Gramvousa and Balos

No trip to Crete is complete without at least one trip to the islands of Balos and Imeri Gramvousa, on the northwestern tip of the island. While there is a 22km dirt road leading from the Port of Kissamos to the top of the cliff (with a 300+, meter walk down... and back up again) the best and most relaxing way to visit the islands is by ferry.
Gramvousa boasts the remains of a Venetian fort, left behind by Cretan insurgents who were compelled to live as pirates during the Greek War of Independence. The island was named "Gramvousa" in honor of Vousa, the wife of a pirate chief and the only inhabitant of the island to evade capture when the pirates were forcibly removed.
Balos lagoon, between the island of Tigani Balos and mainland Crete, forms part of a cape, through the lagoon, called Cape Tigani ("frying pan" in Greek). This beach is one of the most stunning in Crete, or in all of the Mediterranean, for that matter.