Surely worth a visit. Parking is available very close to lake for only €3.00 for a day. Paddle boat for 4 persons costs €15 for 1 hour. We had no luck in seeing turtles, but still enjoyed every minute. Then had some lunch in one of the Tavernas there.

Lake Kournas is a true gem of Crete! Surrounded by mountains, it enchants with its turquoise water and peaceful atmosphere. It’s a perfect place to relax, swim, or take a ride on a pedal boat. You can also spot turtles swimming in the lake — a wonderful experience, especially for children. Around the lake, there are cozy tavernas serving delicious food with a beautiful view. It’s definitely worth visiting to unwind and enjoy the magic of nature.

It's a nice lake to visit but wouldn't go out of my way to go see it if you're far away. We took the train ride there and that was quite nice, big carriage and breezy ride under the shaded seats. We rented a pedalo avg. €5 per person for an hour trying to find some turtles but due to the large amount of boats they were hard to spot or see. I'd say save your money and just have a relaxing time on the lake and go from a nice swim instead. At some parts of the lake the water is very cloudy and also smells like eggs.

Lake Kournas is a lovely spot and definitely worth a visit. We hired a boat for €15 an hour and went all around the lake - a nice and relaxing experience. The scenery is beautiful, with clear water and mountain views. The swimming, however, wasn’t amazing. I definitely prefer swimming in the sea. Still, a peaceful place to spend an hour or two!

Kournas Lake is a lovely, secluded spot surrounded by beautiful scenery. The area feels peaceful and authentic — a perfect escape from the busier tourist places on the island. There are several excellent local restaurants around the lake, many serving traditional Cretan dishes such as lamb or goat cooked in an especially interesting way. Instead of being roasted horizontally over charcoal, the meat is placed around the fire in a circle — a traditional method known as “antikristo.” The result is tender, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. The lake itself is crystal clear, ideal for swimming or relaxing. You can take a small boat trip, try a bit of water-skiing, or simply hire a pedal boat and circle the lake at your own pace — in an hour or two (or three!), depending on how fast you pedal. It’s a truly memorable place to visit, with plenty of small local shops selling traditional products and handmade gifts. I will definitely visit again the next time I’m in Crete. Highly recommended!

Great lake. Turtles 🐢 and crabs 🦀 are fantastic to see in natural environment. Be careful with boats there, it is mountain lake and wind can occur out of nowhere and anytime. It happened to us having 2 kinds in the boat. Suddenly waves made the boat hard to navigate and the lame boat trip became fight for life.

If you plan it well and can afford tourist prices, this is 100% worth it. We had a lovely hour in a paddle boat, we saw plenty of turtles- and since we arrived early in the morning, there were not many people there yet. Highly recommend to do it this way, get there by 9:30 to beat crowds!

Picturesque white chapel on the water, need to walk though the pier made of rocks a little bit into the sea to get there

Bring comfortable shoes, the rocks might be slippery, there are a lot of crabs on the rocks, so be aware! The view is wonderful, especially the sunset! If you are in Georgioupoli it is a must!

It is a very small chapel. The road may be slippery, I suggest wearing good trail shoes, no slippers or even simple trainers with thin sole without a good grip, orherwise you may end up in water, which is not deep, but full of stones. The chapel itselfs unfortunately is not well preserved.

Thank you to the people of Georgioupoli for this little chapel and the little challenge to get there. It brightened our day to pack our alpine 🏔️proven flip-flops 🩴 and conquer the path to St. Nicholas chapel. 💪 It is also fun to watch other people fighting their way over. 😂 In Germany it would be for sure prohibited to get via such an unsafe way and therefore I like Greece even more.

Very beautiful monastery of Ag.Nikolaos. you need to be careful the rocks and better with shoe.

Lovely little place to visit. The church is gorgeous but a bit tricky getting out to it. Wear trainers as it's very slippy and sharp rocks. The little town itself is lovely with plenty places to stop for some lunch,vwell worth a visit!

Lovely tidy church 🔔we had came in the early morning , feels peaceful with sun sunrise.

Nice soft sandy beach with a couple of canteens. The water is colder than normal because of a fresh water river feeding into the bay at the west end of the beach. They have a lifeguard and one shower but no changing rooms.

The nicest thing about this place is that kids could play so nice in the sand and in the water. We found sun-beds with umbrellas for8-10 euro . No waves. Waters is colder than other beaches because of the river from the mountain that is flowing in the sea. Was worth visiting. In the nearby you can find nice tavernas, authentic Greek with nice sea food .

Excellent sandy beach. Sunbeds are 10 euro per set. There are springs on the left and a river to right which makes the surface cold while the ocean water on the bottom is warm, a very interesting experience.

