Day Cruise to Gramvousa & Balos
Description
Find yourself on a bus tour towards the west edge of Crete, where your sailing trip begins to the “Pirates Island”, Gramvousa. Swim in the lagoon of Balos and enjoy a relaxing nevertheless unique experience of a natural beauty point of interest.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Kissamos is a town on the west of Chania with a port and a fishing harbor. From Kissamos port we will be sailing towards Gramvousa and Balos. While on the boat trip, observe the geological phenomenon of the land elevation of Crete, where the island rises out of the sea in the west side of the island and at the same time sinking in the east.
Gramvousa is an island located 20 km northwest of Kissamos and opposite the Cape of Gramvousa. On the island, at a height of 137m over the sea level, still stands a Venetian fortress built between 1579 and 1584, during the Venetian occupation of the island of Crete. The fortress was also used by pirates and a legend claims that there is a great treasure buried on the island. An old shipwreck near the beach has marked its initials as part of the landscape. The water is turquoise color and the seabed is ideal for snorkeling.
Between Gramvousa and the coast of Crete, the lagoon of Balos is formed. It has white sand and vivid blue and turquoise water. The sea is very shallow and warm. Due to millions of crushed shells, in many places, the sand has a lovely pinkish color. The lagoon and the wider area around it are both protected under Natura 2000 program, as rare species of flora and fauna are found there. Eleonora falcons, shags and cormorants nest in the caves of the area. Moreover, the area is a shelter for the protected monk seal and the sea turtle Caretta Caretta.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickup and Drop off provided from the areas of Sissi, Malia, Stalida Hersonissos, Anissaras, Analipsi, Gouves, Gournes, Kokkini Hani, Karteros, Heraklion, Amoudara. Pickup time depends on the location of the accommodation hotel. The exact pickup time and location will be sent via email.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(11)
Very nice day, pleasant boat cruise, superb beach of Balos, visit of the fortress of Gramvousa to do if you are a little sporty.
Gramvoussa is a very nice island suitable for swimming. Balos is indeed spoiled by sun beds as far as the eye can see. Too many tourists.
The views were amazing. The tour guide was friendly and has given all the necessary information. It was a little scary because of the waves, we had a 20 minutes storm with high waves. All the passangers were scared and were having a hard time facing the storm. Overall, it was a once in a lifetime experience! Thank you!
Magnificent experience, perfect organization. Of course the tour destinations are very touristy but the essence of the places is special and you can see the beauty even with hundreds of people with you. In particular the guide was very prepared, nice and kind and also the driver very good. The journey took 3 hours but passed lightly. Council
The beach and island you get to spend time on during this tour were beautiful and amazing and are worth going to see! We enjoyed the sights and the water. Things to note: 1. If you are leaving from Heraklion, it is a 3 hour bus ride to get to the boat. 2. The boat is a ferry that carries 1,000+ people. Seats can be hard to find. 3. There are two food lines/bars on the boat that are reasonably priced and there are clean, functional toilets. We thought this trip was completely worth it, but did not realize the bus portion of it was a thing. If you decide to go, make sure you are prepared for the ride. Elena was our guide and made the trip very smooth and pleasant!
The excursion was amazing! Our guide Sergio and our driver avangelios are such nice people! I loved the balos beach more the the 2nd stop. Balos was so beautiful, like a paradise!! I suggest to wear real shoes or good sandals ( no flip flops) because you have to cross alot of rocks to get to both beaches. I am sure you wil live this trip!!
This was the highlight of my part on vacation in Greece - simply magic, boat trips that stopped at different places and Balos Bay then, magical! A trip that MUST be strongly recommended.
from the kissamos pier leaves every day a huge ship at 10.40 with destination gramvussa and balos for 38 euros with return at 18. many people crowded everywhere. 1.5 hour stop at gramvussa to see the ruins of a Venetian fort with climb on foot. 2.5 hours in balos to stay at the beach. honestly I didn't see anything really interesting.
Every day two large and one very large ships full of tourists (approx. 700 in total) leave from Kissamos port to a one day boat trip to Balos beach and Gramvousa island and back. To boats leave around 10:30 and on at 12:00 which spreads out the number of people. Nevertheless you share the beach with hundrest of tourists. The beach is nice, the water super crystal cleare (both at Balos and on Gramvousa). The overall experience was OK - my kid liked it. Don't expect a romantic experience - it's mass tourism! Fun fact: People being late for the departure of the ship, waving and shouting - captain turned the ship to pick them up. The prices of the food and drinks on board are okay. At lunch there is one kind of hot meal available. 1/2 an hour before you return to the port of Kissamos there is "happy hour" with reduced prices on cocktails and beer. Recommendation: Try to get a ticket for one of the two smaller boats. Don'T forget to bring enough water, shade and sun screen. You can reach Balos beach also by car and walking - but: the road is not paved and you need to walk at least 1h to get from the end of the road down to the beach (and up again!)
The sights could be nice but when a beach is 500 m long and you have two big boats of 1200 people each arriving it is a disaster: a big tourist trap. We were on the side of Gazi, that is 3 hours bus go .1 hour boat to go crowding like sardines, no thanks. Remember that it takes at least 30 minutes to disembark 1200 people from the boat: there is little time left for swimming. Warning, this site is not suitable for people with reduced mobility. No one had told us that this excursion was like this, nor with this type of boat. It would be advisable for tour operators to be informed about this type of inconvenience.
