A Chania catamaran cruise is a three to eight hour sail from the Venetian old port or from Kissamos, covering the Rodopou coves, Agioi Theodoroi and Stavros, or north to Gramvousa and the Balos lagoon, with a meal and drinks aboard from 90 euros. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the day: what it costs, which harbour to leave from, the route, Balos and Gramvousa, how much is under sail, what is included, the wind, the season and how to book.
What does a Chania catamaran cruise cost?
From 120 to 190 euros a head for a morning or afternoon cruise with lunch and drinks, 90 to 150 for a three-hour sunset sail from the old port, and 900 to 2,500 for a private charter of the whole catamaran.
The shared price covers the skipper and host, the fuel, a cooked meal, wine, beer and soft drinks, and the snorkelling gear. A chania catamaran cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the ticket.
Balos and Gramvousa cruises from Kissamos sit at the upper end because the passage is longer and the day runs to eight hours. A chania catamaran cruise starts with this settled on the waterfront.
Private charters divide by the party, so eight people split 1,600 euros rather than paying eight fares. A chania catamaran cruise fills first on that count in August.
Children go half price to twelve and the minimum age runs four to six on the shared boats. The chania catamaran cruise season turns on this more than on the calendar.
Card payment is taken at booking and the crew tip is cash at the end.
Where do the catamarans leave from?
The Venetian old port of Chania for the local cruises and Kissamos harbour, 40 kilometres west, for the Balos and Gramvousa days. A few boats work out of the new marina east of the town.
The old port departure puts guests under the Egyptian lighthouse and the Venetian arsenals at boarding. Every chania catamaran cruise is planned around it before the lines come off.
Kissamos is a 45-minute drive and the products that leave from there include the transfer or state that they do not. The chania catamaran cruise route is set by it rather than by the clock.
Parking at the old port is limited and the town’s car parks sit five minutes away. The chania catamaran cruise timetable is shaped by it more than by demand.
Boarding runs from 09:30 for a morning cruise and 17:30 for the sunset sail. A chania catamaran cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the ticket.
Hotel pickup from Chania, Platanias and Agia Marina is included on the premium products.
Where does the cruise go?
West along the Chania coast to Agioi Theodoroi island and the Rodopou peninsula, east towards Kalathas and Stavros, or from Kissamos north to Gramvousa and the Balos lagoon on the longer days.
Agioi Theodoroi, the island off Platanias, is a protected reserve for the Cretan wild goat and landing is prohibited. A chania catamaran cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
The Rodopou peninsula runs 20 kilometres north with no road and a chapel at its tip. Crews brief it on deck before a chania catamaran cruise leaves the quay.
Stavros bay on the Akrotiri peninsula is the cove from the closing scene of Zorba the Greek. Guests on a chania catamaran cruise meet it within the first hour.
Menies, the ancient Diktynna sanctuary on Rodopou, is reachable by sea and by a long dirt track. Every chania catamaran cruise is planned around it before the lines come off.
The skipper picks the coast by the morning wind, and a northerly closes the exposed north-facing bays.
What are Balos and Gramvousa?
A shallow lagoon of white sand and turquoise water at the north-western tip of Crete, and the Venetian fortress island beside it, reached from Kissamos in an hour by sea on the catamaran products.
The lagoon fills between the mainland cliff and the Tigani headland and the water over it runs knee-deep for a hundred metres. This is what a chania catamaran cruise delivers along the Cretan north coast.
Gramvousa’s fortress was built in 1579 and held out as a pirate base after the Ottoman conquest. It decides which chania catamaran cruise format fits the party.
A wreck sits half out of the water in the bay below the fortress and swimmers reach it from the beach. That is the chania catamaran cruise difference against a hire car day.
Catamarans anchor rather than dock, which keeps the numbers ashore lower than the big ferries manage. A chania catamaran cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
The road to Balos is 12 kilometres of rough track and a 20-minute descent, which is why most visitors arrive by sea.
How much of the day is under sail?
Two to four hours when the afternoon breeze fills in, less on a flat morning. The north coast of Crete gets the meltemi in July and August, so the catamarans sail the return leg with the wind behind.
Morning departures motor west and sail back, which is the usual shape of a Chania day. The chania catamaran cruise fleet is prepared for it through the season.
A strong northerly closes the Rodopou coast and the boats work the sheltered bays instead. The chania catamaran cruise price reflects it, stop by stop.
Guests take the helm on request and nothing is required of anyone. A chania catamaran cruise carries the lunch and the jackets for it.
