Our top pick425 reviews
1 dayRethymno: Gramvousa & Balos Lagoon Day Trip with Boat Ticket
★ 4.5 · 425 reviews
- A full day, Bus from Rethymno to Kissamos port
- 1.5 hours on Gramvousa
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
Boat, 4x4 or private boat
Balos Lagoon Crete: how to get there and what it costs
Balos Lagoon Crete is a shallow turquoise lagoon of white and pink sand on the north-western coast of the island, between the Gramvousa peninsula and Cape Tigani. Three ways reach it: a boat from Kissamos port, a 4x4 to the top of a footpath, or a private boat. Here is what each costs, what the price covers and how long you get at Balos.
Quick answer
The short answer. Our top pick is the bus-and-boat day from Rethymno at $62 per person: 425 reviews at 4.5, 1.5 hours on Gramvousa and 3 hours at Balos. Check whether your option includes the boat ticket. Day trips on this site start at $55 per person, for the bus day from the Chania area. Already near Kissamos? The Balos-only boat costs $40 per person, and the boat with Gramvousa $45.
Balos Lagoon Crete at a glance
- Where
- North-western Cretebetween the Gramvousa peninsula and Cape Tigani
- The water
- Shallow and turquoiseover white and pink sand, say the listings
- By boat
- From Kissamos portabout 1 hour each way; $40 or $45 per person
- By 4x4
- From Kissamos$55 per person; path 20–25 min down, 30–35 min up
- Private boat
- $432 per boatup to 5 people, 2 hours from Falassarna
- Sunset
- Sailing catamaran$112 per person, 4.5 hours
- Boat fee
- One eurocollected at Kissamos port, passengers over 13
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationlisted on each trip here
The lagoon
What Balos Lagoon Crete looks like
From the listings and the people who went.
The boat listings call Balos an exotic beach-lagoon. The 4x4 listing is more precise: soft white and pink sand from crushed shells, and a shallow, warm lagoon. That is the Balos Lagoon Crete turquoise shallow water you see in photographs.
In the frame below, the Balos Lagoon Crete pink sand shows as a rose-coloured band where sand meets water. Most of the shore is pale. Seen from above, as in the photo at the top of this page, the Balos Lagoon Crete white sand runs out as a bar between channels of turquoise water.
Ola from the United Kingdom: «Balos is beautiful, loads of shallow blue crystal clear water.»
At the water
Pink sand and shallow water at Balos
Two frames from the shore of the lagoon.
Balos Lagoon pink sand at the water’s edge
A rose-coloured band runs along the waterline. People walk the shore; boats sit off a flat-topped headland.
Balos Lagoon shallow water, clear to the sand
Ripples over pale sand in front, a few swimmers further out, a dry hillside with drifts of sand behind.
Side by side
Eight ways to Balos: price, what it covers, time there
Prices are per person unless the row says per boat. On the Kissamos boats a one-euro fee per passenger is collected at the port.
| Way to get there | Price | What the price covers | Time at Balos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat from Kissamos, Balos only | $40 per person | The boat there and back, about an hour each way | 3 hours |
| Boat from Kissamos with Gramvousa | $45 per person | Both stops on one boat | Shared with Gramvousa |
| Bus day from Rethymno, our top pick | $62 per person | Bus to the port and back; check the boat ticket in your option | 3 hours, plus 1.5 on Gramvousa |
| Bus day from the Chania area | $55 per person | Bus from meeting points, boat tickets arranged | Shared with Gramvousa |
| 4x4 and the footpath | $55 per person | 4x4 to the top of the path, photo stops | The rest of a 6-hour trip |
| Private boat from Falassarna | $432 per boat, up to 5 | Balos and Gramvousa, cold drinks on board | Part of 2 hours |
| Private boat from Chania | $1,682 per boat, up to 5 | Balos, Gramvousa and Menies | Part of 8 hours |
| Sunset catamaran from Kissamos | $112 per person | Sailing, snacks and unlimited drinks, paddle boards | A swim stop off the boat |
Way one
Way one: the boat from Kissamos port
Kissamos port is where the boat days start, whether you drive there or come by bus. The cheapest Balos Lagoon Crete boat trip on this site is the Balos cruise at $40 per person: five hours in all, about an hour of sailing each way past a large sea cave thought to be an ancient shipyard, and 3 hours on the beach. Andrew from Canada: «Three hours at the beach was plenty of time.»
Staying in Chania or Rethymno, a bus day takes the driving off your hands; both buses meet the boat at Kissamos.
