Falassarna Beach Crete

Falassarna beach together with Balos Lagoon and Elafonissi beach is considered among the three most beautiful on the Crete Island.

We find it in the extreme north-west of the island at the base of the Gramvousa Peninsula , about fifteen kilometers from the picturesque   Kissamos village and about sixty kilometers from the beautiful city of Chania. In the extreme south the ruins of the ancient Greek-Roman period city of Phalassarna.

A long stretch of soft fine sand that caresses three kilometers of the coast with a crystalline, clear sea with turquoise blue colors. Its seabed drops slowly, ideal for families with children, with some rock formations in the stretch near the beach. To put it all, the long bay of Livardi hosts more than one beach, in truth there are five of which the two central ones are the best known for their almost tropical landscape. The bay is part of the Natura 2000 project and is a protected area where wild junipers, some types of orchids and sea lilies grow. Curiosity, think that the lifeguards use the quad to move around as much as it is extended .

The most popular and the main Pachia Ammos, a kilometer long and more than 150 meters wide. Given its size, although very popular with tourists especially in the summer, it is never overcrowded and allows you to spend a quiet day enjoying what Mother Nature has been able to skillfully create. It is equipped with sun beds, umbrellas, snack bars and cafes where you can find something to drink and eat. Some points for water sports and beach volleyball courts are a surplus to have fun with family or old or new friends.

North of the Pachia Ammos beach, we find another beautiful coastline about eight hundred meters long and with the same environmental characteristics as the main beach. Divided in half by sweet and soft sand dunes and rocks, unlike the other it is not equipped but completely free so you can spread your towel wherever you like, always remembering that if you want to protect yourself from the sun you must have everything you need. . In the immediate vicinity there is a lovely chapel called Agia Paraskevi and a fresh spring of fresh water.

The only drawback of Falassarna beach is the wind. Since its position is completely open and without cliffs behind it but rather a large plain when Aeolus decides to make himself heard, he succeeds very well. We suggest that you check the weather conditions before going there to avoid making an empty trip. In addition to this inconvenience, it still remains a paradise where you will want to return again and again and again.

A few words about the city of Phalasarna which remains a great opportunity to know something more about the Crete island. Already populated in the Minoan period, it had its greatest splendor between the mid-4th century BC until 67 BC when the Romans arrived and razed the settlement by blocking the canals that led into the port with large boulders, thus reducing them 'to desuetude. It was a very powerful city during the Hellenistic period, a real fortified citadel with double walls in some points along the entire perimeter, two towers connected to each other by wharfs and equipped with a very impressive military port connected to the sea by two channels. In 500 AD following an earthquake, the city of Falassarna rose nine meters, burying and moving the bay towards the hinterland. In 1966 excavations began, still in progress, which brought to light a floor that connected the acropolis to the port, five small cisterns forming part of the public baths, a fish tank of twenty-five square meters carved into the rock, the necropolis with tombs pit burial and some temples on the back of the city probably dedicated to the goddess Artemis.

The best way is always the rental car. From Kissamos to have a reference point, follow the road to the v Platanos villageand proceed as per the indications to Falassarna. From the town a fairly narrow and articulated road will lead you down to the beach.

There is also public transport to Falassarna but we advise you to carefully check the timetables as they can vary according to the periods.

Here is another of the top 10 beaches to be included in the list of things to see in Crete, don't forget it!