Agios Pavlos beach Crete is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Greece. We rate it among the best beaches in Crete, and one of the highlights of our recent Crete holidays.
The beach and setting are magnificent, and you get the bonus of one of the best things to see in Crete, an exquisite thousand-year-old Byzantine church above the beach.
There are actually two beaches called Agios Pavlos in Crete, around 50 km (30 miles) apart along the south Crete coast as the crow flies. This post is about Agios Pavlos beach near Agia Roumeli, in Chania province.
The other Agios Pavlos beach is more developed, and is located near spectacular Triopetra beach, in Rethymno province.
You’ll sometimes see it referred to as ‘Agios Pavlos beach Agia Roumeli’, ‘Agios Pavlos beach Sfakia’ or even ‘Agios Pavlos Beach Chania’.
Agios Pavlos Beach Crete Top Tips
- This Agios Pavlos beach can only be reached on foot or by boat, so it never gets crowded
- It’s around an hour and a half on foot from Agia Roumeli Crete, close to the end of the famous Samaria Gorge hike
- It’s famous for its beautiful 11th century Byzantine church, from which it takes its name
- The beach is over 1km long, with amazing clear water from the Libyan Sea
- It’s a mixture of pebbles and grey sand
- It’s surrounded by spectacular mountains, some of the most beautiful coastline in Europe
- It can also be reached from the beautiful village of Loutro, also along the coast path – this route takes up to 4 hours, and is much more difficult
- There is a taverna on the beach open during the season (April to late October) serving drinks and meals
Where is Agios Pavlos Beach ?
Agios Pavlos is a 4 km ( 2.5 miles, 60-90 minutes) hike to the east of the coastal village of Agia Roumeli, on the Crete south coast. It is pretty secluded and remote.
What is Agios Pavlos Crete Like ?
It is an incredible place, one of the outstanding Crete beaches. The coastal scenery leaves you running out of superlatives.
The rugged Lefka Ora (White Mountains Crete) rise up out of the crystal-clear sea. The tiny Byzantine church is sublime, and the St Paul Tavern 200 metres along the beach from there is a great place to stop by.
It takes a real effort to reach Agios Pavlos, but I thought it was one of the best places in Crete.
I visited near the end of the season, late in October, when there were about twenty people on the whole beach. If you want to escape the crowds at Balos and Elafonissi, this is ideal for you.
See Also: 30 Gorgeous Chania Beaches – Discover The Wonders of West Crete
Agios Pavlos Church
The name ‘Agios Pavlos’ is the Greek for Saint Paul. St Paul is believed to have stopped at Crete during his journey to Rome in the first century AD.
The church was built in the 11th century AD – reputedly by St John the Hermit (Agios Ioannis Xenos in Greek). The stones used to build the church are believed to be from the beach.
It is one of the most gorgeous churches I have ever seen, and one of the most beautiful churches in Crete. It’s built in the Byzantine style, cruciform in shape, with a central dome. The interior is simple and captivating, with some of the walls and ceilings covered in faded frescoes.
See Also: 32 Of The Most Beautiful Churches In Europe
How to get to Agios Pavlos ?
Agios Pavlos is one of the most remote Crete destinations, and the effort involved getting there means very few people who visit Crete make it here.
In order to reach Agios Pavlos, first you have to reach Agia Roumeli. I did this by catching the Agia Roumeli ferry from Paleochora, a 90-minute trip one way.
The ferry runs from May to the end of October. You can also catch the ferry from Chora Sfakion and Loutro.
The hike from Agia Roumeli is more difficult and longer than some guides suggest. I’ve seen some say it is only an easy 30-minute walk from Agia Roumeli. It is emphatically NOT.
The E4 trail is one of the highlights of all of Crete island. It has some incredibly beautiful sections, including from Krios beach to Kedrodasos and Elafonissi in the far south-west. The Agia Roumeli to Agios Pavlos section is, if anything, even more stunning.
I hiked the 4 km (2.5 miles) from Agia Roumeli to Agios Pavlos in around 90 minutes. It was more difficult than I had anticipated. It’s not an easy walk – I would grade it as moderate.
Some of the terrain is tricky, especially if you’re a novice walker. There are some scrambles over and between rocks, long trudges along pebbly beaches and up through sand dunes.
There are also some steep, long, unprotected drops from the path – and the surface below is sometimes loose and rocky.
Another possibility is chartering a boat from the harbour at Agia Roumeli. A ferry sometimes runs to Agios Pavlos during the season – after mid-October, just ask around at the harbour or in the village.
Where to stay in Crete if you’re visiting Agios Pavlos
If you plan to visit Agios Pavlos beach, you need to start the day fairly close by as it’s so remote. A day trip there is possible if you can make the morning Paleochora ferry (it usually leaves at 0830) or the morning Chora Sfakion ferry, it’s a straightforward trip.
Paleochora is a great place to stay, as it has several great beaches nearby and a boat ride away from Elafonissi. Another option is Sougia, Crete, which can also be reached on the ferry from Paleochora to Agia Roumeli.
Check the ferry website for the latest ferry schedules, which vary day by day.
Agia Roumeli is the ideal place to stay if you just want to do this hike. However, it’s not suitable for the Samaria Gorge hike, as there is no road transport from there to the starting point.
Agia Roumeli is the finishing point of the Samaria Gorge walk, and where hikers stop for a few hours every day. Once they head off on the ferries to Paleochora and Chora Sfakion, the village empties and it becomes a very quiet, peaceful spot once again. Hotel Agia Roumeli by the Sea is a great option, with superb views along the coast. And Paralia Guest House is another great place to stay, with perhaps the best restaurant in the village downstairs overlooking the beach.
If you’re planning to hike the Samaria Gorge and do the Agios Pavlos walk you may be better off staying in Paleochora, from which buses run to the starting point of the walk at Omalos during the season. Here are some of the best places to stay in Paleochora:
**** – Libyan Princess – boutique hotel with outdoor pool and wellness club
**** – Manos Studios – beautiful studios where we stayed for a few weeks, just across the road from Pachia Ammos beach
*** – Alexia Rooms – lovely rooms on the other side of the village, close to Chalikia beach and the ferry wharf
This Samaria Gorge tour runs from Chania – and includes the ferry to Sougia and bus back from there.
This Samaria Gorge tour runs from Rethymno and includes the ferry to Chora Sfakion and the bus back from there..
And this Samaria Gorge hike runs from Heraklion and the beach resorts nearby. The package includes the ferry to Chora Sfakion and transport back from there by bus.
There is no direct transport from Chora Sfakion to Omalos – it’s far easier to reach it or book a Samaria Gorge package (including transport to Omalos and back from Agia Roumeli) from Chania, Rethymno or smaller Crete resorts like Georgioupolis.
Agios Pavlos Beach Crete – Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve found this article helpful. Agios Pavlos Beach near Agia Roumeli is one of the highlights of the South Crete coast, on a par with the likes of nearby Loutro and Glyka Nera. It takes a real effort to get there but it is so emphatically worth it.
As well as the articles to which I have linked in the course of the article, I also suggest looking at some of these for further inspiration:
20 Best Rethymno Beaches To Visit
20 Best Things To Do In Chania
15 Best Things To Do In Heraklion
Visiting Heraklion Archaeological Museum
12 Best Things To Do In Agios Nikolaos
Visiting Spinalonga Island Crete
Balos Beach Crete – How To Visit And More
Pink Beaches In Crete – Elafonissi, Balos and more
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.