My previous post was about naturist beaches in Greece, with Greeks taking credit for inventing nudism and practicing the tradition to date. This post will highlight naturist beaches in Crete. Despite being allowed in only a few licensed areas throughout Greece, naturism is much tolerated in a number of places. However, most of these places are not only quite beaches, but are also remote.

Knowing where to get bare, as part of your stay in a particular region, is crucial. Naturist beaches in Crete include those in the region of Chania, Heraklion, Rethymnon, Heraklion, and Lassithi. Chania alone has 40 beautiful beaches with bare foot-friendly soft sand and colored pebbles. It is also flooded with plenty of deserted coves, as well as lovely bays. What makes Chania even more interesting is that all these beaches feature crystalline waters and resemble paradise.

One of its popular beaches is naturist beach Filaki, meaning “Prison.” It is a private beach of the luxurious naturist hotel Vritomartis. It is located only 3km east of Sfakia, 75km south of Chania. The beach of Filaki is not open to winds, as it is pebbly and rocky, with no water sports, lifeguards, or accommodation services. The exit of the Sfakiano Gorge, which has a nice pebbly beach, is located 100m east of Filaki. As a visitor of Filaki, you can either choose to access the place on foot, or by car. By driving eastern, you will finally come to a road at the left of the entrance to the luxurious hotel Vritomartis. I stayed at this hotel at my last visit at Greece and I must admit it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Northern Crete has the best road on the island, which makes traveling faster and more effective. It extends from one end to the other, along the coast. On far East is the beach of Elounda, which features fine sand and is gently sloping into the sea. North of Elounda, before the road turns left, is a dirt track following the coastline. The path to the right leads to the sea ideal for snorkeling and nude sunbathing. You may need to walk because you cannot reach the beach by car. The beach of Sises is another isolated shingle beach located near the villages of Sises, just 32 km west of Heraklion. Others include Panormos, 23 km east of Rethymnon; Hersonissos, with a tiny enclave tucked in at the side of the curve of the bay; and Georgioupolis, among others.

Anyone who has been to these places would surely want to come again. I also had an opportunity to visit other regions besides Chania, including Rethymnon. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to visit Heraklion and Lassithi. I look forward to visiting Crete again, as it was awesome, and get a chance to go the naturist beaches that I did not go. Part 3 of this series of posts will be about naturist beaches in Dodecanese. Look out for our next post to learn more about naturist beaches in Dodecanese.