Catamarans stay flat under sail, which is the reason families book them over monohulls. This is what a chania catamaran cruise delivers along the Cretan north coast.
The honest listings describe the day as a cruise rather than as a sailing lesson.
What is included on board?
A welcome snack, a cooked lunch or dinner served at anchor, wine, beer, soft drinks and water, snorkelling masks, towels, and a paddleboard or water toys on the premium boats.
Lunch on the Chania catamarans leans on Cretan produce: dakos, graviera cheese, olives, oil, grilled meat and fruit. A chania catamaran cruise starts with this settled on the waterfront.
Open bar means unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks on the products that name it. A chania catamaran cruise fills first on that count in August.
Towels come with the premium operators and not with the budget ones. The chania catamaran cruise season turns on this more than on the calendar.
Dietary requests are handled with a day’s notice and vegetarian is the default alternative. The chania catamaran cruise fleet is prepared for it through the season.
Crew tips run 5 to 10 percent in cash at the end of the day.
Morning, afternoon or sunset?
The morning cruise for flat water and the best swimming, the afternoon for the light on the cliffs, and the sunset sail from the old port for three hours of easy water with the Venetian harbour behind.
Morning departures at 10:00 reach the anchorages before the breeze builds. The chania catamaran cruise route is set by it rather than by the clock.
Afternoon trips leave at 14:30 and return at sunset with the wind behind them. The chania catamaran cruise timetable is shaped by it more than by demand.
The sunset sail stays inside the bay and costs a third less than a full day. A chania catamaran cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the ticket.
Couples take the evening sail and families take the morning. A chania catamaran cruise starts with this settled on the waterfront.
Doing both across two dates costs less than a private charter.
What is the Venetian old port?
The harbour Venice built from 1320, closed by a mole with the Egyptian lighthouse at its end, ringed by the Venetian arsenals, the Küçük Hasan mosque and four storeys of merchant houses now run as hotels and tavernas.
The lighthouse is Venetian in foundation and Egyptian in its present form, rebuilt in the 1830s under Egyptian rule. Crews brief it on deck before a chania catamaran cruise leaves the quay.
Seven of the original seventeen arsenals survive, the vaulted sheds where galleys were built and repaired. Guests on a chania catamaran cruise meet it within the first hour.
The mosque on the eastern quay dates to 1649 and is the oldest Ottoman building in Crete. Every chania catamaran cruise is planned around it before the lines come off.
Catamarans board at the eastern quay, so the walk to the boat passes all of it. The chania catamaran cruise route is set by it rather than by the clock.
Evening in the old port after a sunset sail is the other half of the day.
The town’s other departures are covered at Chania boat trips.
What is the snorkelling like?
Clear water over rock and sand, visibility of 15 to 25 metres, octopus, moray and sea bream, with the best of it at the Rodopou coves, off Agioi Theodoroi and in the shallows at Menies.
The north coast water runs cooler than the south and clears quickly after a blow. It decides which chania catamaran cruise format fits the party.
Masks and fins come with the boat and a mask of your own fits better. That is the chania catamaran cruise difference against a hire car day.
Water toys on the premium boats mean a paddleboard, a donut or a sea scooter. A chania catamaran cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
Non-swimmers use a jacket and the stern ladder and stay beside the hull. Crews brief it on deck before a chania catamaran cruise leaves the quay.
Sea urchins on the rock edges are the only hazard and reef shoes handle them.
Turtles appear on this coast in small numbers and the crews hold position rather than approach.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes on a catamaran. The deck is flat, the stern ladders are wide, the trampolines are netted, and the boats carry child-sized life jackets. The Balos day at eight hours is the long one to think about.
Operators set a minimum age of four to six on the shared boats and take babies privately. The chania catamaran cruise price reflects it, stop by stop.
Two heads aboard matter with a family and the larger catamarans have them. A chania catamaran cruise carries the lunch and the jackets for it.
Shade under the bimini and in the saloon covers a long day. This is what a chania catamaran cruise delivers along the Cretan north coast.
Boarding from the quay onto a catamaran transom is a step rather than a climb. It decides which chania catamaran cruise format fits the party.
The three-hour sunset sail is the right first boat for a young family.
What is the weather pattern?
The meltemi blows from the north through July and August and hits the Chania coast directly. Mornings are flat, the breeze builds from midday, and the operators switch the route rather than cancel.
A force six northerly closes Balos and the Kissamos boats stay in the gulf. A chania catamaran cruise fills first on that count in August.
Cancellations run to a handful of days a season with an automatic refund. The chania catamaran cruise season turns on this more than on the calendar.
