Elafonisi Beach Crete Guide: Is the Pink Sand Beach Worth Visiting? How to Get There & Nearby Restaurants and hotels

Imagine walking on pink sand and swimming in turquoise water. That’s exactly what awaits you at Elafonisi Beach in Crete, Greece, one of Europe’s most unique and magical shorelines. And trust me, it’s absolutely worth the trip. 

Whether you are traveling by car or exploring without one, this guide covers everything you need to know: how to get there, where to stay, the best nearby restaurants, best time to visit and everything else you need for an unforgettable trip at this dreamy pink beach in Crete, Greece.

Located in the southwestern part of Crete Island, Elafonisi Beach is known for its unique PINK SAND, beautiful landscape, turquoise and shallow water, and has been voted by travellers as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, attracting a great number of tourists every year.

When you visit Elafonisi Pink Beach, you can see many layers of colours, from white sand to pink sand to crystal clear blue, and even to slightly darker ocean colours. It is like a dream or a surreal painting when you look at Crete’s pink beach. 

I personally could not stop wowing while I was there, and the whole time at the pink beach I was so excited because I’ve never seen anything like this before. And this pink sand beach was actually the main reason why I chose to visit Crete Island over all the other Greek islands.

Another great part of this pink sand beach is that the water from the Cretan side to the islet of Elafonisi is shallow. I am 152 cm tall, and there is a path where the water does not even reach my knees the whole way. This makes it very easy to walk to the islet of Elafonisi side and enjoy quieter spots and even more stunning views. 

How to get to the pink beach, Elafonisi?

🔗This is the exact location of Elafonisi Beach Crete, and there are 3 ways to go to Elafonisi Beach for its unique pink sand view:

1. Join a Elafonisi Beach day tour

It is the easiest option for going to pink Elafonisi Beach if you decide not to rent a car and drive by yourself on Crete Island.

Depending where you want to start the tour from, you can choose to join 🔗a day tour to Elafonisi pink beach from Chania or 🔗join a day tour from Rethymno. 

The tour organiser will pick you up from your hotel and drop you off afterward, saving you a lot of hassle. Additionally, you can meet other travellers during the tour.

2. By car

If you are driving to pink Elafonisi Beach from Chania International Airport, it will take you around 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach the destination. 

One thing to keep in mind is that some parts of the mountain roads leading to Elafonisi Beach from Chania are a bit narrow and have sharp turns. It is advisable to drive slowly and carefully. 

Even the locals in Crete told us to be careful when we mentioned our plan to drive to this pink sand beach.

3. By bus

You can visit Elafonisi Beach by bus from Chania, it’d take about 2 hours to reach. However the bus service may not operate at all times, so it is essential to check the schedule on the bus operator’s official website https://www.e-ktel.com/ and plan your itinerary accordingly.

If the website doesn’t work in your country, try using a VPN and connect to either the UK or Greece, they both work! Or you can Email KTEL directly: [email protected] to ask for a bus schedule.

My suggestion is either to 🔗take a guided tour to save energy and hassle or rent a car and drive to the Elafonisi pink beach by yourself and stay overnight. Like us, we stayed at Elafonisi for 2 nights and were very happy about it.

Restaurants near Elafonisi pink sand Beach, Crete Island

There aren’t many restaurants near Elafonisi Beach, but here are a couple of good options to check out. 

We particularly enjoyed the one at 🔗our hotel. The food there is delicious and great quality. 

There’s also food at 🔗Panorama, which has an amazing view of the pink beach.

If you are looking for more restaurant options, you can head to areas like 🔗White Lake Beach, 🔗Chrysoskalitissa Monastery, and 🔗Stomio Beach, which are all short driving distance to pink beach Crete. On the way to these areas, you will find more options for food and beaches, as well as the opportunity to chase the sunset. 

Why is the sand pink at Elafonisi Beach in Crete, Greece?

The locals explained that pink Elafonisi Beach gets its pink sand colour from crushed foraminifera (the red shells). And this phenomenon is very rare and there are only a few pink sand beaches like this in the world, making it a must-visit destination if you are 

You can also see a bit of pink sand at Balos Beach/Lagoon and Kedrodasos Beach in Crete, both with unique vibes and views. I really loved them and highly recommend you to visit too.

When is the best time to visit Elafonisi Beach?

As Elafonisi is a very popular beach in Crete due to its unique pink sand, it attracts a large number of tourists from Greece and around the world in summer. 

Therefore, if you want to avoid a packed beach, I recommend visiting this beach during May, June or early September, and be at the beach before the afternoon, as these months mark the beginning and end of peak season, you will encounter fewer tourists and high chance that the weather is still warm on the sunny days. 

During our visit in late April and early May, we experienced hot daytime temperatures, allowing us to swim and my friend even got sunburnt at the beach. 

But if you are ok with the crowd, and don’t want to encounter any chilly weather, the most popular time to visit this pink sand beach is in summer- July and August. 

Other places to go around Elafonisi Beach in Crete

• Visit an amazing remote 🔗Kedrodasos Beach that free spirits will love. You can also 🔗join a guided kayaking and hiking tour between Elafonisi and Kedrodasos Beach.
• Watch the sunset at 🔗Chrysoskalitissa Monastery or 🔗Stomio Beach.

Useful information for Crete Island

• For a trustworthy website to buy ferry tickets to Crete and other Greek islands, you can check the ferry price and availability to Crete from Athens and other island 🔗on this Greek website or 🔗this international transportation booking site I always use.  In my opinion, Minoan Lines ferry company offers comfortable seats(VIP seats) and cabins. 
• 🔗6 must go picturesque, magical places in Crete Island, Greece