Schisma Beach (Paralia Schisma Elountas), Elounda, Crete: The Blue Flag Town Beach Above the Sunken City of Olous, Where the Saudi Royal Family Moors Its Yachts

Greece | Elounda | Lasithi Prefecture, Crete

Elounda is said to be the place with the most five-star hotels in Greece. The Saudi royal family visits almost every year. Elounda has the most landings of private helicopters in Greece. The town beach — Paralia Schisma — is 230 metres of sand in the middle of the village, Blue Flag certified, open to anyone, the specific democratic provision beside one of the most expensive resort strips in the Mediterranean.

Also known as Paralia Schisma, Elounda Beach is Blue Flag rated (for quality and environmental practices), right in the centre of town, has great views of the bay and Spinalonga Island and, wait for it, real sand! That may not sound so exciting, but let me assure you, Crete has many, many rocky “beaches” without a grain of sand anywhere in sight.

Schisma Beach is sandy and has about 230 metres in length and in some places the width reaches 40 metres, and it has blue and almost always calm waters because it is located in Korfos Bay.

The calm is structural. The Gulf of Korfos, with the rugged Spinalonga Peninsula forming a natural barrier to the east and Spinalonga Island guarding its northern neck — the bay is enclosed on three sides and the Meltemi cannot reach it from the north without passing over the Spinalonga landmass first. The specific geographical protection that makes this the swimming destination even on high-wind days across the rest of Lasithi.

Getting There: 12km North of Agios Nikolaos, Scenic Coastal Drive, KTEL Bus, Free Parking in the Square

The road into Elounda from Agios Nikolaos is approximately 12 km in length and follows the shore as it climbs to the top of a small mountain. On a clear day it is possible to see the whole of Mirabello Bay and all the way to the eastern tip of Crete.

By KTEL Agios Nikolaos bus, the service runs to the central square of Elounda throughout the day in summer. The bus stop is adjacent to the beach. By car from Agios Nikolaos, the 12-kilometre coastal drive takes approximately 15 minutes and is one of the most scenic short drives in Crete — the road curves along the bay edge with the full Mirabello panorama on the right.

In central Elounda, you will find free parking close to the main beach, just north of the small fishing harbour.

From Heraklion Airport, the drive takes approximately 1 hour on the E75 east to Agios Nikolaos and then the coastal road north.

The Beach: 230m, Sandy, Shallow, Sheltered, Blue Flag, Accessible for Wheelchair Users

Elounda Beach boasts a unique blend of azure waters and golden sand stretching gracefully along the coastline. Lifeguards are on duty, making it a safe environment for all swimmers. Bathroom access is readily available, and the beach is dog-friendly. Additionally, facilities are accessible for those with disabilities, making the beach an inclusive spot for all.

The beach is fully organised with sunbeds, umbrellas, lifeguards, and showers. The town’s main beach is just north of the car park and well-organised, with sun loungers, parasols and a lifeguard. The sea here is suitable for water sports and there is a children’s play area close by.

The sandy seabed slopes gently throughout — the same lagoon-sheltered shallow entry that makes the beach the family recommendation for East Crete visitors staying in the luxury hotels of the surrounding hillside who want the flat, calm, family-safe water.

The Sunken City of Olous: Visible from the Surface on Calm Days, 1km East

One kilometre east of Elounda, near the windmills on the peninsula of Spinalonga under the clear blue sea, sleeps the sunken ancient city of Olous. On a day with dormant winds and waves it is possible to see the ruins of the famous city under the water level.

Built on soft, coastal sands, the city was presumably struck by a major earthquake, and movements of the sea floor caused Olous to slip down under the waters it once presided over. Now it lies at the bottom of Poros Bay.

Elounda‘s modern town took its name from the ancient Olous which is located about 1 kilometre, and in ancient times was occupied an important place in the history of Crete and was actively participated in Minoan period as the city-state.

Pausanias mentions that in the 2nd century BC Olous was one of the few towns to have a statue of Britomartis, a work by Daedalus. It was a powerful, autonomous town with its own coins.

Spinalonga: Venetian Fortress, Ottoman Settlement, Leper Colony 1905–1958, Boats Every 30 Minutes

Boat trips to the Island of Spinalonga run approximately every 30 minutes from the harbour in summer, transporting you to the haunting and ghostly remains of a former leper colony.

Spinalonga is the closest island to Elounda, officially named Kalydon. It has been a Venetian fortress, a castle colony, a rebel refuge, a place of exile for lepers, a communication link with Cairo during World War II.

The leper colony operated 1905–1958 — during the Italian-German occupation, the occupiers did not dare to release the lepers and were forced to feed them, as they had evacuated Plaka village across the water. There was so much fear that nobody dared get onto the island, neither Italian nor German, which resulted in an illegal radio operation and the Director Doctor copying London and Cairo news to hand out to the island’s residents.

The Victoria Hislop novel The Island (2005) and the subsequent Greek television series To Nisi brought Spinalonga to an international audience and significantly increased visitor numbers.

The Venetian Salt Pans and the Three Windmills

At the beginning of the street toward the peninsula, on the right, are the old salt pans of Elounda, which were the major source of revenue during the Venetian period, supplying Europe with salt. Today the abandoned salt pans are home to many birds all year round — flamingos and herons among them.

On the eastern end of the village is the settlement of Schisma with three derelict stone windmills on a small opening towards the harbour through which only small boats can pass. A narrow bridge joins the mainland to the peninsula of Spinalonga.

The French Army cut the canal — Poros — in 1897 to link Mirabello Bay with Korfos Bay: the specific engineering act that separated the Spinalonga peninsula from the mainland and made it a navigable channel, changing the geography of the Olous area permanently.

The Elounda Beach Hotel (1972) and the Luxury Resort Context

The Elounda Beach Hotel was the first big tourist complex in the area, completed in 1972. Since then, Elounda has evolved into a fully-fledged resort with more than 7,000 beds, half of which are super-luxurious.

The combination of the town beach — accessible, Blue Flag, free — and the surrounding luxury resort infrastructure is the specific Elounda duality: the same bay that the Saudi royal family moors its yachts in is also the bay where the KTEL bus drops day-trippers from Agios Nikolaos for the free swim.

Schisma Beach at Elounda in Crete is the 230-metre Blue Flag town beach above the sunken city of Olous — sheltered from the Meltemi by the Spinalonga peninsula, boats to the leper colony fortress every 30 minutes, the ancient submerged city walls visible on calm days 1 kilometre east, the Venetian salt pans with flamingos adjacent, three stone windmills at the canal, free parking in the square, and the most private helicopter landings in Greece in the surrounding hotels.

Drive the coastal road from Agios Nikolaos. The view from the top of the hill shows the whole bay.

The beach is at the bottom. Park free. Walk to the canal to see the ruins under the water.