May, June, September and October give the calmest sailing of the year here. The chania catamaran cruise fleet is prepared for it through the season.
Sea temperature runs 20 degrees in May and 25 to 26 in August. The chania catamaran cruise price reflects it, stop by stop.
Anyone prone to motion sickness books the morning slot and takes the tablet before boarding.
How does it compare with the Balos ferry?
The big ferry from Kissamos carries 400 passengers to Gramvousa and Balos for 30 to 40 euros. A catamaran carries 12 to 25 for 120 to 190, anchors in quieter water and includes the food and drinks.
The ferry is the better buy for anyone who wants the lagoon and the fortress at the lowest price. The chania catamaran cruise timetable is shaped by it more than by demand.
The catamaran buys space, a meal, a swim ladder and an anchorage away from the crowd. A chania catamaran cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the ticket.
Both land at Balos, and the ferry timetable puts four hundred people on the sand at once. A chania catamaran cruise starts with this settled on the waterfront.
Groups of eight or more charter a whole catamaran for less than eight shared seats. A chania catamaran cruise fills first on that count in August.
The ferry version and the road route are covered at Chania to Balos.
What do you bring aboard?
Swimwear, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat that ties, sunglasses with a strap, a light windproof for the return leg, soft soles or bare feet, and a dry bag for the phone.
Hard-soled shoes go in a bag at the gangway on every catamaran. Guests on a chania catamaran cruise meet it within the first hour.
Shade is the cockpit awning and the saloon, and the trampolines have none. Every chania catamaran cruise is planned around it before the lines come off.
Cash covers the crew tip, since the food and drink are inside the fare. The chania catamaran cruise route is set by it rather than by the clock.
A long-sleeved shirt beats extra sunscreen on an eight-hour day. The chania catamaran cruise timetable is shaped by it more than by demand.
Leave hard luggage ashore, because the storage is a locker and a bench.
What is the season?
April to the end of October, with daily departures from June to mid-September. Chania’s season runs longer than the Cyclades because Crete stays warm into November.
April and May give 20-degree water, empty boats and the White Mountains still under snow behind the coast. That is the chania catamaran cruise difference against a hire car day.
July and August fill every departure and bring the meltemi with them. A chania catamaran cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
September and early October are the best weeks of the year on this coast. Crews brief it on deck before a chania catamaran cruise leaves the quay.
Winter charters run on request for deliveries rather than as day sails. Guests on a chania catamaran cruise meet it within the first hour.
Prices drop 20 to 30 percent either side of the peak six weeks.
How do you book a Chania catamaran cruise?
Book three to five days ahead from mid-June to early September and a day ahead in the shoulder months. The shared catamarans cap at 12 to 25, so a departure sells out rather than thins.
Balos days sell out first because the route is the island’s headline trip. A chania catamaran cruise carries the lunch and the jackets for it.
Private charters need a week in August and take a deposit at booking. This is what a chania catamaran cruise delivers along the Cretan north coast.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before is standard on the platform listings. It decides which chania catamaran cruise format fits the party.
Weather calls are made by the skipper at 08:00 on the day. That is the chania catamaran cruise difference against a hire car day.
Operators confirm the quay and the boarding time by message the evening before.
What boats work out of Chania?
Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot catamarans of 40 to 50 feet taking 12 to 25 guests, a smaller number of sailing monohulls, motor yachts for private charter, and the large passenger ferries that run the Balos route from Kissamos.
The 45-foot catamarans are the standard shared boat and they carry a skipper, a host and sometimes a deckhand. The chania catamaran cruise season turns on this more than on the calendar.
Four cabins, two heads and a shaded cockpit are the layout on almost every hull in the fleet. The chania catamaran cruise fleet is prepared for it through the season.
The bow trampolines are where guests spend the passage and the saloon is the shade for anyone who wants it. The chania catamaran cruise price reflects it, stop by stop.
Monohull day sails run 70 to 120 euros, take eight to twelve and give more actual sailing.
Every commercial boat carries jackets, a radio, flares and a first aid kit, and the port authority inspects them.
Water toys, a paddleboard and a sea scooter separate the premium products from the rest.
What is the Rodopou peninsula?
A 20-kilometre limestone finger running north from the Chania coast, uninhabited beyond a few shepherd huts, with no asphalt road, a chapel at its tip and the ancient sanctuary of Diktynna on its eastern shore.
Menies, the Diktynna site, holds the remains of a Roman temple above a pebble cove with clear water. A chania catamaran cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the ticket.
