Balos Beach

Eight kilometres of dirt road, and you still have to share.

How we rated it: nothing lifts it and nothing sinks it. Photo: Olaf Tausch · CC BY-SA 3.0

The hang

Balos is a shallow turquoise lagoon on the north-west coast of Crete, with pink in the sand in patches. Getting to it by land means eight kilometres of unpaved road, a €1 fee at the gate, about €3 for parking and a walk down the hill of five to ten minutes. The road is narrow, runs close to drops, and does not always leave room to turn around. On the beach there are no permanent shops or restaurants. It is extremely popular anyway: busy in July and August, and still busy in late October. The patch of sand the map labels Balos Beach measures 106 metres.

The real intel

Best months · warmest sea: August (26.0 °C), then September and July. Coldest: February (16.9 °C). One year of data, 2025.
Best months · emptiest: Winter. One guide says even late October still feels busy.
Getting there: By car along a final 8 km of unpaved road to a car park, then a 5 to 10 minute walk down. Or by ferry from Kissamos.
Cost reality: €1 per person at the road gate, about €3 for parking. The ferry from Kissamos is €35 to €40 per adult.
The catch nobody tells you: The lagoon is shallow and gentle. The outer side of the bay opens to real waves and currents.

The year at Balos Beach

Warmest sea in August. Fewest wet days in June and July. Pick your fight.

Sea (°C)

17.8

16.9

17.6

18.8

22.3

25.2

25.4

22.7

21.6

19.6

Air (°C)

16.1

13.1

15.9

16.1

19.6

23.2

25.6

24.6

21.6

16.8

Sun (h/day)

7.9

8.1

9.7

11.8

13.4

13.3

11.8

9.6

8.9

Rain (days)

One year of data, 2025, from Open-Meteo at this beach's coordinates. A rain day is 1 mm or more. The red bar is the month to aim for in each row.

The crowd

Extremely popular in July and August. A genuinely empty lagoon is more of a winter occurrence.

The receipts

Minimal facilities and no permanent shops or restaurants. Bring food, water and shade.

Balos Beach in pictures

The facts · we measured

Length: 106 m
Mean width: 24.3 m
Area: 2,575 m²
Warmest sea (2025): 26.0 °C in Aug
Coldest sea (2025): 16.9 °C in Feb
Sea by month, °C: Jan 17.8 · Feb 16.9 · Mar 17.0 · Apr 17.6 · May 18.8 · Jun 22.3 · Jul 25.2 · Aug 26.0 · Sep 25.4 · Oct 22.7 · Nov 21.6 · Dec 19.6