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Greece · Crete · #2 of Greece's ten by fame

Elafonisi Beach

Pink in places, protected everywhere.

How we rated it: second on the fame list, and a find no other beach here has, sand turned pink by foraminifera shells. Nothing against it. Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0

The hang

Elafonisi is second on Greece's fame list and the one beach here with a find no other has: its sand is pink in places, from the crushed shells of microscopic organisms called foraminifera. It is a protected nature reserve, and loggerhead turtles nest on it, so parts are fenced off. The road in is paved, narrow and full of turns, about an hour and a half from Chania airport. There is one taverna near the entrance selling snacks, two beach bars, free changing booths and toilets that cost 50 cents. It is very crowded in July and August. We measured 412 metres of sand.

The real intel

Best months · warmest sea: August (26.4 °C), then September and July. Coldest: February (17.3 °C). One year of data, 2025.
Best months · emptiest: June and September: still busy, and more comfortable than July and August.
Getting there: About 1.5 hours' drive from Chania Airport, or 1 hour 20 minutes from Falasarna. The road is well paved but narrow, with many turns.
Cost reality: Sunbeds about €15 a day with a straw parasol in high season. Toilets 50 cents.
The catch nobody tells you: It is a protected reserve. Fenced-off areas must be respected, especially in the turtle nesting season.

The year at Elafonisi Beach

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

Sea (°C)

18.3

17.3

17.9

19.3

22.9

25.1

26.4

25.9

21.8

19.8

Air (°C)

14.5

11.4

16.2

15.8

21.7

27.2

29.1

27.8

25.8

20.1

18.9

14.7

Sun (h/day)

8.1

8.5

9.9

11.3

11.7

13.5

13.3

11.8

9.6

9.1

8.2

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 neighbours

3 beaches within 6 km, as the gull flies.

600 mPink Beach315 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
2.0 kmKedrodasos276 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
2.5 kmKendrodasos136 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.

Straight-line distances from the mapped beach shapes (OpenStreetMap). Roads are longer, and in Bali they are much longer.

The crowd

Very crowded in July and August.

The receipts

One taverna near the entrance selling snacks only, two beach bars, free changing booths and paid toilets.

Elafonisi Beach in pictures

The facts · we measured

Length: 412 m
Mean width: 56.1 m
Area: 23,071 m²
Warmest sea (2025): 26.4 °C in Aug
Coldest sea (2025): 17.3 °C in Feb
Sea by month, °C: Jan 18.3 · Feb 17.3 · Mar 17.3 · Apr 17.9 · May 19.3 · Jun 22.9 · Jul 25.1 · Aug 26.4 · Sep 25.9 · Oct 23.0 · Nov 21.8 · Dec 19.8