Gramvousa and Balos Day Cruise from Chania

Crete, Greece

11 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa Island are considered among Crete’s top attractions, but organizing transportation independently cuts into valuable sightseeing and sunbathing time. On this tour, reach both sites with ease by boat and discover their natural beauty. Follow winding walking routes at your leisure, soak up the rays by the lagoon, and enjoy hotel pickup and drop-off at your Chania accommodation.

Explore Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa Island in one day
Save time organizing transportation independently
Enjoy spectacular views over the pretty coastal landscapes
Includes round-trip hotel transport from Chania accommodation

What's Included

Transport by air-conditioned coach
Local Guide
All Taxes
Boat ticket to Gramvousa 19 euro per person
Ecological fee

Tips

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Operating hours
.8:00 am

Itinerary

Gramvousa

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Balos Lagoon

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Kastelli Kissamos Old Port

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate

Remember to have with you :Swimsuit -Beach towel-Hat -Sunscreen
You will receive a confirmation email with your pickup location and time.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.3

based on 42 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Amazing beach trip!

Hyacinth_D, Aug 2025

Great trip to Balos and Gramvousa Beach! The ferry to the beach was quite large and clean with convenient cafe for drinks/food and "beach stuff". Balos Beach was incredible with amazing clear water! Gramvousa beach was more rocky but nice and it you want, you can climb up to the castle. My only criticism is that the ferry should leave a little ealier (like 10am) to give us more time at Balos Beach. But we loved this trip and would recommend to everyone!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear that you loved Balos and Gramvousa Beach and enjoyed the ferry and its amenities. We appreciate your feedback regarding the departure time and will take it into consideration. It’s wonderful to know you had a great trip and would recommend it to others. Kind regards, MTM Customer Service

Misleading and Disappointing

Hayley_D, Jul 2023

This was an extremely disappointing experience. My partner and I were excited to explore Balos in particular, but when the boat stopped 100 metres from shore with no explanation and then people just started jumping off the back of the boat for a swim, we were very confused. We did some research online only to find that the boat company had announced on their website a week prior that the boat was not allowed to dock at the beach anymore and this was as close as we’d get to Balos. We’re both strong swimmers, but did not want to just jump off the back of the boat and tread water with everyone else. We had no choice but to sit on the overcrowded boat for 2 hours waiting for the time to be up. There was no communication of this change prior to boarding and if we had known this, we would not have gone. We were allowed off the boat in Garmvousa but there was hardly any shade on a very hot day so everyone was crowded together under tiny trees. The water was nice but there were so many rocks and coral to step over to get to where it was nice to swim. The lack of communication of this IMPORTANT change was the major issue and we were very disappointed that we paid this money, came all this way and then just had to stare at Balos from the ocean and not even get to experience it.

Great trip

Morgan_M, Sep 2019

My husband and I took this trip on our honeymoon. The bus picked us up and took us to the sea port. The boat we were on served food and drinks... they even had a happy hour! We were taken to two beautiful beaches. Would totally do this again. Price wise it was kind of silly because you’re not paying for a tour, you’re paying for the bus ride but it was nice to have to all taken care of for you!

Response from Host, Sep 2019

Dear Guest, It is absolutely our pleasure to look after all the wonderful guests like yourselves and very important to us to receive such lovely feedback. We sincerely hope that we will have the pleasure to welcome you back again in one of our tours and until then we wish you all the best. Best regards,

Avoid at all costs

Andre_R, Jul 2019

Misleading description. This is NOT a tour. This is a TRANSFER with Cruise (read ferry) ticket. The start date shows here at 10am, however you will be collected from your hotel (if staying in Chania or surroundings) from around 8am. You will be in a big bus and will be stopping in several hotels along the way to Kissamos port. If you are alone, it may be a good deal. However if there are 2 or more in your party, then a taxi or arranged transfer may be better. Not just a better value, but also faster and with a decent departure time. Arriving at Kissamos port, your "guide", that is, the person who asked you for CASH to pay for the ferry when you boarded the bus, will leave the bus to buy tickets while you wait inside. In summary, all you are paying for here online is for a big bus, with someone inside, who will charge you for the ferry and buy the tickets when arriving at the port. Why can't you do this yourself? Now, the review of the ferry experience. We arrived late due to delays in picking up other travellers, so we actually departed at 10:40am instead of 10:20am as promised here in this website. In Gramvousa island, while in the itinerary here it says you will have 2 hours in the location, we had just over 1 hour. In Balos, instead of the 3 hours promised, we had 2. The ferry was terrible. It was huge and full of other people coming from various other tours or independently travelling. It was AWFUL. I wouldn't do it again and I would not recommend this tour to ANYONE, not even an enemy. However, if you really want to get the ferry, at least do it yourself and avoid being screwed over.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Dear Guest, Thank you for posting your feedback of your recent tour. Do have in mind that all inclusions - exclusions and extras to be paid are clearly described prior booking and our vessel can take up to maximum 200 persons and only. No other customers have joined the vessel except our group and only and time spent in each island was exactly as described. Your detailed review helps us to see our product through your eyes. We hope to have the opportunity of welcoming you back for another tour. Best Regards