Gramvousa Island & Balos Bay Full-Day Tour from Rethymno English & German guide
Description
Discover the westernmost tip of Crete on a scenic bus and boat trip to Gramvousa Island and Balos Bay. Dip your toes in the soft white sand of some of the most beautiful beaches you ever have seen! Depart Rethymno at approximately 07:45 and travel by bus along the new national road towards the westernmost tip of Crete. Pass the bay of Souda and the former Cretan capital of Chania before your arrival in Kissamos. Upon arrival, climb aboard a boat and cross to Balos Bay at the northernmost tip of the peninsula. Relax on the 1-hour boat trip,and get 2.5 hours at Balos Bay to enjoy the soft white sands and unique blue and green waters of the lagoon. Enjoy approximately 1.5 hours at peace on Gramvousa Island, and then take a 1-hour boat ride back to Kissamos. Upon arrival, continue to Rethymno by bus at the end of the laid-back tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover the westernmost tip of Crete on a scenic bus and boat trip to Gramvousa Island and Balos Bay. Dip your toes in the soft white sand of some of the most beautiful beaches you ever have seen! After your escort gives you all the necessary information about the cruise, arrive at the port where the Gramvousa ferry is waiting for you to start the cruise. Your escort will collect the money for the boat tickets from you so you can skip-the-lines at the ticket offices. About 10:20 AM set off for the island of Gramvousa which takes approximately 45 minutes. On the ferry there is a kitchen with self service dishes, meals or snacks. You can sit back on a deck chair or in the lounge. During your cruise, see the elevation of the land along the cliff edges of Crete. Once you arrive at the island of Gramvousa you can either have a swim or you can take a hike to the top of the island to the Venetian fortress. There you have 2.5 hours
As soon as we arrive at the lagoon you will have about 3 hours to enjoy . When you have enjoyed a swim and relaxation at the lagoon, the boat will take you straight back to the port of Kissamos. As soon as you arrive at the lagoon you will have about 3 hours to enjoy. You may at any time go back to the boat for food or also hire umbrellas if the heat is too intense. When you have enjoyed a swim and relaxation at the lagoon, the boat will take you straight back to the port of Kissamos. This is a great photo opportunity as the sun will be behind you as you look out to the scenery of the island. At 6:00 PM the ferry arrives at the port and the journey in this small paradise comes to an end. Return time in Chania approximately: 7.00 PM. From Wednesday 21st June and for a short period of time the ships will not possible to disembark in the Balos lagoon.The cruise schedule will be as follows:2 hours & 15 minutes stay in Gramvousa .About 2 hours stop for open swimming at the beach of Balos.
Depart Rethymno at approximately 07:45 and travel by bus along the new national road towards the westernmost tip of Crete. Pass the bay of Souda and the former Cretan capital of Chania before your arrival in Kissamos.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
▪︎ Pick-up and drop off (in Panormo, Scaleta, Adele, Platanias, Missiria, Rethymno town, Sfakaki,Stavromeno ,Sfakaki , Stavromenos ,Atsipopoulo, Kavros and Georgioupoli) Pickup is from your hotel or the closest point accessible by a vehicle. You'll receive specific pickup information in a separate email from the local partner (please check your spam folder). All the pick ups from Rethymno old Town will be from the bus stop of church of four martyrs (4 martyres church). Pickup from remote hotels (e.g. Grand Rimondi)
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Take swimming suits
- Seats are assigned by the theater box office and will not be known in advance of the performance date
- At the time of booking please mention your hotel name and location. You will be notified by email about the pickup point and time
- Pickup begins up to 90 minutes before tour starts and is done from central meeting points near the hotels, only in the areas of Panormo, Scaleta, Adele, Platanias, Missiria, Rethymno town, Atsipopoulo, Kavros and Georgioupoli
- Infants will be seated with their parents on the bus and will not have their own seat
Reviews(15)
We spend a lovely day on beautiful beaches of Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa island. Trip was very well organized. Our guide George is amazing! Speaks english, german and french fluently, instructions were clear, he cares abour tourists needs. Thank you!
