Balos

Balos, Greece

Sunrise light falls over the shallow turquoise waters and pale sand of Balos Lagoon on Crete, viewed from the cliffs above.

A lagoon of shallow turquoise water over pale sand, reached by boat or a long drive across north-western Crete.

The place

Balos is a lagoon and beach on the north-western tip of Crete, in the Chania regional unit. The shallow water sits on the western side of the Gramvousa peninsula, a finger of land that forms the western half of Kissamos Bay. Offshore lie the Gramvousa islands, two small uninhabited islets that belong to the same municipality. What draws visitors is the colour of the water over pale sand. The lagoon is shallow enough to warm quickly, so it looks almost tropical from the cliffs above and the rocks at its edges. The land around is open and dry. Shade is scarce, the sand heats up by midday, and there is little built on the beach itself, so the place feels more like a wild coastline than a resort. Access is the main constraint. Most people arrive on a boat trip from the coast or join a day excursion from Chania, and a rougher road reaches the area for those who drive. The site is part of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, which explains the marked paths, the limits on the dunes and the sense that the area is cared for rather than developed. Balos is a daytime destination. Boats bring large groups in the late morning and early afternoon, and the beach thins out once the last boats leave. The wider region is worth a few days, with the old harbour and town in Chania as the natural base.

Its story

Balos has been known by several names, and the peninsula around it carries more again. The islands and headland are recorded under Gramvousa, Grampousa, Akra, Cavo Buso, Cavo Bouza, Garabusa and Grabusa, a reminder of how many languages and mapmakers have passed along this coast. Greek speakers call the place Γραμβούσα, and the name has shifted with each map and each seafarer who put it down. The coastline here was long a route for ships moving between the Aegean and the sea lanes to the west, so its islets and bays were charted and named repeatedly. The landscape itself has changed little, and that continuity gives the lagoon much of its appeal. Its story in the twentieth century is tied to the island's wider history. Crete was the scene of heavy fighting in the Second World War, and the island's German war cemetery near Chania holds the graves of many soldiers who died there. The cemetery is one of two German military cemeteries in Greece, and it is a quiet reminder of that period. Balos today is best understood as a lagoon that has been visited, mapped and described for a very long time, and that now draws people mainly for its water, its colour and its isolation.

What to see

Culture

Balos sits within a Greek island culture in which hospitality is close to a duty. In Crete, people often take time to talk, and a visitor who asks about a local dish or a village will usually be rewarded with more conversation than expected. The rhythm of the day follows the sun. Lunch is a long affair, and many small eateries close for a rest in the hottest hours before reopening in the evening. Greek is the everyday language, though English is widely spoken in tourist areas, and a few words of Greek are always appreciated. Greeks are also relaxed about time, so a boat or a table may run late without much concern. Cretan tradition is strongly proud of its own customs, its music and its food, and visitors who show interest in these are generally welcomed. Religious sites such as monasteries ask for covered shoulders and knees, and it is polite to speak quietly inside churches and to step back from any service in progress. Take your rubbish back with you from the lagoon and keep to the marked paths and sand so the dunes are not damaged.

What to wear

Balos is a beach and lagoon, so the practical clothing is light and quick-drying, but the wider Crete you pass through has its own traditional dress. The classic Cretan costume for men includes wide black trousers called vraka, a dark waistcoat and a sash, with tall leather boots known as stivania. Women's traditional dress has been more varied across the island, with dark woollen and cotton skirts, aprons and headscarves, often embroidered in simple geometric patterns. Woven wool and linen, along with hand-embroidered borders, were the everyday textiles of mountain villages, and they still appear at festivals and in local shops. Today most people on Crete dress much as visitors do, in jeans, cotton shirts and sandals, though older women in villages often wear black, a long-standing custom of mourning and modesty. A visitor heading to Balos should wear loose cotton or linen, a wide-brimmed hat, and a swimsuit under light clothes. Good sandals or water shoes are useful because the rocks and sand can be hot and sharp. Cover your shoulders and knees for any monastery or church visit, and bring a light layer for the boat ride back when the wind picks up.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April to May and September to October suit a lagoon visit best: the sea is warm, the air is less harsh than midsummer, and the boats are fewer. July and August are hot and busy, with the largest day-boat crowds and little shade. Winter is quiet and cool, and some boat services may not run.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. Fly into Chania or take the ferry from Athens: an overnight ANEK Lines ferry from Piraeus takes about 9 hours, and the daytime high-speed Hellenic Seaways ferry takes about 4.5 hours. From Chania, the bus terminal is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the harbour or main market square, and boat trips to the lagoon leave from the north-west coast.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources