Guide to Visiting Elafonisi Pink Beach in Crete

One of the sights I was most excited about on my recent trip to Greece was visiting the pink beach in Crete: Elafonisi. Here’s an overview of my experience visiting the pink beach, so you can decide if it’s worth it and plan your trip accordingly.

Where is Crete?

Crete is the biggest and most populous island in Greece. It’s more local than the touristy islands of Mykonos and Santorini, but still popular for European tourists.

Crete is an absolutely amazing island filled with great food, people, and sights. In October 2021, I took a short but sweet birthday trip, where we stayed in Chania and explored the region. While researching things to do in Crete, I happened upon a description of probably the most famous beach on the island: Elafonisi pink beach. While I was a bit skeptical, I still knew that it was the first thing I wanted to see!

Elafonisi Pink Beach in Crete

What makes the sand pink?

The beach is home to a specific type of shellfish that, once they die, leave behind a pink shell. The shell pieces then mix with the white sand to give it a pink color.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I had heard that it lost some of its color due to many tourists taking home sand as a souvenir, but it also seems that every time something “pink” is mentioned, it isn’t really pink. I’ve never visited a pink beach before, but all the pink lakes I’ve seen have been pretty, but not all that pink. When in Crete though so I decided to visit anyway!

Where is the pink beach in Crete?

Since the beach is on the northern side of the island, it’s easiest to take a tour by bus from Chania. The best and most scenic way though, is definitely to rent a car because there are some awesome spots to see on the way!

The drive from Chania to Elafonisi takes about an hour and a half and goes through the center of the island, passing through mountains and cute villages. It’s super scenic, so plan extra time for stops!

My friend and I met some other girls at our hostel and decided to split the cost of a rental car with them. We had a lot of fun exploring the small villages, stopping for lunch with complementary rakia, and buying olive oil at some local stands. The views were amazing and the drive was half the fun! Once you get close to the beach, you’ll get a gorgeous view of the sea.

Visiting Elafonisi pink beach

There were plenty of parking spots (albeit it was the low season) so we had no trouble getting into the area! There are quite a few facilities, with snacks to buy, restrooms, and umbrella rental. As you walk, you’ll come across a sandbar that separates the sea from a small lagoon. Only certain parts of the beach are “pink,” but you’ll still find beautiful white sand and the sea a gorgeous turquoise color.

So, is the beach actually pink?

Wellllllll yes and no. Thankfully, I had low expectations, so I was happy to see that there were a few spots that had a pink tint to them. For the most part though, it was a beautiful, but very blue beach.

Apparently it used to be pink at one point in time, and they had to ask people to stop taking the pink sand home. I guess at the end of the day it always comes down to humans.

If you walk past the dunes, you can find a bit more secluded areas, and a few more places that have retained their pink color.

Is it worth it?

Regardless, I had an amazing day driving around the island and the beach is absolutelyThere’s good facilities, but you also have the option to walk a bit, exploring the dunes and more natural spots. 100% worth it in my opinion, with or without the pink sand.

Have you ever visited a pink sand beach? What was your experience?