Four boat days
Four boat days through Kissamos port, cheapest first
Prices per person. Each one boards at Kissamos port.
- Balos only, $40, 5 hours
About an hour each way and 3 hours at Balos. 1,528 reviews at 4.2. Card only on board.
- Gramvousa and Balos, $45, 7 hours
A Gramvousa Balos cruise: a short hike to the Venetian castle, a shipwreck on the island beach, then the lagoon. 8,781 reviews at 4.1.
- Bus day from the Chania area, $55, 10–12 hours
Meeting points include Chania town, Agia Marina, Platanias, Kolimvari and Kasteli. Tersanas Cave and Cape Vouxa from the water. 947 reviews at 4.4.
- Bus day from Rethymno, $62, 1 day
Our top pick: 1.5 hours on Gramvousa, 3 hours at Balos, a one-euro ecological fee paid on the day. 425 reviews at 4.5.
Two stops
Balos Lagoon & Gramvousa: one boat, two stops
On the Balos Lagoon Gramvousa Crete boat days the order of the two stops depends on the route. Gramvousa is an island with a short hike up to a Venetian castle and a shipwreck on its beach. Jamie from the United Kingdom, on the Rethymno day: «My only advice would be to climb up the steps. It is 100% worth the trouble.»
The second stop costs time at Balos: Joana from Portugal reports about an hour and a half on Gramvousa and two hours at the lagoon. The Balos-only boat gives you 3 hours there.
Gramvousa
Around Gramvousa, from the water
Two frames from the bay the Gramvousa boats cross.
A rusted ship off a pale point
Pale rock and scrub curve into bright blue water, a rusted ship just off the point. The Gramvousa listings mention a shipwreck on the island’s beach.
Peaks above deep blue water
Bare peaks rise from the shore. A sailing catamaran sits on deep blue water as a speedboat passes.
Way two
Way two: 4x4 over the peninsula, then the footpath
The view from above first, then the walk down to the water.
The 4x4 safari at $55 per person leaves Kissamos at 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 or 15:00 and crosses the Gramvousa peninsula with photo stops that look down on the Balos Lagoon Crete turquoise lagoon. Groups are up to 12, with a minimum of two to run. 844 reviews at 4.9.
The 4x4 stops where the footpath begins. From there the listing gives 20–25 minutes down to the lagoon and 30–35 minutes back up. Anuj from Germany: «this is the best way to go to Balos (if you don’t mind the 30min trek, which is beautiful, to the beach)».
Rather look down on Balos than walk down to it? Private 4x4 tours stop at the top for the Balos Lagoon Crete panoramic view and skip the path.
Balos viewpoint by 4x4→Way three
Way three: a private boat, priced per boat
Two private boats reach Balos. The price is for the whole boat, up to five people.
- From Falassarna, $432 per boat, 2 hours
Daily at 09:00, Balos and Gramvousa, cold drinks in the cooler. Shared by five, $86.40 each. 29 reviews at 4.7.
- From Chania old harbour, $1,682 per boat, 8 hours
A powerboat for up to five from 09:00: Balos before the large ferries arrive, then Gramvousa and Menies. A new listing with no reviews yet.
- What reviewers say
Nicola from the United Kingdom: «Having a boat to yourselves (there were 4 of us) gives you huge flexibility, well worth the money.»
Evening
The sunset catamaran from Kissamos
For a Balos Lagoon sunset Crete has one boat on this site: a sailing catamaran from Kissamos at $112 per person, 4.5 hours. It sails about 1.5 hours to Balos and stops in the bay for a swim; you go ashore only by swimming. Snacks and unlimited drinks are served, and the sail back is timed around sunset. 153 reviews at 4.7. Bettina from Germany: «Watching the sunset from the catamaran was breathtaking».
When you book, the listing asks for each passenger’s passport or ID number for the port authority.
With children
Balos Lagoon Crete family day: what listings and reviewers say
What the listings and reviews say that matters when you bring children.
- Balos Lagoon shallow turquoise water
The 4x4 listing calls it a shallow, warm lagoon. Ola from the United Kingdom: «Ideal for children paddling and adults chilling.»
- The fee
On the Kissamos boats the one-euro fee applies to passengers over 13.
- The path
On the 4x4 day: 20–25 minutes down, 30–35 back up.
- A private boat
Philippe from Canada: «Captain adapted the tour for our family with young kids».
- Young children
Ebony from Australia, on the Chania day: «We had a 5yo with us and she loved it.»