Nice and beautiful beach to swim. You might need to bring your own umbrella and chairs if you want to stay longer in the sand. The surface of the beach is quite colder than the bottom because of the flow of spring water from the river nearby. Otherwise the sea is sooo clear, beautiful.

Beautiful beach, as everyone said, the fresh water is mixing and the sea is colder, but it is worth it because it creates a type of cold water on the top and warmer water on the bottom and this „blur” when both mixes.

Stunning place! The river water is really cold though! Even when it mixes with the sea water you will still feel the cold layer on top

Kalyvaki Beach - Beautiful, Refreshing, and Uniquely Surprising! I visited Kalyvaki Beach at the beginning of August, and it quickly became one of my favorite spots in Crete. The setting is gorgeous - clear blue water, soft sand, and a relaxed atmosphere perfect for swimming and unwinding. What really stood out, though, was the unique water temperature. Even though every day was sunny and hot, the surface water felt ice-cold and incredibly refreshing - but just a bit deeper, near the bottom, it was surprisingly warm. I don’t know if it’s like this all the time, but it made swimming here an unusual and memorable experience - especially on a hot summer day! The beach is organized with some sunbeds and umbrellas, but there’s also space if you prefer to bring your own towel. Parking is usually available nearby, and the beach is within walking distance from Georgioupolis, where you’ll find cafes, tavernas, and shops. If you enjoy a refreshing dip and a little twist on the usual beach day, Kalyvaki is absolutely worth a visit!

The Kalyves Beach Hotel is an absolute gem in Crete! The location is simply unbeatable, right on the beautiful sandy beach and just a short walk to the charming village. Our room was spotless and comfortable, and we loved the stunning sea view from our balcony. What truly made our stay special, however, was the staff. From the friendly and hardworking team at the pool bar to the helpful receptionists, everyone was so welcoming and genuinely dedicated to making our vacation perfect, and a special shout-out to Rep Momo, who was wonderful. With the lovely pools and delicious buffet, we had everything we needed for a truly relaxing and memorable holiday. We can't wait to go back!

The hotel is literally on the beach, which made our stay even more special. The rooms were clean and comfortable, with a wonderful view of the sea. The staff was kind and helpful in our every need, especially Kostas the lifeguard. The breakfast and dinner and the launch had variety and quality food.access to the beach was direct. Ideal place for rest and relaxation. We will definitely come back next August!!!

I came here for one day on a charged for day pass costing 32 euros. I caught the bus from Chania. What a TREAT! I was allowed to use the indoor and outdoor pools beteen 10 am until 6 pm. I arrived around 12 noon, just in time for lunch "EAT AND DRINK AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE" FROM AN EXTENSIVE AND EXOTIC BUFFET. I chose the outdoor dining area overlooking a river with ducks that runs into the sea I am a pescetarian, but mainly vegetarian. The food was HEAVENLY and the variety amazing. I had 2 huge platefuls of savoury food and lots of delicious CRETAN WINE. I then enjoyed a variety of desserts and fresh fruit followed by a coffee by the outdoor pool area. Later, I relaxed on one of their many lovely sofas to phone home for necessary news.A little more time to relax on the sunbeds and I was ready to leave, a very contented woman. The staff here are extremely courteous and the hotel is spotlessly clean and tidy. I have been left with a very good impression of this hotel and certainly would like to return at some point. Guests need to check with the hotel if day passes are available. I took a chance because I wanted to visit Kalyves and it was late September. There are lots of lovely beaches and places to visit in the Chania region. I am thrilled to have spent a day here. Sherrill Watts.

The man on guest relations was fantastic!!!! We would not have had a great holiday without him . He showed the best places to visit and they were amazing . Loved every minute. The food was excellent!! The staff were all friendly and helpful. The entertainment was amazing .the hotel has a very nice sandy beach with clean sea with free sun beds and umbrellas. We would love to come back

Beautiful hotel situated in a lovely little village by the sea , only fault was main shopping strip is half hour away in a taxi. Not much to do round the hotel but can see this changing in the next 10 year or so. Hotel and all staff involved with the hotel are brilliant!

Excellent hotel with friendly and helpful staff. The food is amazing and you can taste an authentic greek cuisine. It's very good stay for families. We enjoyed our holiday very much. Hope to come back again.

I had an amazing experience at this hotel! From the moment I arrived, the staff was incredibly welcoming, professional, and attentive. The check-in process was smooth and quick, and the room was spotless, spacious, and very comfortable They have different shows every night,kids entertainment and they have 2 swimming pools and a very clean beach with breathtaking scenery 😍

What a find! Absolutely amazing company, the service is top tier, would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a really great taxi service in Kalyves. Super easy to book (WhatsApp & email) even with our ‘complicated’ itinerary & fuss with bags when we arrived at CHQ (our fault entirely but Crete Taxi Van saved the day) then going to another part of Crete for our second week. Brilliant service & fabulous value for money. Can not recommend highly enough..Thank you all

Amazing experience. Used this service our entire Crete experience. Our driver Roula was the best. They accommodated our party of 15 people multiple days. The van was comfortable with cold air conditioning. Punctual service, always on time. Definitely recommend.

