Family
Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos.
Photo: Leonhard Niederwimmer / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Heraklion
- Start town
- Malia
- Typical duration
- 2–4 hours
- Type
- Family
Stalis sits on the sand between Malia and Hersonissos, a quieter strip than either neighbour with a long beach and a simple promenade. The day is a swim and a walk. There is no major monument. People staying here already know that. Visitors hunting a sight will be finished quickly, which makes it a good rest day and a bad coach tour.
Stalis is on the coast road. The beach is in front of the town. Walk east or west until the density of umbrellas drops.
It suits families and anyone recovering from Knossos. Skip it as a named excursion from another city. The beach is the amenity of the place, not a landmark.
Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos needs 2–4 hours from Malia. The months that usually work are May to October. Hats, shade and an exit back to Malia matter more than a second stop. Skip the version that needs a long stair or a long crossing if the children are small. One outing is the day. Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos is paced for a family staying in Malia. The adult version of a nearby trip is a different page when the route changes.
Is it worth it
Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos is worth the hours from Malia when it suits families and anyone recovering from Knossos. The day is a swim and a walk. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because Stalis sits on the sand between Malia and Hersonissos, a
- Shoes that match the ground on Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos. Stalis is on the coast road. The beach
- A layer for the start in Malia. May to October still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos takes 2–4 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to October is the window to trust for Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Malia with 2–4 hours clear. Stalis is on the coast road. The beach is in front of
- Search “Stalis beach Crete day” and check that the meeting point really is Malia.
Related tours
FamilyMalia and Potamos beach day
Malia3–4 hours
Malia’s long sandy beach, including the eastern stretch toward Potamos, is a straightforward resort swim: shallow water, sunbeds, and tavernas. It is not a cove and not a place you need a boat to understand. Wind on this north coast picks up after lunch. Morning is the swim. The palace is the cultural counterweight if the group can split the day without a mutiny. The usual length is 3–4 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits families in the resort. It is not an excursion from Sfakia or Chania. Stay local and the beach is a pleasure. Cross the island for it and it is a motorway. Walk or take the local bus from Malia centre to the sand. Potamos is the east end. Umbrellas are the shade plan. There is not much else.
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Hersonissos harbour and beach
Hersonissos2–4 hours
Hersonissos is a resort town east of Heraklion with a small harbour, a sandy town beach, and a hillside of older houses above the strip. The walk is short. The swim is the point for most people staying here. The harbour is pretty in the morning and loud at night in August. Neither version is the whole town. The hillside is the quieter half. The usual length is 2–4 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits people already sleeping in the resort who want a local day. It is an odd excursion from Chania. You would drive past better uses of the same hours. The harbour is the centre. The older village is uphill, signed from the coast road. Beach beds are in front of the hotels. The public sand is between them.
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Cretaquarium and the coast
Heraklion3–4 hours
Cretaquarium sits at Gournes, east of Heraklion, above a sandy shore. The visit is one indoor circuit of Mediterranean tanks, then the beach if anyone still wants it. It is the hot-day plan when a gorge is too much. It is not a second museum you are obliged to add to Knossos. Those two together are a full day, and the drive between them is the part people forget. The usual length is 3–4 hours, and the months that usually work are Year round. It suits families and anyone who needs a roof. Skip it if the weather is kind and the group came to be outside. A swim on the same coast may be the better hour. Gournes is a short drive east of the city and the airport. The beach below is public and separate from the ticket. You can leave after the tanks.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 2–4 hours from Malia. It suits families and anyone recovering from Knossos.
- May to October. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Malia.
- Stalis is on the coast road. The beach is in front of the town. Walk east or west until the density of umbrellas drops.
- It suits families and anyone recovering from Knossos. Skip it as a named excursion from another city. The beach is the amenity of the place, not a landmark.
- Stalis beach between Malia and Hersonissos is worth the hours from Malia when it suits families and anyone recovering from Knossos. The day is a swim and a walk. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.