Gramvousa and Balos Day Cruise from Chania
Description
Our trip starts at your hotel or a location in its vicinity, with our bus.Our destination is the port of Kisamos. As soon as we reach the port, you go aboard the ship to set out on the cruise.The ship departs from the port at 10:20. An hour later you reach the small island of Gramvousa.The ship stays at the island for two hours.The castle of Gramvousa is to be found at the top of the island. If you wish so, you can climb up the path to the castle, if not, you can stay on the beach and swim. (Climbing will take you at least 20 min to reach the castle. Proper hiking shoes are a must!).The ship departs from Gramvousa Island at 13:30, the breath-taking lagoon of Balos being its destination. Words can’t possibly do justice to the wild beauty your eyes will meet once you reach Balos.The white and at places pink sand, the turquoise warm and shallow waters, the rocks reaching for the sky around the lagoon, all these amazing elements come together to create a heavenly landscape!
Tour Options
Itinerary
As soon as we reach the port, you go aboard the ship to set out on the cruise.The ship departs from the port at 10:20. An hour later you reach the small island of Gramvousa.The ship stays at the island for two hours.The castle of Gramvousa is to be found at the top of the island… built by Venetians on top of some steep cliffs in order to act as a fortification protecting the island, today it offers visitors a panoramic view to the amazingly blue waters of the Cretan sea.
The ship departs from Gramvousa Island at 13:30, the breath-taking lagoon of Balos being its destination…The journey is short, and lasts only about 20 minutes.The ship reaches Balos at 13:45 and stays there for 2 hours. Words can’t possibly do justice to the wild beauty your eyes will meet once you reach Balos… The white and at places pink sand, the turquoise warm and shallow waters, the rocks reaching for the sky around the lagoon… all these amazing elements come together to create a heavenly landscape, which you are bound to want to keep returning to!
On board and throughout the journey, you can enjoy your meal in the self-service restaurants of the ship, where traditional Cretan dishes are being offered, or at the ship’s bar.You reach Kissamos Port an hour later; our bus will be waiting for you there, in order to return you to your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Remember to have with you :Swimsuit -Beach towel-Hat -Sunscreen
- You will receive a confirmation email with your pickup location and time.
Reviews(42)
Great trip to Balos and Gramvousa Beach! The ferry to the beach was quite large and clean with convenient cafe for drinks/food and "beach stuff". Balos Beach was incredible with amazing clear water! Gramvousa beach was more rocky but nice and it you want, you can climb up to the castle. My only criticism is that the ferry should leave a little ealier (like 10am) to give us more time at Balos Beach. But we loved this trip and would recommend to everyone!
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear that you loved Balos and Gramvousa Beach and enjoyed the ferry and its amenities. We appreciate your feedback regarding the departure time and will take it into consideration. It’s wonderful to know you had a great trip and would recommend it to others. Kind regards, MTM Customer Service
A paradise... a place that remains in your heart 💓... comfortable cruise... possibility of having lunch on board... very kind staff
Dear Guest, Thank you for the kind words and the support we are all grateful! It is our pleasure to see that you enjoyed your tour provided by MTM DMC. We hope to see you again in one of our experiences. MTM DMC Team.
Somewhat overrated but the sail there was visually awesome! Off the boat onto very sharp rocky walk to beach...not pleasant!
Dear Guest, We appreciate your comments regarding your recent tour. We’re sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience with our activity. Regarding the walk to the beach all the area is protected, nature and environment cannot be affected any more by human infrastructures. We work really hard to make sure our customers love our activities and service, so thank you for sharing these points with us as will help us to improve. MTM Dmc Team
This was an extremely disappointing experience. My partner and I were excited to explore Balos in particular, but when the boat stopped 100 metres from shore with no explanation and then people just started jumping off the back of the boat for a swim, we were very confused. We did some research online only to find that the boat company had announced on their website a week prior that the boat was not allowed to dock at the beach anymore and this was as close as we’d get to Balos. We’re both strong swimmers, but did not want to just jump off the back of the boat and tread water with everyone else. We had no choice but to sit on the overcrowded boat for 2 hours waiting for the time to be up. There was no communication of this change prior to boarding and if we had known this, we would not have gone. We were allowed off the boat in Garmvousa but there was hardly any shade on a very hot day so everyone was crowded together under tiny trees. The water was nice but there were so many rocks and coral to step over to get to where it was nice to swim. The lack of communication of this IMPORTANT change was the major issue and we were very disappointed that we paid this money, came all this way and then just had to stare at Balos from the ocean and not even get to experience it.
We booked the day by ferry to Gramvousa and Balos. Nice stop in Gramvousa, but after getting back on (2 adults and 2 boys) we are told that the ship can not get to Balos and for those who want can take a swim in the water near the ship. All the tourists on board showed their disappointment, we were angry because nothing had been said, we also paid the fee for Balos... we did 2 hours on the way out and 2 on the way back, we lost a day or almost a holiday. We should have been warned right away.
If you are going to go to in this tour, beware it is long due to pick ups st hotels. I would suggest, especially if you have a car, to go to the port in Kissamos and get a ferry ticket that takes you to the 2 beaches. It will shave about 21/2 hours off your day. Beautiful places to visit.
This was nothing more than a ferry ride with two stops at some nice beaches. There was no interpretation or any discussion of the area's flora, fauna, or geology. We were allocated 90 to 120 minutes at the two stops. We were disappointed that there wasn't more commentary. It appeared to d=be designed for getting to the two beaches. Since I grew up in southern California, the beach scene doesn't impress me. Others, I suppose would think this is great.
Don’t bother unless you like overcrowded boats, beaches, bathrooms, vendors. Lack of sand and any type of sun cover. Everyone is fighting for themselves and make the whole trip uncomfortable.
Very nice water and beautiful beaches. Unfortunately, totally overrun. We felt on the (ship) like sardines and overpriced for the price. Better take a private tour. Once and never again.
Neither of us (4 friends) enjoyed it. It was VERY windy and EXTREMELY crowded. We had to think about securing seats on time (to and from the destination) - otherwise you could end up being very uncomfortable or standing on the boat. Same about dinner - being smart with timing to not stand in a long line which is the last thing you want to think about on vacation. Overall - read descriptions carefully, do research: # of people on the trip, travel time (our's was 4 hours to and from which is not worth it) at the minimum.