Crete Taxi Van, Monolis, the drivers and the service is top tier. We travel often and use many car services. The cars were well maintained, on time and drivers were friendly. I would highly recommend.

Great service. Picked us up at the cruise ship port and took us to a small Beach. Would never have found it without them. Picked us up at the agreed time which was adjusted because we wanted to stay a little bit longer. Then waited because the restaurant at the beach insisted on giving us desert. LOL On time. Great communication using WhatsApp.

Brilliant taxi service - fast communication and very reliable with friendly drivers!

Absolutely fantastic service. Used them for our entire week in Kalyves and they were always super friendly, helpful and on time. Can't recommend George & his team enough!

Due to some logistical difficulties, we found ourselves looking to book accommodations for a group of over 30 people with less than 24 hours notice. We found lodging and we found this wonderful taxi company owned and operated by George and his lovely family. I don't know what we would have done without them. They agreed to help us get around even though they normally would not be working during the end of December / early January. They were always friendly, professional, and on time. And they went above and beyond to make us feel like welcome guests in their country. There is no need to look anywhere else. If they are available, use this company for your transportation needs while visiting Chania and/or the surrounding villages!

This beach is a natural treasure with crystal-clear waters, perfect for swimming and snorkeling. There are no showers or facilities on the beach itself, but there’s a small tavern uphill if you need a break. Please respect its beauty: don’t throw cigarette ashes in the sea, don’t leave plastic or trash behind, and avoid any behavior that harms the environment. Whether local or visitor, we all share the responsibility to keep this place clean and unspoiled for the future.

This beach is exceptional! The platform is perfect for putting chairs that you brought from home, the water is crystal clear and turquoise blue! Perfect for snorkeling, there are a lot of fish everywhere! The view is amazing, you can see all the bay. It deserves a solid 5/5 rating! I highly recommend this beach!

Actually, we were just by the sea, enjoying beautiful place with a bit of diving. The sea was perfect, better to have swimming shoes, can be wild sometimes. There are many places crafted and decirated by a local artist, which makes this place more charming. The road down to this place requires some driving skills :)

Great -but very small - local “bay-beach”. No sand here but come for the crystal clear azure-blue water and the snorkeling. Available parking is sparse so don’t drive for hours to go there. Narrow, worn, winding and somewhat steep road so depending on the car and your driving skills, the last part of the road might be challenging.

Simple, rustic and beautiful. If you do the work and plan ahead. Go early morning in a day when the sea is quiet and you will be rewarded with an amazing experience.

Nice place for snorkeling, not very crowded, with clean water. I was a bit worried because of comments about the bad road, but I would say the road is actually quite ok - somewhat narrow, but definitely drivable.

Little heaven on earth! The water has the most incredible color. There isn’t much place so its best to avoid during weekends. The tavern is also very good and gives you an authentic feeling. One of our favourite spots in Cretes

We loved the spot! A very cool and educational place that puts you back in history so you can better understand the way of living, tradition and culture!

Visited this small folklore museum today (Thu 3rd July). What a fabulous little place for €4 p/p. The lovely lady on the ticket desk gave us lots of information and history of the museum. All the artifacts in thus museum have been donated by the people from Gavalochori. We were given a leaflet that gave us some information on each room in the museum, plus there were boards to read in each room. We probably spent an hour here. There was also a small courtyard where you can sit and a public toilet. This is a very small museum and not big enough for a pushchair/wheelchair. There are steps to climb to the 1st floor and some low doorways.

Very interesting. Lady at reception was very friendly and chatted to us about the museum and some of the history. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks again. 🙂 Just a few of the photos below

Lovely little museum with a lovely introduktion

An interesting museum that details the local customs and crafts. Has some excellent exhibits. Definitely worth a visit.

Nicely located in quiet area yet near village center, beautiful old "country" building, very welcoming staff - well worth a visit !

Beautiful little folklore museum detailing historical local life.

The more time you spend here, the more you want to buy!! Callista is packed with unique locally sources items such as hand-made glass items from a mountain village, handbags, bracelets. Items are very affordable, whether you have 5 Euros to spend or 50, you're guaranteed to find something. What makes it even more enjoyable, is the friendly staff

Best gifts and artwork

Perfect

We booked the 4 hour morning boat trip with Kalyves cruises and had such a great time. Yannis and Nikos were both very friendly people and made the experience very enjoyable. We enjoyed the swim spots and even did some snorkelling. It was a very fun trip and we highly recommend adding this experience to your visit in Kalyves. It was definitely a highlight of the holiday. Thanks both!