Thank you for the review
Bring snorkelling equipment!! That’s what you should do there. You can rent an umbrella at the ferry. Bring your own food at the ferry as the food there is super expensive and does not taste good. No need for extra shoes to hike in. The AC on the bus did NOT work great, so you should buy something to drink at the kiosk where the busses is parked before travel if home
hello thank you for the review and the informations
The town is very beautiful. It is a historic town and the small streets are worth exploring. The beaches are beautiful and there are many of them. It is an ideal place to stay in the center of Crete and explore the whole island.
Ηello thanks for the review
Fantastic excursion with such a great guide. Gramvusa and Balos are real paradise. Loved it from the start to the end. Everything was so well planned. Highly recommend to anyone.
Ηello thanks for the review
We were picked up on time in Rethymno, the "tour guide" gave us some information about the tour in English and French and got the necessary maps on site, handed them out and that was it. There was no opportunity to ask him anything on the boat because he was never seen again. It would be useful to have someone to look after us, especially when his "guests" are wading through the water on a rope, but he was just an accompanying person, and the driver could have done the same. The beaches themselves were a dream, the supplies on board and the friendliness of the staff there were better than expected. The trip itself can be recommended, but you can safely do without the tour guide.
Am Boot erklärt das Megafon in 4 Sprachen alles, man braucht keinen Reiseführer
The excursion to the 2 islands itself is fantastic, the places are sumptuous and worth the detour!!! on the other hand we did this tour with platanos tours and the bus was full when we got on (we were the last to be picked up) I found myself with my 10 year old son on my knees for a 1h30 transfer!! Even though we had paid for our tickets, it’s just a shame!! 2 days before we had done another excursion with them (Elafonissi) and we left at 2:55 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. announced in the program.. suffice to say that we do not recommend this agency!
bonjour, nous ne savons pas si vous ne nous aimez pas. Nous avons eu 10 700 réservations l'année dernière et des avis 4,6* sur Google 4,4* pour obtenir votre guide et 3,8* pour viator.merci
You pay 15€ for the bus ride and then 31€ for boat and beach entrance. The boat is way too crowded and the 3 hours you should have at Balos Beach we didn't have either. It was only two hours and a few minutes. The boat ticket includes lunch, which really didn't look appetizing. The boat is unfortunately very old and the staff very rude. All in all, we would not recommend such a tour and would not do it again! The tourgide was still very helpful and friendly - that was the best thing about the tour.
Hallo, danke für die guten Worte an unseren Führer, aber das Boot gehört nicht uns. Wir machen nur den Transfer bis zum Boot und kehren mit 15 Euro zuruck markos
We enjoed very much. All was good. Buss trip, ship along the pepinsula, pirate island walk to fortress, beach!
Ηello thanks for the review
The tour was great. We were picked up at the right time. We made our way to the port of Chania I think it was and then we went to Balos bay and Gramvousa. I have to say that the places are dreamy, beautiful and unimaginable. The water is crystal clear. The beach was certainly a little crowded, but not in a massive way, you could be fine. I have no complaints, the guide was very attentive and told us what we should do at all times. An experience of 10 on my trip to Crete that I will not forget. Thank you very much.
Ηello thanks for the review
We decided to do the tour with Platanos Tours and booked via another site (not Platanos direct). That's why our tour on a Saturday was cancelled but we were able to than do it one day later. I think that it was not the fault of Platanos Tours but the provider inbetween. Therefore I must say it was an excellent communicaton via Mail and WhatsApp and on the day of the tour everything was great and I'm time. Lovely guide Pia and super driver Gregoris really did a superb job. Pia was always very nice and helpful and even spoke to all the guests in their own language (4 or 5 different I remember) while explaining and giving tips during the tour. Gramvousa Island and Balos Bay were lovely,not to crowded with the possibility to find a nice spot to relax. The flow with getting the tickets for the ferry went on without any problems as well as the save drive back to the hotel. The ferry itself was very very full (but it's of course not the fault of Platanos Tours) but it was possible to get something to drink and to eat. It wasn't that special but nice to have something ( but you might avoid the packed "hamburger" ! 😉). All together a lovely day trip. Efcharistó poly and kind regards from Elias & Alexandra
Ηello thanks for the good review
