Day trips from Crete: the boat days, and the one ferry out

We name each trip and say what it is; we print no boat or ferry times, no prices and no seasons of operation, because those move and a printed schedule dates fast. Check the current detail with the operators before you plan a day around it.

Balos and Gramvousa, the northwest lagoon

The most famous boat day on Crete runs from the northwest to the Balos lagoon and the islet of Gramvousa. Balos is a shallow, pale-water lagoon where a sandbar almost closes off a bay of turquoise and white; Gramvousa is a small island crowned by a ruined Venetian fortress with a wrecked ship rusting in its cove. Boats reach both from the far western ports, and Balos can also be approached by a rough track and a walk, which our Crete beaches guide weighs up.

It is the western equivalent of a headline sight, and a full day rather than a quick outing, because the lagoon is a long way from the main towns. Take it on a calm day, because the crossing is exposed, and go early in the season or early in the day, because the sandbar is small and fills up.

Chrissi, the uninhabited palm island

Off the south coast, a boat ride from Ierapetra, lies Chrissi, a low uninhabited island of cedar and palm forest ringed by pale, shell-strewn beaches and shallow clear water. There is nothing on it but the landscape and a single old church, which is exactly the point: it is a protected islet you visit for a day and leave nothing on, one of the cleanest, quietest beach days in Crete.

It is the south’s answer to Balos, less famous and less busy, and it suits a base in the east or the south of the island. Bring your own shade and water, because the island has no facilities to speak of, and treat the crossing as weather-dependent like all the others here.

Spinalonga, the island fortress

In the eastern gulf, boats from the resort towns cross to Spinalonga, the fortified islet that was a Venetian stronghold and later one of Europe’s last leper colonies. It is a short, sheltered crossing rather than a long exposed one, which makes it the most reliable boat day on the island, and the walk around the fortress and the abandoned town is genuinely moving as well as scenic.

It appears in our itinerary as the anchor of the east, and it works equally as a half-day out from a base anywhere in the eastern half of Crete, often combined with a swim stop on the way back.

Santorini, the one ferry out

The single off-island day trip that many people take from Crete is Santorini, reached by fast ferry from the north-coast ports in a matter of hours. It is a long day, a lot of it spent on the boat, but it lets a Crete trip touch the most famous caldera in the Aegean without moving base; the sailing realities are in Greek island ferries.

It is worth it mostly if Santorini is otherwise not on your trip at all, because a day is enough only to see the rim and the sunset, not the island. If you have longer, it is better as its own stop than as a day out.

How to choose

Match the boat day to your base: Balos and Gramvousa from the west, Chrissi from the south or east, Spinalonga from the eastern gulf, and the Santorini ferry from the northern ports. Take the exposed crossings on the calmest days, keep the sheltered Spinalonga run for a windier one, and do not try to reach a far-flung lagoon from the wrong end of an island this size. The whole of Crete, region by region, is in the Crete guide and the Crete itinerary.

Quick answers

What is the best day trip from Crete?

The Balos lagoon and Gramvousa boat trip from the northwest, for the scenery: a shallow turquoise lagoon closed off by a sandbar, and an islet with a Venetian fortress and a shipwreck. It is a full day and an exposed crossing, so take it on calm, quieter days. In the east, the boat to the fortress island of Spinalonga is the most reliable and moving alternative.

Can you visit Santorini as a day trip from Crete?

Yes, by fast ferry from the north-coast ports, in a few hours each way. It makes a long day with a lot of time on the boat, and it is really only enough to see Santorini’s caldera rim and sunset rather than the island. It is worth doing if Santorini is otherwise not part of your trip, but better kept as its own stop if you have the time.

Are there quiet island day trips from Crete?

Yes. Chrissi, off the south coast near Ierapetra, is an uninhabited island of palm and cedar forest with pale beaches and shallow clear water, one of the quietest beach days on Crete and far less busy than Balos. It has no facilities, so bring your own shade and water, and the crossing depends on the weather like all the island’s boat trips.