We went on the highly recommended morning cruise and enjoyed every single moment. Great friendly staff (captain and his nephew). Amazing beautiful spots for swimming, snorkeling and jumping into the water. We enjoyed the snacks and drinks after each swim. A most perfect day!

Captain Yannis is super friendly (and the rest od the family, too) and makes sure clients are happy with their experience. Since the water is rather cold in May, we went on a different route than usually and it was gorgeous. Definitely recommend, going on this cruise is a must!

Second time on this boat in 4 years! 2 hours trip Sunset. Such an amazing experience! I liked everything. Yannis the captain and Nikos, the second were really nice. All prefect! I will do it again next year.

Extremely nice family, the captain and his cousin. Beautiful water at every stop, good for snorkeling. Very, very good food and service. Couldn't have wished for a better trip. We should have done this on our first trip to Crete. We'll be back!

It was the best part of our vacation in Crete. I was looking for different options and have to admit that it wasn't the cheapest one, but it was worth every penny spent. The crew was fantastic, taking us not only to beautiful places but also sharing local stories. Every swim was followed by yummy food, snacks, and lots of drinks – you could even ask for something stronger ;) I will definitely recommend this place to all my friends and family!!!

Beautiful landscape behind the monetary. Lush green valley with snow-covered peaks in the background. The Monastery is very well kept. The was a friend woman working there that day who let us sample some olives, bread and Rakka (liquor). The chapel on-site has been kept in good condition, I am assuming it has been reconditioned as was abandoned for a number of years. There are only two links living there. A number of women forom loval villages, like the one we met, help maintain the grounds.

This is a very abandoned place. The monastery is ruined and roofless. It’s not worth your time to visit

For 2 € entrance you get offered a shot of raki and some tasty olives.😄 The place is rather beautiful and one can make some amazing pictures. Careful thought with driving to the place: Google maps can lead you into some olive farm "street" you are definitely not supposed to drive on. 😅

A sacred space of peace, history, and contemplation. This place has beautiful energy and is worth a visit.

The Monastery is a very nice but short visit. You won't need longer than half an hour in my opinion. there is parking just outside and it was free when I went in. The ruin is interesting and great for some pics. The buildings close by make for some nice photos too. It's a good stop if you are on a day out sight seeing.

Very friendly people and worth a visit. You only need 30-45 minutes to visit. Entry was 2 EUR per person, but we paid nothing for our youngest 8 year old in our 5-people family.

Worthwhile stop on your way to Rhetymno. 2 euro entry, which also gets you a free glass of water, olives and bread to taste. The bread was really good! Short walk around but the fallen buildings were pretty in a rustic way. The Monestry sits in the middle of nowhere and is very peaceful. People were friendly and tried to help when we had questions. Important when driving a while whilst drinking lots of water, they had clean bathrooms. Highly recommended!

If you're souvenir shopping in Kalyves, this is a one-stop shop for all of the usual tourist paraphernalia (for less €€€), but loads of other, much more interesting products also that we didn't see anywhere else. Deceptively huge space inside and filled with fun and functional items - make sure you visit here and load up before you head home!!

Great selection and pricing. Local and generic options available. Keep walking as you go inside.

We love the coffee (their roasts) and tea selections! And the wide range of herbs and spices at excellent prices. Friendly service. One of our new favorite shops! An excellent recommendation from a friend…so I had to pass this along for others to know about this gem

Very nice shop, good prices lot of quality products! Strongly recommended!

What a great store. So glad I found it. Open all day in summer (‘til 21:00) I think. Wonderful selection of dried herbs, spices, nuts, grains, flouts…at fair prices 👍🏻. Nice local wines too.

Very nice store! You can buy a lot of gifts, many kinds of coffe fresh roasted and spices. Very friendly staff!

Excellent choice of lots of different types of foodstuffs, teas and seasonings. Friendly helpful staff. If you are looking for any kind of nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, powders/flours, teas or dried fruits, you can likely find it here for a good price. They also sell coffee beans (which can be ground upon request), wine, Greek cosmetics, international foods, kitchen wares, all manner of souvenirs and lovely hand-made wooden crafts. Additionally, they offer advice and assistance regarding things like insurance, property management and administrative issues.

(Translated by Google) We did not find the entrance to the cave, only a closed iron gate.. (Original) Nenašli jsme vstup do jeskyně, jen zavřená železná vrata..

(Translated by Google) COOL..... (Original) ΔΡΟΣΕΡΟ.....