Gramvousa Island and Balos Bay Full-Day Tour from Chania
Overview
Available languages
10 hours
Mobile ticket
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!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.
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Specialized infant seats are available
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
We need phone number and country code infront
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Free time to explore Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa Island
Hotel pick-up and drop off (at Perivolia, Halepa, Akrotiri, Halidon Street Alpha Bank, Chania center, Kladissos, Nea Chora, Agioi Apostoloi, Xrysi Akti, Daratso, Galatas, Kalamaki, Stalos, Agia Marina, Platanias, Gerani, Kontomari, Pyrgos, Psyionfrou, Maleme, Tavronitis, Kolymvari, Minothiana, Paraniana and Kamisiana)
All the legal taxes
Air-conditioned vehicle
Liability insurance coverage
Professional Driver
Professional English guide
Boat ticket to Gramvousa island and Balos lagoon(per adult) and 17 for children
Food and drinks
Personal expenses
Venetian Fortress
Boat ticket to Gramvousa island and Balos lagoon(children 5 - 12 years)
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Gramvousa Beach
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. Drive towards the west side of Crete in order to reach the port of Kissamos Kasteli. 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. About 10:20 AM set off for the island of Gramvousa which takes approximately 45 minutes. 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 before you continue to the lagoon of Balos which is 20 minutes from there. As soon as you 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.
Balos Lagoon
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.
Options
from Chania,Kladisos,Nea Chora
Pickup included
Hungarian Guide
Pickup included
from Daratso,Galata,Stalos
Pickup included
Romanian Guide
Pickup included
Private Tour Chania
Private Tour Chania
Pickup included
from Kalyves or Almyrida
Pickup included
from Maleme,Tavronitis,Gerani
Pickup included
from Perivolia,Halepa.
Duration: 9 hours
Pickup included
Reviews
56 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Nice day at Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa Island
Tamas S,
Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00The tour's overview section still reads "Enjoy a more intimate experience in a group capped at just 15" even though we took a coach bus full of tourists for Elafonissi and Balos. We stopped at Kissamos and those who booked the Balos tour got their tickets and boarded the ferry. We first docked at Balos Lagoon, the ride took approx 1 hour. Beautiful beach and somewhat similar to Elafonisi, there is also pink sand there. The ferry has self service bar where you can get lunch, I found it quite expensive though which is pretty much the reason for the 4 star rating except for 5. Then we went to Gramvousa island where there's also a nice beach, a sunken ship and an old Venetian fortress on top of the hill. Our guide was Simona, who was very friendly and helpful both before and during the tour.
Not worth
Gabriele B,
Sep 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
2.00It was good but not worth these money because it was 20€ only for a bus and additional you need to pay 36.
Shocking to be surrounded by so many people
Kymberlee H,
Sep 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00Should have read more reviews. I don’t know if they mention that you get on a boat with 1000 other people and theres one exit and entrance so the boat was packed and therefore the beaches were packed. An ordeal getting off the boat 3 times ugh!!! They ask you not to litter but there was so much trash. I didn’t enjoy being surrounded by so many people. At the end the guide says you can tip the driver but she didn’t suggest giving her a tip which infuriated me and makes me mad because it seemed very sexist or chauvinistic because sara was an awesome guide and also worked hard not fair only the driver gets the tips. Shame on you elafonissis travel!! all the photos are misleading because they show empty beaches so beware!
Saves you from arranging...
Francisco B,
Jul 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Saves you from arranging you own transportation to the port. The ferry is massive and designed by someone who did not want anyone enjoying the view, very unusual and uncomfortable seating. On the way back, the guide was kind to help a passenger who has requested a different stop but then waited there for 15 minutes, with everyone else waiting on the bus, tired and dying for a shower to wash the salt, have some food, only for the passenger and guide to get back in the bus. Made me miss the sunset too. That was very nice of the guide to help but came at the cost of everyone else on the bus. Even the driver had to press the bus horn couple of times.
Loved this experience!...
Ana O,
Jun 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Loved this experience! Our tour guide (forgot her name) was lovely and on top of everything. Our driver Nikko was great too. They communicated with us all along the way and answered all of our questions. Especially at the bus stop where there were multiple travel agencies and multiple busses. The ferry ride was great and had wonderful selection of food and drinks. Balos was stunning! A must see beach- especially for our 3 teenagers. The Gramvousa (2nd stop) was also very beautiful. Highly recommend!!
Great Beach Outing
Janet B,
Jun 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We were picked up by tour bus that had people going to Elafonessi Beach as well as Balos and Gramvousa so it took a while to get to the port if you were some of the first pick-ups. We had about an hour at the port before the boat departed but it was a good time to grab some breakfast. The boat had a pretty good selection - you could only pay with a card. The hour long cruise around the islands was beautiful and the beaches were wonderful for swimming. There were no loungers and sand at Balos was very wet - our towels soaked it up like a sponge. Gramvousa had another nice swimming area and a fortress atop the hill that you could hike up to. Fairly strenuous hike but worth it as the view from the top was lovely. We had about 2 hrs at each beach. Altogether a very nice outing.
Fine but not worth the travel really.
Anouschka F,
Sep 19, 2024
- Review from Viator
3.00I didn’t really get it. It’s 5 hours of travelling for 4 hours at two different beaches, neither of which were amazing. Knowing what I know now, I’d skip it. The service was fine however, pick up smooth and they responded quickly to my questions.
Beautiful trip lovely experience, I recommend this tour.
Alexandra G,
Sep 13, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00It was a wonderful trip. I recommend to take swimming shoes as there are lots of stones to get into the water. Water is crystal clear.
Wonderful trip
Cammie G,
Sep 5, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00You have to see the color of the water to believe it ! The scenery is spectacular ! Great excursion. However I would not recommend for someone not steady on their feet as there was very rocky uneven ground on the treacherous walk to the lagoon and again to the island at least 10 minutes each way .
Awesome!
Christiana D,
Aug 19, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Awesome excursion! This is a great way to see some of the most beautiful parts of Crete. The bus will pick you up from (near or at) your hotel and everything after that is smooth sailing! The boat is comfortable and has many options for food and drink. The directions about getting off and on the boat at Balos and Gramvousa are very clear. Both locations are beautiful and it's the perfect amount of time to get a little taste of both of these gorgeous places.
From €19.70
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Operated by PLATANOS TOURS