
Details
This is on the west coast near Platanos, usually approached from Kastelli, as you come into for sign to Falasarni Beach Hotel. Follow long windy road which descends to long sandy beach. Go to end of road and continue 300 mtrs on dirt track to parking.
Beach is sand with stones into sea at northern end, but 100 mtrs to south, sandy entry. Shallow for a long way, crystal clear water. There are several Tavernas, costume needed, chairs are there but you would need to carry them to your area. My contributors were comfortable with the area but it could get windy; there is no public transport.
There are different sandy beaches, most of them “belonging” to a restaurant and equipped with umbrellas and beds. The main beach is called the Big Beach or “Ipanema Beach” and is roughly divided into 3 parts. The most southern part is very deserted, with sand hills behind the beach and a dirt road behind the hills. As the hills are not that high everywhere, you can be seen from the road by the passing farmers. This part of the beach is sand, but it changes to pebbles in the water.
The middle part has a beach bar and umbrellas and beds. This part is sand, also in the water. It was relatively crowded and textile. The northern part is also sand out and in the water. It is separated from the middle part by some rocks and sand hills. On the beach are also some rocks which provide shadow. This part (about 150 m) was mostly occupied by nude people, although some people wore swimsuits. There exists a friendly co-existence. The majority of the people in that part were German and in the weekends some Greek people and families came and also stripped. My contributor, who visited in September 2001, can only recommend it! The only negative point is that most of the time there was a strong wind.
Earlier reports, such as one from June 1999, suggested the textile invasion is about to take over. However the Captain has received sufficient more recent reports to inspire confidence that there are still parts of the beach where one can happily strip, however this is clearly one of those beaches where the situation can change from day to day.
Some say the water and the sand are superb here, one contributor described it as the best he'd ever found all over Greece.
Location
1999: Described this as "our favourite beach". Forget about the big beach, the small one at the cliffs and dunes is perfect. Peaceful - very few visitors.
2000 describes it as a beach that is not over-run - a huge sweep of sand, turquoise blue waters and plenty of scope for nude sunbathing amongst the dunes at the southern end of the beach, however another report comes in suggesting that this report is exaggerated. A quarter of this beach is in full view of the dirt road at the back of the beach, another quarter is rocks rather than sand, and another is uncomfortably close to the fish taverna at the harbour (south end of the dirt road). There is really only one area of sand on the beach at which nudity is possible bur both the cove at the headland and this part of the beach were occupied by textiles. It is a place for "get there first" enthusiasts.
2001: You could strip in the dunes, or lay by the sea depending on your approach. There may still be some possibilities in the sand dunes at the southern end. Turn left at the "Panorama"-sign, and further down to the beach, park in front of the sand dune and walk right over it. There's a little "canyon" where you go down in the water. Don't expect to find many nudists. Some 200-300 metres further south, at the lagoon-like beach there were no other people, making it possible to walk in the nude
2002: Confirms that the northern part was nudist. Between the two big umbrella-beaches there is a small beach used by nudists, but there are less people and you cannot go into the sea very easily there. But if you follow the paved road to the end and follow the path for another 500 metres you can go down a steep path where you can park. If you follow the path to the sea (50 metres) you can be naked as much as you like. There are some people from the big beach that will walk along the coast to a small harbour 100 metres away and to the "old Falassarna" archaeological site, but they don't seem to mind.
2003: Of all the beaches visited on Crete the most beautiful was Falassarna. It was sandy, not too much wind, beautiful clear water. It is not too far, very easy from Chania or from Rethymnon (nice new road). There are many tavernas and restaurants and not expensive (10 Euros for 2 persons for Greek salad + cold soda). Also easy to find a parking for your car. My contributor says "Go to Falassarna, you won't regret it!"
