Kissamos or by a rough road), the pink sand of Elafonissi, and the Samaria Gorge, a 16 km walk down from the White Mountains to the Libyan Sea, open from May to October. Flights from Athens take 50 minutes; overnight ferries from Piraeus dock at Souda. A hire car or the KTEL buses for the beaches; Heraklion is under 3 hours east.

Highlights

  • Evening on the Venetian harbour
  • Boat to Balos lagoon and Gramvousa
  • Pink sand at Elafonissi
  • Hike the Samaria Gorge (May-October)
  • Seitan Limania cove
  • Day in Rethymno's old town

Things to do

  • Old town and Venetian harbour walkEvening · 2h 30m
  • Boat from Kissamos to Balos and GramvousaMay–OctMorning · 8h
  • Day trip to Elafonissi's pink-sand beachMorning · 8h
  • Samaria Gorge hikeMay–OctMorning · 10h
  • Rethymno old town and fortressAfternoon · 4h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Chania (Balos & Elafonissi)via GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Chania (Balos & Elafonissi)via Klook

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When to go

Best time: May – June, September – October

Heads up

Summer Heat

July and August bring heatwaves of 35-40 °C and more to the mainland and the big islands. See ancient sites at opening time (they have little shade, and can close at midday in extreme heat), rest in the afternoon, carry water, and book rooms with air-conditioning.

Worth knowing

Wildfire Season

From July to September hot, dry winds spread wildfires in Attica, the Peloponnese, Halkidiki and the islands; in 2023 thousands of tourists were evacuated from resorts on Rhodes. Follow the 112 emergency text alerts (sent in English), obey road closures and evacuation orders, never light a fire or barbecue outdoors, and check the fire-risk map before hiking. Travel insurance should cover cancellations.

Worth knowing

Samaria Gorge Closed

The Samaria Gorge national park is open for walkers from about May to October, and closes on days of heavy rain, strong wind or extreme heat even then. The Balos and Gramvousa boats also run only in the warm months. Chania itself is open all year.

  • Orthodox Easter (Pascha) — Greece's biggest festival: candlelit Good Friday processions, the midnight Resurrection service on Saturday with fireworks and church bells, and lamb roasts on Sunday. Corfu's is the most famous, with clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday morning. Greeks travel home, so ferries, flights and hotels fill, and shops, museums and sites close or shorten hours from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Book well ahead.
  • Clean Monday and the end of Carnival — The first day of Orthodox Lent and a public holiday: families fly kites (in Athens on Filopappou Hill) and eat a meatless picnic of lagana bread, taramosalata and vegetable dishes, easy for vegetarians. The Carnival (Apokries) parades end the weekend before.
  • Epiphany: the Blessing of the Waters — Priests throw a cross into the sea, a river or the harbour and young men dive to bring it back, at Piraeus, Thessaloniki's seafront and island harbours. A public holiday.
  • Dekapentavgoustos (the Assumption) — The feast of the Virgin Mary and the peak of the Greek summer holiday: village festivals (panigiria) with music and food the night before, a great pilgrimage to Paros' Church of a Hundred Doors, and every ferry and island room full in the week around it. Athens empties and many of its shops close.