Accessible Beaches in Crete

What Makes a Crete Beach Accessible

An accessible beach in Crete has parking near the sand, a ramp or wooden walkway down to the water, and ideally a Seatrac. Seatrac is a Greek-designed, solar-powered seat on rails that carries a wheelchair user from the beach into the sea and back without help from another person.

Seatrac units are run by the local municipality, and some are removed or stop working. The official Seatrac beach list at seatrac.gr shows the status and facilities of every unit in Greece, so check it before you travel. The Seatrac details below are as listed on seatrac.gr when we checked in October 2026.

Other features worth checking before you choose a beach are these:

• Accessible parking: designated spaces close to the beach entrance.
• Walkways and ramps: firm boardwalks or matting across the sand, with gentle slopes.
• Accessible toilets, showers and changing rooms: wide doors and grab rails.
• Lifeguards and first aid: a staffed station in the summer season.
• Shallow, sheltered water: a gently shelving beach that is protected from the wind.

Eria Resort, at Maleme west of Chania, is a hotel designed for guests with disabilities, their families and their assistants. It runs an adapted minibus for airport transfers and excursions, and Maleme beach is a short walk away.

Platanias Beach

Platanias Beach is a long sandy beach about 11 kilometres west of Chania that you can reach easily from the road. Seafront tavernas and bars line the beach, and it has facilities for swimming, sunbathing and water sports. The island of Theodorou lies around 800 metres across the bay and has good scuba diving and snorkelling sites.

Seatrac.gr lists no unit at Platanias. The nearest working Seatrac units are at Agioi Apostoloi and Nea Chora, closer to Chania town. Our guide to Platanias village covers the resort behind the beach.

Kalyves Beach

Kalyves Beach has a Seatrac unit listed as in operation, which makes it one of the easiest beaches in western Crete for wheelchair users. Seatrac.gr lists parking, a changing room and a shower beside the unit. Kalyves (or Kalives) is a village about 20 kilometres east of Chania, in the Apokoronas area on Souda Bay.

The main beach of the village is the most popular because of its central location. Its golden sands sweep around the bay, backed by shady trees and tavernas. We love the beachside tavernas here, particularly the Icarus (formerly the Medusa) for a hearty breakfast and the Mistrali for an evening meal by the sea.

The beach slopes gently into shallow, clear water, which suits people with limited mobility. It can get a bit choppy, depending on the wind direction. Neighbouring Almyrida also has a Seatrac, though seatrac.gr listed it as temporarily out of service in October 2026.

Our Kalyves village guide covers the resort.

Perastikos Beach

Perastikos Beach is a fine golden sandy beach less than 1 kilometre east of Georgioupolis, on Almyros Bay. Toilets, showers, tavernas and water sports are all available. The beach lies beside the Perastikos River, where trees and green vegetation make shade easy to find.

The beach is part of the long sandy stretch that runs along the bay from the village. Seatrac.gr lists no unit at Georgioupolis. Our Georgioupolis guide covers the village.

Ammoudara Beach

Ammoudara is a soft golden sandy beach about 5 kilometres west of Heraklion. It has toilets, showers, a lifeguard station and a first aid station, plus sun umbrellas, sun loungers and some water sports. Wooden walkways and ramps make the sand easier to reach.

Seatrac.gr lists no unit at Ammoudara. The nearest Seatrac listed as in operation is at Lygaria beach, near Agia Pelagia west of Heraklion, where seatrac.gr also lists a toilet and a changing room. Our Ammoudara guide covers the resort.

Rethymno Town Beach

Rethymno Town Beach has a Seatrac listed as in operation, and seatrac.gr lists a toilet, a changing room, a shower, shade and parking beside it. The long sandy beach runs east from the town, with beach bars, tavernas and water sports along the way.

The beach is often busy, but its length means a quieter spot is never far away. Wooden walkways and ramps make the sand easier to reach. Our guide to Rethymno town covers the old town and harbour.

Damnoni Beach

Damnoni is a sandy beach on the south coast of the Rethymno region, a few kilometres east of Plakias. It has soft sand, clean, clear water and quiet coves on either side. Wooden walkways and ramps make the beach easier to reach.

Seatrac.gr lists no unit at Damnoni, and the Plakias unit is listed as removed. The nearest Seatrac on the south coast is at Agios Vasileios beach in Agia Galini, which seatrac.gr lists as in operation with a toilet, a changing room and a shower.

Plaka Beach

Sissi Beach

Sissi is a coastal village in the Lassithi region with small sandy beaches close by, such as Boufos. Boufos has good amenities and easy access for disabled visitors. Seatrac.gr lists no unit at Sissi. Our Sissi village guide covers the resort.

Almyros Beach

Almyros Beach is a long sandy beach in a protected bay a few kilometres outside Agios Nikolaos. The water is very shallow, which suits families with young children. Wooden walkways and ramps make the beach easy to reach for people with limited mobility, and it is a fully organised beach with sunbeds, umbrellas and tavernas. Seatrac.gr lists no unit here.

Our Agios Nikolaos town guide covers the town nearby.

Agios Panteleimonas Beach

Agios Panteleimonas is a soft sandy beach with a few pebbles and shallow water at Istron, on the Bay of Mirabello, about 10 kilometres from Agios Nikolaos. It is also called Silver Beach or Church Beach, after the tiny church on the sand.

A large parking area in front of the beach makes access easy for disabled visitors. Many locals use this quiet beach and rate it as one of their favourites. Our Istron and Kalo Horio guide covers the village.

Sitia Beach

Sitia Beach is a long, organised sandy beach in the far east of Crete, with sunbeds, umbrellas and showers. A paved road runs all the way to the beach, with parking nearby, so it is easy to reach for people with limited mobility. Our Sitia guide covers the town.

Ierapetra Beach

Ierapetra has 2 Seatrac units listed as in operation: one at Gorgona beach in the town and one at Megali Paralia, the long beach east of the centre. Seatrac.gr lists parking, shade and a changing room at both units.

The sandy and pebbly town beach is on the south coast of the Lassithi region. It has sun loungers, showers, wooden walkways and ramps, and accessible parking and toilets are close to the beach. The beach stretches for several kilometres, with water sports and plenty of tavernas and bars. Further along the coast, Makrys Gialos (Makrigialos) also has a Seatrac listed as in operation. Our Ierapetra guide covers the town.

Other Seatrac Beaches in Crete

Seatrac.gr listed these Crete beaches as having a Seatrac in operation in October 2026, in addition to those above:

• Agioi Apostoloi (2 units), Nea Chora, Agios Onoufrios and Marathi, all in the Chania area.
• Agios Vasileios beach at Agia Galini, on the south coast of the Rethymno region.
• Lygaria, west of Heraklion.
• Arina, Potamos and a third beach in the municipality of Hersonissos, east of Heraklion.

Kissamos and Myrtos also have units, but seatrac.gr listed both as temporarily out of service.