2004 found no nudists at all on this part of the beach. It seems to that it is getting more difficult year by year to practise naturism here, mostly because more people find out about this beautiful place. At the end of July 2003 my contributor went there, to the 3rd bay (the 1st is the big one, the first to find on your left as you reach Falassarna). He says, "At the weekends it is very hard to practise nudism, too many families especially Greeks with children, that do not like nudists. But during the other days it is possible. Last summer it was only about 30% naturists unfortunately. But I observed one thing: once the other people see more than one naturist, they begin to be curious and slowly, slowly they begin to throw off their swimsuits (one day in the morning it was only about 20% naturist, in the afternoon almost everyone was naked). That means that we have to insist and encourage the other people to feel the naturist experience in such a beautiful place."
Editor
Historical reviews
1997: Beach wonderful, a few umbrellas and beds, but loads of empty beach, and if you go just around the southern point, there’s no wind either. After finding this beach, reviewer kept on going back!
1999: Described this as “our favourite beach”. Forget about the big beach, the small one at the cliffs and dunes is perfect. Peaceful – very few visitors.
2000 describes it as a beach that is not over-run – a huge sweep of sand, turquoise blue waters and plenty of scope for nude sunbathing amongst the dunes at the southern end of the beach, however another report comes in suggesting that this report is exaggerated. A quarter of this beach is in full view of the dirt road at the back of the beach, another quarter is rocks rather than sand, and another is uncomfortably close to the fish taverna at the harbour (south end of the dirt road). There is really only one area of sand on the beach at which nudity is possible bur both the cove at the headland and this part of the beach were occupied by textiles. It is a place for “get there first” enthusiasts.
2001: You could strip in the dunes, or lay by the sea depending on your approach. There may still be some possibilities in the sand dunes at the southern end. Turn left at the “Panorama”-sign, and further down to the beach, park in front of the sand dune and walk right over it. There’s a little “canyon” where you go down in the water. Don’t expect to find many nudists. Some 200-300 metres further south, at the lagoon-like beach there were no other people, making it possible to walk in the nude
2002: Confirms that the northern part was nudist. Between the two big umbrella-beaches there is a small beach used by nudists, but there are less people and you cannot go into the sea very easily there. But if you follow the paved road to the end and follow the path for another 500 metres you can go down a steep path where you can park. If you follow the path to the sea (50 metres) you can be naked as much as you like. There are some people from the big beach that will walk along the coast to a small harbour 100 metres away and to the “old Falassarna” archaeological site, but they don’t seem to mind.
2003: Of all the beaches visited on Crete the most beautiful was Falassarna. It was sandy, not too much wind, beautiful clear water. It is not too far, very easy from Chania or from Rethymnon (nice new road). There are many tavernas and restaurants and not expensive (10 Euros for 2 persons for Greek salad + cold soda). Also easy to find a parking for your car. My contributor says “Go to Falassarna, you won’t regret it!”
2004 found no nudists at all on this part of the beach. It seems to that it is getting more difficult year by year to practise naturism here, mostly because more people find out about this beautiful place. At the end of July 2003 my contributor went there, to the 3rd bay (the 1st is the big one, the first to find on your left as you reach Falassarna). He says, “At the weekends it is very hard to practise nudism, too many families especially Greeks with children, that do not like nudists. But during the other days it is possible. Last summer it was only about 30% naturists unfortunately. But I observed one thing: once the other people see more than one naturist, they begin to be curious and slowly, slowly they begin to throw off their swimsuits (one day in the morning it was only about 20% naturist, in the afternoon almost everyone was naked). That means that we have to insist and encourage the other people to feel the naturist experience in such a beautiful place.”
2015 October: We visited the northern parts of the beach. Even the small bays in the north were popular and 100% textile.
2016 June: Previous reports confirmed. Regrettably, on a fine sunny mid-week day, there was not one nudist on the most northern Falassarna beach. 50 to 60 textile bathers occupied the area close to the sun loungers.
2016 September: There were nudists on the sand between the rocks in the northern Falassarna beach. Had a pleasant stay.
2018: It is partially naturist (20%) only in the extreme north, towards the small harbour, over 200 m the last equipped beach and the Orange Blue tavern. Some couples were naked. Not exhibited, it seemed to me.