The peninsula is a Natura 2000 area and the goats on it are the only permanent residents. A chania catamaran cruise starts with this settled on the waterfront.
Boats anchor at Menies and at the coves along the eastern side, which the road reaches only by a long dirt track. A chania catamaran cruise fills first on that count in August.
The western side is exposed to the open sea and the catamarans work the sheltered east.
Agios Ioannis Gionis, the chapel at the tip, hosts a pilgrimage every August that arrives on foot and by boat.
This coast is the reason a Chania cruise is worth taking over a beach day.
What is the Akrotiri side?
The peninsula east of Chania holding Stavros bay, Seitan Limania, the Agia Triada and Gouverneto monasteries, the airport and the graves of Eleftherios Venizelos above the town.
Stavros is the cove under a bare conical hill used for the closing scene of Zorba the Greek in 1964. Every chania catamaran cruise is planned around it before the lines come off.
Seitan Limania is a narrow fjord of turquoise water reached on foot down a steep path or from the sea. The chania catamaran cruise route is set by it rather than by the clock.
Agia Triada is a seventeenth-century Venetian-era monastery that still makes and sells its own oil and wine. The chania catamaran cruise timetable is shaped by it more than by demand.
Catamarans running east stop at Stavros and Kalathas and turn back before the airport approach.
The Venizelos graves above Chania give the widest view over the bay and the town.
A land day on Akrotiri and a sea day west of the town cover the two halves of the coast.
What food comes aboard?
Dakos with tomato and mizithra, graviera from the mountain villages, olives and oil from the Chania plain, grilled meat or fish, Cretan rusks, and raki at the end of the meal.
Dakos is the Cretan barley rusk topped with grated tomato, soft cheese and oregano, and it is the dish every boat serves. A chania catamaran cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
Graviera from Crete is a hard sheep cheese aged five months and the island’s best-known export. Crews brief it on deck before a chania catamaran cruise leaves the quay.
Chania’s olive oil carries a protected designation and the boats provision from the town market. Guests on a chania catamaran cruise meet it within the first hour.
Raki, the grape spirit, arrives at the end of lunch and is poured whether or not it was asked for.
Vegetarian guests eat well here, because the Cretan repertoire is built on vegetables and pulses.
The market in the town’s cross-shaped hall is where most of it is bought.
How does it compare with a land day?
A hire car reaches Elafonisi, Falasarna, Samaria and the mountain villages. It cannot reach the Rodopou coves, Menies by sea or the Balos anchorage, which is what the catamaran buys.
Chania’s best-known sights are inland and on the south coast, and the cruise covers a different half of the region. This is what a chania catamaran cruise delivers along the Cretan north coast.
A week here fits two land days, one gorge day and one boat day comfortably. It decides which chania catamaran cruise format fits the party.
Car hire runs 35 to 70 euros a day and the roads west of the town are good asphalt. That is the chania catamaran cruise difference against a hire car day.
The Samaria gorge day is the other full-day commitment and the two do not combine.
Anyone with three days takes the old town, the gorge and the catamaran in that order.
The gorge day sits at Chania to Samaria gorge.
What are the common mistakes?
Booking a Balos catamaran without checking the wind, expecting the old-port boats to reach Balos, underestimating the drive to Kissamos, and taking an eight-hour day with a toddler.
A northerly closes the Balos anchorage and the operators switch the route on the morning. The chania catamaran cruise fleet is prepared for it through the season.
Chania old port cruises work the near coast and never reach the north-western tip. The chania catamaran cruise price reflects it, stop by stop.
Kissamos is 45 minutes away and the transfer is included on some products and not others. A chania catamaran cruise carries the lunch and the jackets for it.
The fourth error is assuming shade exists on the foredeck, which it does not.
The fifth is booking the cheapest seat on the biggest boat and expecting a quiet anchorage.
Reading the departure harbour on the voucher solves most of them before the day starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Chania catamaran cruise cost?
From 120 to 190 euros a head for a morning or afternoon cruise with lunch and drinks, 90 to 150 for a three-hour sunset sail from the old port, and 900 to 2,500 for a private charter of the whole catamaran.
Do the old-port boats reach Balos?
No. Balos and Gramvousa are worked from Kissamos, 40 kilometres and 45 minutes west of Chania. The old-port cruises cover the near coast, the Rodopou coves and Agioi Theodoroi instead.
What closes the route?
A force six northerly. The meltemi hits this coast directly in July and August, and the operators switch to the sheltered bays rather than cancel. Full cancellations run to a handful of days a season.