CalmBeach Greece
Sandy
Sandy beaches in Chania
30 sandy beaches in Chania: with sand underfoot rather than pebbles. Check live wind & waves for each beach on CalmBeach before you go.
- 30beaches
- 24organized
- 18with photos
Looking for sand rather than pebbles in Chania? These 30 beaches are recorded as sandy, so they are easier on bare feet and better for children playing. Check wind and waves in CalmBeach before you go.
The beaches
-
BalosThe turquoise lagoon of Gramvousa — A shallow, turquoise lagoon forms between the Gramvousa peninsula and the islet of Tigani, at the northwest tip of Crete. The sandbar shifts shape…
-
Paralia Agion ApostolonThe sandy coves with the chapel of the Twelve Apostles — Agioi Apostoloi beach stretches about three kilometres west of Chania town, on the north coast of Crete. It is a series of sandy coves wrapped around…
-
StavrosThe bay of "Zorba" — This is where the famous final scene of "Zorba the Greek" (1964) was filmed, with Anthony Quinn dancing the sirtaki against the mountain. Partly…
-
Marathi
The fishing harbor with traces of ancient Minoa — Marathi lies on the southeastern shore of the Akrotiri peninsula of Chania, about 17 kilometres east of town, looking across the bay of Souda towards…
-
KalathasThe Akrotiri bay with the little islet — Kalathas sits on the west side of the Akrotiri peninsula, about 12 kilometres northeast of Chania town, at the heart of an open natural bay. The…
-
KedrodasosThe white dunes with the coastal junipers — Kedrodasos lies at the southwestern tip of the Chania prefecture, about one kilometre east of Elafonisi, facing the Libyan Sea. It owes its name to…
-
Loutraki
The enclosed cove of Akrotiri — Loutraki lies on the southeastern side of the Akrotiri peninsula of Chania, next to Marathi, about 16 kilometres from town. It is an enclosed cove…
-
Elafonisi
The pink sand and the lagoon — At the southwest tip of Crete, an islet is joined to the mainland by a shallow lagoon (~20-40 cm) you wade across on foot. The sand takes on a pink…
-
.jpg&width=400)
KalyvakiThe sandy strand at the mouth of the Almyros — Kalyvaki is the westernmost beach of Georgioupoli, in Apokoronas of Chania, beside the mouth of the Almyros river, which flows all year round. The…
-
Paralia Koum Kapi (Kum Kapisi)
The city sands below the Gate of the Sand — Koum Kapi is the town beach of Chania, just east of the Venetian harbour, in front of the historic quarter of the same name. Its name comes from the…
-
Chrysi AktiThe golden sands just west of Chania town — Chrysi Akti sits just a few kilometres west of Chania town, in Nea Kydonia, right next to Agioi Apostoloi. It owes its name to the golden colour of…
-
Paralia FragkokastellouThe sands beneath the Venetian castle — Fragkokastello beach stretches out in front of the Venetian fortress of the same name, on the south coast of Sfakia, about twelve kilometres east of…
-
Machairida
The white cove by the knife-shaped cape — Macherida is a small cove of white sand on the Akrotiri peninsula of Chania, Crete, near Chorafakia and Tersanas. Its name is attributed to the sharp…
-
Agios Onoufrios
The Akrotiri coves with the little chapel — Agios Onoufrios lies on the Akrotiri peninsula of Chania, Crete, about eight kilometres from the city, near Kounoupidiana. The small settlement and…
-
Orthi AmmosThe dunes of the Drosoulites — Orthi Ammos stretches beside Frangokastello in Sfakia, Crete, about eighty kilometres south of Chania. It owes its name, 'upright sand', to the tall…
-
Platanias
The long sandy shore facing Thodorou — Platanias stretches about 11 kilometres west of Chania town, a long sandy shore facing the islet of Thodorou. Its name is attributed to the tall…
-
%20et%20une%20douche%20de%20plage.jpg&width=400)
-
-
-
-
-
.jpg&width=400)
-
-
.jpg&width=400)
-
.jpg&width=400)
Photo credits
- Balos: Olaf Tausch, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Paralia Agion Apostolon: Maurizio Ceol, CC BY 3.0
- Stavros: Roton Piotr, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kalathas: Jules Verne Times Two, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kedrodasos: Dkoukoul, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kalyvaki: Tanya Dedyukhina, CC BY 3.0
- Chrysi Akti: Cretan2014, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Paralia Fragkokastellou: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0
- Orthi Ammos: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
- Mavros Molos: Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 3.0
- Pachia Ammos Stavrou: Maurizio Ceol, CC BY 3.0
- Kera: Sorin Craciun, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kyani Akti: Stegop, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kalamaki: Roton Piotr, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Argilos: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
- Paralia Telonio: KrauS, CC BY 3.0
- Pachia Ammos: darkobajic, CC BY 3.0
Good to know
Which beaches in Chania are sandy?
The beaches listed here are recorded as sand rather than pebbles or rock. Shorelines shift with storms and seasons, so the mix can change from year to year.
Does sand mean shallow water?
Not always. Sand describes the shore, not the depth — some sandy beaches drop away quickly. Open a beach to see its recorded depth, and check live wind and waves before you swim.
When is the sea calmest here?
Across 30 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.55 m in June, 0.58 m in July and 0.60 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.65 m in September. June is the calmest month of the season. We calculate these figures ourselves from European Copernicus wave-model data at 4.2 km resolution. They describe the sea offshore, not the shelter of an individual cove — a bay protected by a headland will usually be calmer than this.
How warm is the water, month by month?
Off 30 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 19.3 °C in May, 23.1 °C in June, 25.7 °C in July, 26.5 °C in August and 25.2 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. By October it is 23.1 °C. August is the warmest month. Satellite measurements, 1995–2024, from a sea cell about 5 km offshore; shallow bays usually run warmer than this.
Wind and waves change every day. See live conditions for any of these beaches before you drive out.
Open the live map →