Heraklion to Elafonisos

by Bee
(London)

Hello

I am planning to travel to Heraklion with my boyfriend to visit my friend who works on the site at Knossos in early June. We will be staying with her for 4 to 5 days in the centre of Heraklion town.

After this we would like to spend another 5 days somewhere more relaxing, pref. on the beach but will need to traval by public transport. Do you have any suggestions for somewhere easily accessible via public transport that is not 'party central' but has a beach a small town and some bars etc.

I love the look of Elafonisos as suggested by my friend but having looked I think without a car this may be unrealistic?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Bee

By the Beach in Crete

Hi Bee,

It sounds like an interesting stay you will have visiting Knossos and Heraklion with your friend.

Well, there are so many choices for a 4 to 5 day stay at the beach. We understand you need to take public transport.

We suggest the following places all over the island - from west to east...

• Kastelli Kissamos (you can visit Elafonisos from here)

• Paleochora (you can visit Elafonisos from here by boat)

• Kalives

• Panormos

• Agia Pelagia

• Matala

• Elounda

• Kato Zakros (all the way in the east)

Each one you can get to by public bus and each one has nice beaches, some have more of a bit of town than the others...You will just have to choose one then make a dedicated day to get there and another to get back.

The closest one that would mean the least amount of travel is Agia Pelagia (22 km). This is a beautiful seaside village with lovely clear waters and a few different bays to visit. It has nice cafes, tavernas and a bit of nightlife. If you like snorkelling or diving, there is good visibility here.

Another beach side option are the five coves of Bali Beaches, just 50 km west of Heraklion and really easy to get to with public transport.

The info pages you will need to decide are:

Beach Accommodation

Beaches of Crete

And here is the bus page for timetables

Tips for visiting Knossos

All about Heraklion...

You could easily get from Heraklion to Elafonisi Beach. The trick would be to take the bus from Heraklion to Chania on the first day, then relax and stay in the old town of Chania. Explore the narrow laneways and old Venetian harbour.

The next day, take the first early local bus to Elafonisi Beach, spend the day on the beach and make sure you get the last bus back before nightfall, and return to Chania.

Kalo Taxidi! Bon Voyage!