How To Go from Chania to Elafonisi Beach

Elafonisi is one of the most praised and advertised beaches in Crete, Greece.

People visiting Crete seek to spend at least one day at this pink sand beach, to enjoy swimming in the turquoise water and to take beautiful photos to share with their friends.

The best photos of Elafonisi Beach, though, are the ones without people, photos taken during winter or extremely early in the morning, when the sea la calm and the sand has those beautiful pink reflections. In real life, Elafonisi is a bust strip of sand, crammed with sunbeds and umbrellas

Elafonisi beach is located in Western Crete, at less than 100 km from Chania.

As this distance is manageable, reaching Elafonisi from Chania is possible as a day trip.

Here are your available options to go from Chania to Elafonisi beach. I’d recommend either a car rental or an organized day trip.

Chania to Elafonisi Beach – Three Ways To Get There

Since you’re keen on visiting Elafonisi to admire its pink sand and to take amazing photos like the ones you see online, let’s see what are your options to get there.

Before we begin, I’d like to emphasize that July, August and the first half of September are the worst possible times to go to Elafonissi Beach.

During the peak season, Elafonissi is chocked full of people on the sand and in the shallow water.

The sand won’t look as pink as during the winter. However, if you still insist to visit Elafonissi Beach, here’s how to reach it.

By Public Transport (Bus)

Buses from Chania to Elafonisi run several times per day.

There are direct bus routes from Chania bus station to Elafonissi.

The 75-80 km ride takes about 2 hours. Buy your ticket at the bus stop. As far as I remember, it is also possible to buy tickets on the bus. Double-check this info, though, as it’s a long time I haven’t used buses in Crete.

From the bus stop at Elafonisi, there’s still about one km to walk to the beach. On very hot days this can be unpleasant.

By Rental Car

Driving would allow you to visit many places in Crete without having to worry about return buses.

The Chania – Elafonisi Beach drive takes around 1.5 hours. The route alongside the coastline is very beautiful, with lots of panorama spots. Expect to stop the car frequently to enjoy the beautiful landscape.

The parking at Elafonisi is fairly close to the beach and big enough to cater to hundreds of vehicles.

The biggest advantage of driving to Elafonisi is that you can stop on your way to take photos and to breathe in the sea breeze.

Since Elafonisi is in western Crete, you may even have the opportunity to catch a stunning sunset on your way back to Chania.

Our rental vehicle in Crete, a Suzuki Jimny 4×4

By Organized Day Trip

Join a small group day tour from Chania to Elafonisi beach. This is the best way to go to Elafonisi if you don’t want to put up with driving and parking.

Tour operators would offer pick up from and drop-off to Chania hotels and handle transportation and guide.

They would stop for photos and swimming time at Elafonissi.

Prices for day tours from Chania to Elafonisi Beach cost around 50-70 EUR per person.

By Taxi

It is possible to take a taxi from Chania to Elafonissi beach.

The price is around 150 EUR one way.

As I’m not sure how you’re going to get a car to return to Chania, it’s probably best to negotiate a round trip with the driver.

This is a good solution for people who don’t want to drive or to put up with figuring out the bus network in Crete.

However, thinking that 300 Euro can buy you a whole week of a car rental, it may be worth giving it a second thought.

Before you go, check out my article about the best beaches in Chania.