Kissamos

Kissamos, also long known as Kastelli, lies at the head of a broad gulf on the north-west coast of Crete, in the Chania regional unit, about 40 kilometres west of Chania town. It is an unpretentious working town rather than a resort, with a long seafront, a fishing and commercial port and a scatter of tavernas, and it owes much of its fame to what lies just beyond it: two of the most celebrated beaches in all of Greece.

North-west of the town, at the tip of the wild Gramvousa peninsula, is the lagoon of Balos, where shallow water shades from white through turquoise to deep blue over pale sand, watched over by the Venetian island fortress of Imeri Gramvousa. It is reached either by a daily cruise boat from the port of Kissamos or by a rough track and a walk down. To the south-west lies Falasarna, a long, west-facing sweep of golden sand famous for its sunsets and backed by the remains of an ancient Greek harbour city. Both are within a short drive or boat trip of the town.

Kissamos itself has a quiet, genuine character. It grew over the ruins of the ancient city of Kissamos, whose archaeological museum in the town displays fine Roman mosaics found locally, and it takes its Kastelli name from a lost Venetian castle. The surrounding Kissamos province is rich in gorges, old villages and vineyards, and the town is a hub for the ferries that link western Crete to Kythira, Antikythira and the Peloponnese, the only such crossing on the island.

Because it is a town first and a tourist stop second, Kissamos offers honest prices, good seafood and an easy pace, making it a practical and pleasant base for exploring the north-west. Most visitors come for the beaches and the boat trips, but the surrounding countryside, the Venetian and Roman traces and the nearby villages reward a longer stay. Late spring and early autumn are ideal, when Balos and Falasarna are at their most beautiful and least crowded.