Balos Shared Catamaran Cruise (small groups to 22ppl)
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Crete, Greece
- 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Near Chania—on the Greek island of Crete—lies Balos Lagoon, home to crystal-clear waters and pristine sandy beaches. Swim, snorkel, and relax under the warm Mediterranean sun away from the crowds on this full-day small-group catamaran cruise stopping at the lagoon and Gramvousa Island, where you’ll find an old pirate fortress. Hotel pickup is available, and departures are offered on two catamarans with different group sizes.
- Full-day catamaran cruise of Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa Island
- Taste Cretan snacks and a homemade Greek lunch
- Enjoy the Mediterranean waters with use of the boat’s snorkeling equipment
- Hotel pickup available with departures on two catamarans for small groups
What's Included
- SnacksDuring the cruise we offer local snacks, seasonal fruits and drinks (beer, wine, Colas and bottled water)
- Lunch
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Transfer/Pick up from a meeting point in Chania (when option choosen in the booking process)
- A catamaran maybe replaced by another of the same of higher category and the capacity maybe adjasted
- Sea towels, swimsuits, sunscreen
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Balos Lagoon
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Gramvousa
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 22 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Amazing experience - the tour operator and crew were friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. The boat was very nice and clean. The lunch providing was a delicious assortment of Greek food and good drinks were offered! The scenery and water were beautiful. Definitely would recommend for anyone looking for a fun and scenic boat day!
Reviews
4.8
based on 96 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Definitely worth it if you want to visit these hard to reach locations without the chaos of a big tourist ship. Everything was well planned, and the boat had plenty of food, drinks, and places to hang out while sailing. And there are things to do whether you want to run up to the fortress in Gravmousa and swim to Balos lagoon, or just hang out on the boat.
If I had to criticize something, I wish they'd separate smokers into their own tour, or make the whole thing non-smoking. We only had one smoker, and it was annoying enough. Not much space on the boat to get away from it.
It may have been our crew and issues with the wind but we were not happy with our experience. We weren’t able to swim off the boat at either stop. The captain, Yannis,was also not good at communicating where he would pick up passengers from the 2 islands and we had to walk far on rocks without shoes. He did not apologize. Other passengers had a similar experience. The crew was also not engaging with the passengers while we sailed. It sounded like there were issues among the crew and captain. That said - the Balos Lagoon was spectacular.
A catamaran, crystal clear to deep blue waters, good food and great vibes- what a day!! The Yannis (John) was a great captain and the entire crew was friendly and organized. They gave specific safety guidance before starting the tour and the rest of the day was enjoyable time spent on the water. The boat was so clean!
Gramvousa Island was a beautiful and unique experience. DO NOT forget beach shoes. You definitely need them. Balos Lagoon was stunning and a must see; however if you are an avid beach lover and want to spend several hours alternating between sand and water, I’d opt for a different beach.
This tour was all about relaxing and enjoying being pampered on a mini day cruise while taking in some of the amazing wonders found only in Greece. Highly recommend!
It was well organized,on time pick up,really nice guy who collected us.Staff on the boat were excellent,drinks and food were good.
All staff very attentive,friendly and helpful.They went out of there way to assist us.I highly recommend the cruise.
Great experience on the water. The boat ride was comfortable and we had ample time at the two locations. Highly recommend.
The crew and captain were very professional and saw to all of our needs. The lunch provided was delicious and traditional and the views were 10/10.
Amazing day with an amazing crew. Was well looked after and the whole trip was well organised and relaxing. Food was lovely. Communication from beginning to end was faultless. Thank you so much.
Great experience, great cruise on catamaran, snorkeled, enjoyed the trip very much. Captain and hosts made sure we had everything we needed
Great experience. The crew was warm and accommodating, the catamaran was top notch and the lunch was tasty and plentiful.
Wonderful experience! the catamaran was clean and the food and service was quite good! Our family had a memorable trip visiting Balos and surrounding area. Thank you to the staff and crew for being so attentive throughout the trip!
