The Elafonisi Beach is one of the Europe’s unique places. Instead of providing an extensive decription, we could say it is called the ‘European Pacific’ and the ‘Earthly Paradise’. Yet it is still worth writing a bit more about it.

Despite being called a beach, Elafonisi is in fact a natural formation - a link between CRete and the island of Elafonisi - see the picture below:

Elafonisi beach and island

This connection is about 500 m wide and 400 m long, being one large sand basin which is about 10-40 cm deep. The deepest point between Crete and Elafonisi is a small underwater channel joining the northern and the southern part of the beach, yet even this channel is usually no more than 1-1.2 m deep. So, if there is no extreme wind or waves, you can walk over to the Elafonisi island from the Cretan coast.

There is one main tarmac road leading to the Elafonisi Beach. The one near the taverna and a small complex of bugalows (called Elafonisi, of course) passe to a dusty path with unpaved surface, and after about two or three bends, it gets wider until becoming a delta which is completely plain and where you can park your car wherever you like. There are beautiful places with an almost plain entry into the water all along the beach, yet the most interesting place is a promontory heading towards the Elafonisi island. Its surface can be found about 10-20 cm above sea level, and there is shallow and nicely warmed sea all around.

Elafonisi is perfect for families with children as regardless of the children’s age, you can you enjoy there peace and comfort, letting your children walk safely even further from the coast or play on the sandy coast with no waves. There are two or three tavernas on the beach, and many umbrellas and deckchairs for rent like anywhere else. We recommend you to take enough drinking water with you (at least 2-3 litres per person), and if you are not willing to pay for the ubrellas, you should bring your own. In the whole area there is absolutely no shade, so you need to count with being exposed to the sun during all your stay, with its effect multiplied by the sea surface all around.

Besides the Elafonisi complex (the bungalows in a calm palm grove and one big restaurant), there is no other accommodation in the area. Right under the complex in the place where the tarmac road finishes, there is a convenience store where you can buy fruit and basic groceries, and tasty raki. Otherwise there are no shops at all. The Elafonisi area is not interesting from the tourist point of view either - it is a parched piece of land with only a few olive groves and many greenhouses with tomatoes or bananas.

Near the Elafonisi Beach right on the main access road, you will find the Hrissoskalitissas Monastery. If you are an active person and like to travel and get to know new places, you should definitely set off to Elafonisi for a one-day trip and visit also the Moni Hrissoskalitissas Monastery - you certainly won’t regret going there!

The trips on Elafonisi are often organized and offered by travel agencies (and they are usually included in the offer of every travel agencies offering tours to Crete). You can get there by bus but if you are staying in Paleochora, if the weather is good, there is a pleasure boat departing from Palechora (it arrives at Elafonisi in the morning and goes back in the afternoon).

If you like to travel alone, the main access road to Elafonisi passes from the north-west from the town of Kissamos through Vathi. Another possibility is use the coast way starting in Palechora, crossing over a small mountain range east of Elafonisi; yet this way is suitable for more experienced travellers owning an off-road vehicle. 

Especially during the top season, you should try to arrive at Elafonisi as soon as possible. Given that the trips to Elafonisi are the most sought-after ones, in the mornings you will find there plently of buses with tourists, which makes the romanticism of the place disappear.

Also it is not recommended to visit Elafonisi when the wind is strong - since you are surrounded by sea from three sides and sand, in case of strong wind you are exposed by turns to blasts of sand stinging like small needles and covering almost everything in a while, and water spray the wind gathers from the water surface.