Day trip
Balos lagoon by the coast road.
Photo: Piotr Baranowski / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Chania
- Start town
- Kissamos
- Typical duration
- 5–7 hours
- Type
- Day trip
The road version of Balos ends at a car park above the lagoon. You walk a steep path down and you walk back up. You do not visit the fortress on Gramvousa, which is a boat. The last kilometres are rough. Wind on the cape is stronger than in Kissamos. There is almost no shade on the sand. Go early, carry water, and leave time for the climb out. A boat day and a road day are two different products.
Drive west from Kissamos toward the cape. The final stretch is unpaved. The car park fills in August. The path starts there.
It suits people with a hire car who accept the path. Skip it with anyone who cannot climb back, and skip it if the fortress was half the reason.
Balos lagoon by the coast road needs 5–7 hours from Kissamos. The months that usually work are May to October. The road or the boat is part of the day, not a preface you can ignore. Carry water and shade for the hours away from Kissamos, and do not book a sunset table at home until you know the return. Balos lagoon by the coast road is one day from Kissamos. A beach, gorge or monastery with a similar photograph is a different outing when the route changes.
Is it worth it
Balos lagoon by the coast road is worth the hours from Kissamos when it suits people with a hire car who accept the path. You walk a steep path down and you walk back up. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because The road version of Balos ends at a car park
- Shoes that match the ground on Balos lagoon by the coast road. Drive west from Kissamos toward the cape. The
- A layer for the start in Kissamos. May to October still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Balos lagoon by the coast road takes 5–7 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to October is the window to trust for Balos lagoon by the coast road. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Kissamos with 5–7 hours clear. Drive west from Kissamos toward the cape. The final stretch is unpaved.
- Search “Balos lagoon by road from Kissamos” and check that the meeting point really is Kissamos.
Related tours
Boat tripBalos and Gramvousa from Kissamos
Kissamos5–7 hours
From Kissamos harbour the same Gramvousa and Balos route is a shorter day, because you skip the Chania coach. You still stop at the fortress, still walk an uneven path, and still land at a lagoon with almost no shade. The crossing is exposed when the northwest wind is up, and a cancelled morning is a normal part of early summer. The usual length is 5–7 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits people already staying in Kissamos, Falasarna or the far west. It is a poor fit if you need to be back in Chania for lunch, or if anyone in the group cannot manage the path up to the fort. The quay is in Kissamos, also called Kastelli, not in Chania. Confirm the meeting point the evening before, and allow time if you are driving the coast road.
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Day tripFalasarna beach day from Kissamos
Kissamos4–6 hours
Falasarna is the long sandy beach west of Kissamos, with a wide sunset and a short drive rather than a boat. The ruins of the ancient port sit above the sand. Wind can push the surf up even on a bright day, and shade is limited away from the tavernas at the back of the beach. It is a beach day, not a lagoon. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits families and anyone who wants a west-coast swim without the Balos path. Skip it as a “quick stop” from Chania. The drive is the larger part of a short visit, and a windy afternoon is a poor swim. Drive or take a day trip west from Kissamos. The beach is signed from the village of Platanos. Parking fills on August afternoons.
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Private tourPrivate driver to Balos or Elafonisi
Chania7–9 hours
A private west-coast day from Chania is one beach with a driver, either Balos or Elafonisi, and then back. The peninsulas point in opposite directions. Balos ends in a steep path and does not include Gramvousa. Elafonisi is a longer drive to an easier lagoon. Doing both is a day of roads and two short swims. The usual length is 7–9 hours, and the months that usually work are April to October. It suits a group that wants one beach done properly and would rather not drive the last kilometres. Elafonisi is the family version. Balos is the path version. Say which one before you get in the car. The driver collects from Chania. If the Balos wind is up, a useful driver offers Elafonisi or a nearer cove instead of forcing the cape.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 5–7 hours from Kissamos. It suits people with a hire car who accept the path.
- May to October. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Kissamos.
- Drive west from Kissamos toward the cape. The final stretch is unpaved. The car park fills in August. The path starts there.
- It suits people with a hire car who accept the path. Skip it with anyone who cannot climb back, and skip it if the fortress was half the reason.
- Balos lagoon by the coast road is worth the hours from Kissamos when it suits people with a hire car who accept the path. You walk a steep path down and you walk back up. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.