Before you book
Four things to check before you pay
Read these on the listing first.
- The boat ticket on the Rethymno day
The title mentions a boat ticket; the description says you pay for the cruise at the port. Check your option.
- A card for the boat
Purchases on board the two Kissamos boats are by card only.
- Shade
Laurann from Ireland: «Please be prepared for lack of sunbeds … and no shade.» Bring your own.
- Cancellation
Each trip here lists free cancellation. Read the deadline on the listing before you book.
Our verdict
Which way to Balos we would book
Book the bus day from Rethymno. At $62 per person it carries 425 reviews at 4.5, takes the driving off your hands and gives you 3 hours at Balos plus 1.5 on Gramvousa. Check whether your option includes the boat ticket.
Staying near Kissamos: the Balos-only boat at $40. Want the view as well as the beach: the 4x4 at $55, if the walk back up suits you. Want Balos Lagoon Crete without a ferry timetable: the private boat from Falassarna at $432 for up to five.
Book direct
Book Balos Lagoon Crete by boat, 4x4 or private boat
Our top pick first, then the boats, the 4x4 and the sunset catamaran.
Bestseller8,781 reviews
7 hFrom Kissamos Port: Boat Cruise to Balos Lagoon & Gramvousa
★ 4.1 · 8,781 reviews
- Seven hours, Gramvousa and Balos in one trip
- Short hike to the Venetian castle
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$45$6.43 / hour
Check availability→ 
Lowest price here1,528 reviews
5 hFrom Kissamos Port: Boat Cruise to Balos Lagoon
★ 4.2 · 1,528 reviews
- Five hours, Balos only, about 3 hours there
- Sea cave seen from the boat
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
$40$8.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
Shipwreck and castle on Gramvousa947 reviews
10 - 12 hChania:Balos Lagoon, Gramvousa Island & Boat Ticket included
★ 4.4 · 947 reviews
- 10 to 12 hours, Bus from Chania-area meeting points
- Shipwreck and castle on Gramvousa
- Longest tour here
- Free cancellation
Rated 4.9844 reviews
6 hChania: Balos Lagoon Off-road 4x4 Jeep Safari from Kissamos
★ 4.9 · 844 reviews
- Six hours, 4x4 over the Gramvousa peninsula
- Viewpoint photo stops
- Path down to the lagoon
- Free cancellation
$55$9.17 / hour
Check availability→ 
Balos before the crowds2 h
2 hFalassarna Beach: Balos Lagoon Private Small Boat Cruise
★ 4.7 · 29 reviews
- Two hours, Private boat at 9 am
- Two hours, Balos and Gramvousa
- Cold drinks on board
- Free cancellation
$432per group, up to 5 people
Check availability→ 
Snacks and unlimited drinks4.5 h
4.5 hKissamos: Balos Lagoon Sunset Cruise with Swimming & Snacks
★ 4.7 · 153 reviews
- 4.5 hours, Sailing catamaran from Kissamos
- Snacks and unlimited drinks
- Swim stop, then sunset
- Free cancellation
$112$24.89 / hour
Check availability→ Common questions
Balos Lagoon Crete: your questions answered
How do you get to Balos Lagoon Crete?
By boat from Kissamos port, about an hour each way, at $40 or $45 per person. By 4x4 from Kissamos to the top of a footpath, at $55 per person. Or by private boat from Falassarna or Chania, priced per boat for up to five.
How long is the boat ride to Balos?
About an hour from Kissamos port; the sunset catamaran takes about 1.5 hours. From Rethymno, Melanie from the United Kingdom describes «a 2 hour bus ride from Rethymno to Kissamos port then a 1hr boat ride».
Is the boat ticket included on the Chania and Rethymno days?
From the Chania area, yes: the tour leader arranges the tickets. On the Rethymno day the title mentions a boat ticket but the description says you pay for the cruise at the port, so check your option before you book.
How much time do you get at Balos Lagoon Crete?
Three hours on the Balos-only boat and on the Rethymno day. With Gramvousa on the same boat the time is shared; Joana from Portugal had about two hours at Balos.
Is there a fee to visit Balos?
Yes, one euro, collected at Kissamos port before boarding from passengers over 13. The Rethymno day lists it as an ecological fee paid on the day.
Boat or 4x4 to Balos: which is better?
The boat is cheaper and can add Gramvousa. The 4x4 at $55 adds photo stops above the lagoon and asks for the walk: 20–25 minutes down, 30–35 back up. 844 reviews at 4.9 for the 4x4.
