LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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9 BEST BEACHES NEAR CHANIA + WHY WE LIKE THEM.

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Crete isn’t short on beaches. In fact, choosing where to spend a beach day can be one of the hardest parts of planning a trip here. Around Chania alone, you’ll find everything from wide sandy bays and family-friendly swimming spots to secluded coves and some of the most famous stretches of coastline in Greece.

During our time exploring western Crete, we spent plenty of days beach hopping along the coast, searching out quiet coves, revisiting local favourites, and making a few longer trips to see whether the island’s most talked-about beaches lived up to the hype.

This guide covers the beaches we think are most worth your time near Chania, from easy-to-reach city beaches to spectacular spots that justify a full day on the road. More importantly, we’ll tell you why we liked them, and who we think they’re best suited for.

7 beaches close to Chania

If you don’t want to go too far from the city, here are 7 beaches in and around Chania.

1/ Koum Kapi Beach

Koum Kapi is a city beach, and as is typical with city beaches, it is rather small. But that’s not to say it isn’t worth a visit.

For us, Koum Kapi was a total surprise. Our apartment was three minutes away, and we quickly became regulars. Arrive early in the morning and you’ll swim alongside locals in calm, quiet water. Come back in the late afternoon and it makes for a pleasant end to the day, when the sun drops and the waterfront cafes fill up.

There are no parasols or sun loungers here, so bring your own umbrella if you plan to stay a while. Showers are available on the beach, and there’s no shortage of cafes nearby for a post-swim coffee.

2/ Nea Chora Beach

Nea Chora is Chania’s most straightforward beach option, close, organised, and always busy enough to feel lived in.

It is not a standout beach in itself, but it is hard to fault for convenience. You have sunbeds, restaurants right on the promenade, and everything you need within a few steps. The water is calm and shallow, which makes it popular with families and anyone looking for an easy swim rather than a full day out.

If you are staying in the Old Town, it is the default option. You probably will not fall in love with it, but you also will not need to think too hard about it.

You can walk from the Old Town in 15 to 20 minutes, or hop on a bus to shorten the journey.

3/ Aptera Beach

Aptera is a sandy beach around four kilometres west of Chania’s Old Town, tucked between Kladissos and Golden Beach. It’s the quieter alternative in that stretch of coast.

There’s a well-regarded beach bar here, the Aptera Beach Resort, which has a good reputation for food and a reliably relaxed vibe, worth stopping at for lunch or a cold drink. You can reach Aptera by bus from Chania, or drive there in around ten minutes.

4/ Golden beach

Golden Beach is one of the easiest beaches to recommend near Chania. It is close, well set up, and reliably good for swimming.

The sand is soft and the water stays shallow and calm, even on windier days. It is also one of the more organised beaches in this area, with sunbeds, cafes, and lifeguards in summer.

It can get busy, especially at weekends, but it rarely feels overwhelming thanks to its size. If you want something simple, accessible, and consistently pleasant, this is the one.

You can walk from Chania in around 30 minutes following the coast, or take the bus.

5/ Yannis Beach

Yannis Beach is the eastern cove of the Agii Apostoli area, tucked behind rocky headlands and named after its resident beach bar. It’s a deeper, more enclosed bay than its neighbours, with cliffs on either side and calm, very clear water that makes for excellent snorkelling.

The surrounding rocks give the bay a more dramatic feel than most beaches this close to Chania. There are organised sections with beds, and free areas where you can lay a towel.

You can walk from Chania in around one hour, or take bus 21. The drive, or bus ride, is around 15 minutes.

6/ Iguana Beach

When I decided to visit Crete this summer, Iguana Beach was exactly the kind of beach I was hoping to discover. It is a small cove hemmed in by hills, with a church idling over the water on one side and the smell of pine trees drifting in from the other. The water is calm and clear, and rocks just below the surface make it a rewarding spot for snorkelling – the fish have plenty of structure to hide in and around.

