Vai Beach - Palm Tree Forest in Crete

Vai Beach - Palm Tree Forest in Crete

Crete, Greece

Vai is a very popular sandy beach located on the remote easternmost coast of Crete. Its endemic palm trees and crystal clear waters make it an enchanting place that is worth the ride.

It’s located 1h 45’ by car from Agios Nikolaos. The roads are well paved, so you will easily get there. Once you arrive at the beach, there is a dirt parking lot where you will have to pay 3€ to leave your car (unless you go very early in the morning).

The beach is not fine grained sand, but it’s still sandy. The north end is covered by pebbles. The main attraction is the date palm forest that grows right behind the beach (the largest of that kind in Europe). There are natural trails that cross the palm grove and allow visitors to explore the area in a safe and environmentally friendly way. You can also walk across the palm trees located directly on the beach and relax under their shade. If you are late and all the shaded areas are covered by towels, you can rent a set of two sunbeds and an umbrella for 10€, or 60€ for the luxurious ones.

In addition to this, the beach has some other facilities such as toilets, showers, a café and a restaurant. You can also do some water sports such as jet ski, flyboard, banana board, wake board, etc.

There are several hiking trails around the area (30’ and 1h 45’ walk). They are advertised in some info panels on the beach.
On the right side there is a viewpoint. If you continue farther, you will reach Psili Ammos beach, a naturist beach.

As we have said before, it’s a very popular location so it tends to be quite crowded in the high season. However, if you visit it at the beginning or at the end of the season, it will be quieter. If crowds and families with kids annoy you, you can go to Erimoupolis or Ithanos beach. They are very nice as well, less popular and quite close to Vai.

Visitors are not allowed after 21:00, meaning that camping is prohibited.

Around the area, you can visit Toplou Monastery, Itanos or Erimoupolis beaches, Minoan Palace of Kato Zakros (ruins, rocks) or Folklore museum of Palekastro. This region is also famous for the great windsurfing and kite surfing spots.

It’s too crowded in the high season. Luckily, you can visit some other nice locations nearby.