The crew we had was Raisa, John, and Elias, who were all absolutely fantastic. They were all excellent hosts and excellent at their job. We got really really unlucky with the group that was with us - about 8 young kids a their parents; the parents all left the kids alone at times, called the kids names (seriously), invaded personal space, left drinks all over the boat, etc. The crew repeatedly checked on us with regards to the other guests , so we really appreciated that. Overall, good experience, just be aware that other guests may affect the type of experience you have.
Fantastic day on the water. Stunning beach and friendly staff. The food was lacking to be honest and not much meat option for a carnivore like myself but otherwise we loved it
I bought the ticket and they have my hotel information - the Minoan Palace hotel but no one picked me up
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Robert,
Our driver was at the Minoa Palace hotel at 16.00 to pick you up but you weren't there. The stuff from the hotel was calling you in the room to reach you, were searching you in the restauran but with no luck and because the car had other participants they had to leave with a delay of 20minutes because searching you.... All the group in the minibus can witness that.
So I marked you as non shown. What would you expect us to do?
Why you didn't even try to reach me? You have all my contacts... I think you just forgotten the appointment and you returned to review me with one star just to do me bad... What can I say?
Sit back and relax and enjoy everything! The crew was absolutely wonderful and we met so many new people from all over the world!
Crew was amazing
Food was great
They prepared a gluten and dairy free meal for me which was delicious
They were knowledgeable about the area and friendly
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind words!!! We are sooo happy that you enjoyed everything!!!
We hope to have onboard again in a next visit!!!
Take care and happy travels!!!
My husband and I had an amazing day on the catamaran! Beautiful boat with friendly staff. The lunch was pretty great too! I highly recommend as is a luxurious way to explore Balos in an intimate way.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thakn you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!!! Appreciate it!
We hope we will have you onboard again in a furure visit!
Happy travels!!!
The best excursion in Crete. An absolute must do. Beautiful beaches and lovely staff. Kids had a blast. Our catamaran had 10 guests only which was perfect.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!!! We really appreciate it!
We are very pleased that you had such a nice time and we hope to see you again in a future visit!
Take care and safe travells!
Amazing day on the water! Exceptional service and food throughout the excursion. We really appreciated how intentional the crew was to keeping order and cleanliness on the boat as well. Beautiful scenery, paddle boards and floats available... everything was perfect and best way to close out our Greece tour! Thank you!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind words. We are so pleased that you had such a great time with us and you will cherish the memory as the close out of your trip to Greece.
Happy travels and who knows... Our roads might cross again in the future!!!
The experience was wonderful! Our driver to Balos was excellent. And the crew on the catamaran was amazing as well. We had a beautiful day of swimming , snorkeling and beach time and of course relaxing on the boat! Lunch was delicious too. Highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind words, everyone enjoyed the time with you as well!!! We love to have people like you onboard!!
See you in a next visit maybe!!!
The views were amazing! Would definitely recommend hiking up to the fortress to see the view! It was a fun time on the water with great food & drinks.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are very happy that you enjoyed your time on our Catamaran!!!
Vera and captain Mike were wonderful. It was a very windy and cool day but they made it very enjoyable. The food Vera made was fabulous and would rate them excellent catamaran trip .
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind words and the time you take to share here your experience with us!!! The crew had a great time with you as well!!
We are looking forward to having you on board once you return to Crete!!
Until then, take care!!
Balos was worth the trip. It was very pretty and such a cool experience for us. I recommend doing something smaller for the boat trip to Balos because the larger less expensive ships arrived around one hour into our experience and Balos immediately felt extremely crowded. Gramvousa was also a very cool experience and the fortress at the top was worth the climb if you have time.
Great staff, very friendly and accommodating to whatever you wanted. The boat was comfortable for everyone onboard. Balos was unreal and a must on your trip..
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your kind words and for your time to review us and share your experience on our catamaran!
We are looking forward to having you on board again sometime in the future!
Attentive to every detail, we had a wonderful day! The food was great, both Yannis and Georgio (sp?) gave us great information and a bit of history and let us spend the day as we wished.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It was a pleasure having onboard!
Until next time take care!
Caring and friendly crew who were very focused on everyone having a great day. Transfer from our hotel to port was great and once on board we were provided with coffees, soft and alcoholic drinks, snacks, fresh fruit and a tasty lunch. At the swim stops there were floatation aids, snorkel masks, dry bags and tenders to shore provided. The waters were beautiful and clear. The aperol cocktail served on the sail back to port was a nice touch. Definitely recommend this tour over the public ferries which looked far too crowded! Thanks all for an amazing day!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience on out Catamaran!
