Vai Beach

Palekastro, East Crete · 🇬🇷 Greece

A palm-backed golden cove at Crete's far eastern tip that looks transplanted from the tropics.

Sea temperature

~25°C in the warm season

Water

Clear turquoise, shallow and calm

Sand

Soft pale-gold sand at the foot of Europe's largest natural palm grove

Swimming

Gentle shallow entry, sheltered and family-friendly

Best time to visit

May–Oct

Setting

Thousands of native Cretan date palms filling the valley behind the bay

Beach type

Exotic sands

Blue Flag

Yes

Region

Europe

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More exotic sands beaches

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Photo: Wouter Hagens (CC BY-SA 3.0) · source