The cafe that gives the beach its name is handy for a bite or a cold drink between swims. Sun loungers are available to rent, but on my visit I preferred bringing my own umbrella and snacks for a more self-contained day.

I walked to Iguana from Chania – 4.5 kilometres, which took just under an hour. The route is easy, with only short sections on road. Getting back is simple too: there’s a bus stop just outside the beach, and the number 21 takes you back to the Old Town in around twenty minutes.

7/ Glaros Beach (Seagull Beach)

Glaros is the longest beach in the Agii Apostoli area, a broad, sandy stretch running west from the coves of Iguana and Yannis.

It has a more open, traditional resort feel than its neighbours, with several hotels and tavernas lining the shore and all the facilities you’d expect: sun loungers, umbrellas, showers, a lifeguard, and water sports hire. The water is extremely shallow, making it one of the safest spots for young children anywhere near Chania.

It doesn’t have quite as much character as the coves nearby (Yannis and Iguana), but it is a practical offering.

Bus 21 from Chania stops nearby, and the drive from the city takes around ten minutes.

2 beach destinations for a day trip

If you have access to a car – or the patience for a bus – the beaches further west of Chania are among the best in Crete. Here are our picks for a day trip.

8/ Phalasarna

Of all the beaches we visited on our trip to Crete, Phalasarna was the one I would recommend the most. It’s popular and well-known, so don’t expect a hidden gem. But the beach is absolutely huge – in fact, there are multiple beaches along this stretch, so it doesn’t feel crowded.

The sand is soft and light, but it’s swimming in the water that is hard to forget. I would go so far as to describe a swim at Phalasarna as “transcendent” – I spent hours bobbing about in the clear water, gazing at the never ending horizon. It truly is magical.

There are popular bars, like the Orange Blue Bar, as well as tavernas along the beach. If you want a bit of luxury, there are many modern beach bars offering swish facilities. Sun loungers are a little pricy if you’re after front row (€40 for a pair), but €20 will secure you a back row pair. There’s absolutely nothing to stop you just dropping a towel, or bringing your own umbrella.

If you’re driving, car parking is normally free and plentiful. Buses leave Chania frequently throughout summer months, and it’s an easy day trip to take if you don’t have a car.

9/ Elafonissi Beach

I’ll be entirely honest: Elafonissi is quite a trek from Chania – around 75 kilometres and one and a half hours along winding mountain roads through the gorge at Topolia and across some genuinely spectacular terrain. We visited while we were staying in Kissamos, which put us considerably closer, but it is possible and indeed popular to make the journey as a day trip from Chania.

Is it worth it? Yes, without question.

Elafonissi is the most famous beach in Crete, so it is popular. It is most known for the pink sand – which is more subtle than you might imagine. It tinges the water’s edge. That said, it is spectacularly beautiful.

The beach faces a small island – technically Elafonissi is the island, not the beach – separated from the mainland by a shallow lagoon that rarely comes above knee height. You wade across to reach the wilder, quieter coves on the far side. The whole area is a nature reserve, home to rare plant life.

If you’re taking the bus, or opting for an organised tour, you’ll arrive in the morning. Alternatively, if you are driving, I’d recommend arriving for late afternoon – form 15:00 onwards it gets much quieter.

Tip: If you’re planning to visit both Phalasarna and Elafonissi, consider basing yourself in Kissamos for a night or two. It’s a pleasant coastal town and cuts down significantly on driving time. We spent a full week there and didn’t tire of it.

More things to do in Chania

For a more detailed guide to visiting Chania, you can find our blog post – 16 wonderful things to do in Chania here.

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Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

British travel writer and long-distance hiker, native to Kent. Emma has walked the Camino de Santiago more than ten times, completed trails across Europe from the Corfu Trail to the Fisherman’s Trail, and covered thousands of kilometres on foot. She always writes from first-hand experience. Her goal? Inspire just one person to go on their first long-distance hike.

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