We hope to see you again sometime in the future!
Fantastic experience , really well organised. The crew very brilliant and looked after us very well day, lovely food and drinks.
We had plenty of time at both Balos and Gramvousa to swim and explore and we didn’t feel rushed. Really excellent day!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your kind wotds and for taking the time to share your experience with us! We are very please that you had such a wonderful day!
Hopr to see you again !!
This excursion quickly turned into a nightmare. What the tour description does not mention is that the sailing route to Balos Beach is VERY rough. There were 12 people on our catamaran sail and at least half were getting seasick because the sea was so rough. It was an awful experience. When the seas are this rough, this excursion should not operate. Because so many people were getting sick, the crew asked if everyone wanted to turn back and go to Balos Beach by minivan. It was unanimous that the guests wanted to turn back and end the seasick misery. So we went back to the marina and boarded a minivan to Balos Beach. It was a one hour ride, most of it over a slow and inclining dirt road. What the crew did not tell us that the parking lot for Balos Beach is at the top of a mountain and pedestrians must hike down a steep side of a mountain to reach Balos Beach. Of course we were all wearing flip flops not hiking boots. The hike down to the beach took over half an hourour over rugged terrain in full sun, no guardrails. At least one tourist passed out on the side of the trail and was receiving medical attention. Going down was treacherous and extremely difficult. The crew basically sold it as a short easy hike. It was not. It was the most strenuous hike I’ve ever done. The scenery is beautiful but not worth the stress of the hike. The beach was nice but very windy and the sand was blowing in our faces. There was a bathroom that you had to pay to use at the beach. The hike back up to the parking lot was nothing short of horrific. I did not think I was going to make it. I really thought I was going to die on that mountain. It took me over an hour to climb the steep mountain in the hot sun in flip flops with no drinking water. Worst excision ever. The really insulting part is the crew openly lied to us about how difficult it is to reach this beach. It is beautiful, but if you must go, take the large public ferry, not a small private boat. Do not even consider hiking down to the beach on foot. Never again. Most of us guests thought we were just lied to. Do not take this excursion
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Dear Catherine, I am really sorry that you feel this way... The truth is that not everything is for everyone and this applies to you, which is ok but you must consider everything before you judge so harshly and throw mud at a business that truly cares about its customers.
I won't say much because I understand that your opinion will not change as it seems you had a difficult time. I will only say that you were asked and agreed without anyone pressuring you and therefore the decision and the responsibility for the decision was yours alone! You are the only one who complained and you owe this to your own exhaustion and your inability to walk. You even admitted to the drivers that you're from New York and you're not used to walking... After all, thousands of people walk the path every day and the average time is 20 minutes, of course some like you need more time but it is not our fault or our bad information.
As for the weather, the forecast that day was not accurate and for this very reason we returned to the port, not to cause you any more trouble, something we are proud to do as we do not sacrifice everything on the altar of money. We simply want to keep our guests happy and satisfied, but unfortunately, we did not manage to satisfy you... You were not in a good mood and I quickly noticed it, from your rude phone call that day. Don't get me wrong, we all have bad days and it was obviously one of them for you.
Anyway, I'm sorry that you feel this way and that after so long you remembered to write it to cause harm... I hope another time we can satisfy you, like everyone else who trusts us.
Amazing experience - the tour operator and crew were friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. The boat was very nice and clean. The lunch providing was a delicious assortment of Greek food and good drinks were offered! The scenery and water were beautiful. Definitely would recommend for anyone looking for a fun and scenic boat day!
We absolutely loved this boat trip, mostly because the crew were so friendly and nice. The food was excellent and lunch was one of the best meals we had on the island! I would much rather take this boat trip to Balos Lagoon than any other way. Thank you so much to the captain and crew!
Not to be missed. Super friendly crew. Spectacular scenery great food. The catamaran was super clean and comfortable.
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From $141.87
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Balos Shared Catamaran Cruise (small groups to 22ppl)
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