Welcome to our guide to Potamos Beach, a stunning beach just outside Malia, one of the most popular resorts in Crete.
Potamos Beach is quite popular, but attracts nowhere near the crowds partying in the Malia town beaches. It’s a world away from these, a beautiful location near a river marsh and dunes. There are two great sandy beaches with three small rocky coves in-between, and it’s a brilliant place to take the family for the day.
Our Potamos Beach guide includes everything you need to know on what to see and do, the best places for swimming and more. We also advise on getting there from Malia and elsewhere, suggest places to eat and where to visit nearby. We visited Potamos Beach a few times and fell in love with the place – and wouldn’t be too surprised if you do too.
TIP: Malia is at its busiest during the school summer holidays in July and August, so aim to book accommodation well in advance. If you’re looking for somewhere close to Potamos Beach, I recommend either the beachfront Silver Sun Studios & Apartments or Phaea Cretan Malia, a Member of Design Hotels.
Tours From Malia
Crete Quad Safari – passing Potamos Beach, Malia Minoan Palace, Sissi and heading off road through olive groves to a 16th-century monastery and ancient oak tree
Land Rover Safari on Minoan Path – climb to the stunning Lassithi Plateau via the ancient Minoan Path (a series of dirt tracks) then explore Cretan villages including Krasi
Day Trip To Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island – includes boat trip, stop on the former lepers’ island of Spinalonga and a swim in the pristine waters of Mirabello Bay
Why Visit Potamos Beach Crete
Potamos Beach is the best of all the beaches in Malia Crete.
It’s two miles or so from the centre of the resort, and mainly attracts a family crowd rather the hedonistic partygoers Malia is famous for.
Potamos Beach actually consists of three beaches on a scenic stretch of coast with a mountainous backdrop.
The easternmost of the three beaches at Potamos is the best for kids – it’s a curved, sheltered bay that gets far less waves than the long straight beach 200 metres or so to the west.
It’s a great place to swim, with exceptional clear water and a soft sandy seabed – perfect for young kids to paddle in.
Things To Do At Potamos Beach Malia
We enjoyed a wonderful family day out at Potamos Beach, as it’s a spectacular swimming beach in a gorgeous setting.
Faye and Our Little Man spent over four hours in the crystal-clear seawater, swimming and playing. Faye describes it as ‘paradise’, and she revelled in the pristine purity of the deep blue water.
It’s also somewhere you can pull up a sunbed and relax for hours. An umbrella and two-sunbed package costs €9 or 10 for the day, depending on which section of the beach you visit.
The two main beaches are sandy, and the series of small coves in between. The coves are quite shallow, with a mixture of sandy and rocky beds, ideal for snorkelling.
There is an unusual landmark on one of the small headlands among the coves. A large amphora – a traditional storage jar – sits on top of one of the rocks, and makes a remarkable sight in early and late light and sunset. There is another one further along the coast towards Malia, a few hundred metres to the west.
There is also a short coastal hike over the rocky headland and up the coast to Agia Varvara beach and church.
Potamos Beach Tips
Potamos Beach is a great place to make a full day out of it. As well as the beach there is an excellent snack bar and we also recommend the Potamos Beach Restaurant.
Unless you’ve brought your own, you will need to get a double sunbed and umbrella package for €9 or 10. You will need some downtime in the shade, and will also need a lot of factor 50 sun protection. Don’t bother with factor 20 or 30, especially with kids, in this strong sun – it’s useless, and nowhere near enough.
Where Is Potamos Beach
Potamos Beach is two miles (3 km) east of the centre of Malia, and 21 miles (33 km) east of Heraklion, the capital of Crete.
How To Get To Potamos Beach
Potamos isn’t on a direct bus route from Malia, but the Heraklion-Malia-Agios Nikolaos buses stop close by, at stop 36. It’s a few minutes’ walk left off the main road from there to the Malia Minoan Palace. Then it’s another 5-minute walk from there to Potamos Beach.
You can also walk to Potamos Beach from Malia – either along Grammatiki or Michis Kritis from the centre.
It’s also a short drive from Malia town centre. There is ample car parking close to both main sections of beach. Many visitors hire quad bikes for the duration of their stay, and a few make their way to Potamos Beach this way. It’s little more than a 5-minute drive away. Taxis cost €9-10 one way.
Places To Visit Near Potamos Beach
Potamos Beach is very close to one of the foremost ancient Minoan sites in Crete, the Malia Minoan Palace. The substantial complex dates back almost 4000 years, and has never been restored like Knossos in Heraklion.
The charms of Malia greatly vary. Many flock to Malia drawn by its reputation as one of the party capitals of the Mediterranean. The main road through the town is the dividing line between its two very different sides. The beaches, parties, booze cruises, pubs and clubs lie to the north, while gorgeous Malia Old Town is across the street to the south.
We stayed in Old Malia for over a week, using it as a base to explore the coast and local attractions. And every night we took a short walk around the warren of narrow lanes. The main draw is the choice of great tavernas and restaurants. The best of these include the bougainvillea-clad Odas Taverna and the nearby San Giorgio Taverna. Part of the latter occupies a square around a gorgeous small Orthodox church.
Hersonissos, a few miles up the road to Heraklion, also has its contrasts. The Hersonissos beaches around the port are jammed, but the further you go away from the centre – particularly to Gefyri Beach and Sarantari Beach – the better they get.
The hillside villages above Hersonissos port are also very different in character to the town below. Old Hersonissos, Piskopiano and Koutouloufari tend to attract older visitors, many of whom like to sit at the tavernas and watch the world go by.
While around Hersonissos, don’t miss the brilliant Lychnostatis Open Air Museum. It’s one of the best of its kind anywhere in Europe, with beautiful displays on life in 19th and early 20th century Crete.
The coast road west towards Heraklion takes you past several popular Crete family attractions. The best of these include Dinosauria Park, which got an enormous thumbs-up from our young prehistoric expert. We also thoroughly enjoyed the nearby CretAquarium, on the seafront in Gournes.
Malia is at the eastern end of Crete’s party strip – after it, things get considerably quieter. The buses also tend to thin out a bit – the beautiful seaside village of Sissi Crete is only a few miles along the coast from Malia, but you need your own set of wheels to get there.
Beyond Malia the main road heads inland, eventually reaching the harbour city of Agios Nikolaos. From here, the likes of Spinalonga Island, Cretan villages like Kritsa and Elounda, the Lassithi Plateau are within reach. The wild remote beaches of the far east Crete coast – from palm paradise Vai to rugged Xerokampos and the Minoan palace site at Kato Zakros – also beckon.
Potamos Beach – Final Thoughts
Potamos is an outstanding beach, in our view the best of all the Malia beaches.
Stalis Beach (also known as Stalida Beach) at the other end of Malia is also a great beach for families.
But Potamos Beach edges it for us with its extraordinary setting and, in places, perfect conditions. It’s fair to say it’s one of the best beaches in Crete for families.
Here is a selection of other articles I’ve written on Crete for you to browse through:
Hersonissos or Malia – which is best for you?
Things To Do In Hersonissos – Malia’s hedonistic near-neighbour
Things To Do In Chania – discover the most beautiful city in Crete, indeed, perhaps, Greece
Pink Beaches In Crete – the 3 stunning pink sand beaches to visit on Crete
Famous Landmarks In Crete To Visit – from Knossos to its most famous beaches, gorges and more
Kedrodasos Beach – glorious pristine beach and coves in a grove of rare juniper trees
Things To Do In Rethymno – discovering Crete’s enchanting third city
Rethymno Beaches – 20 of the best beaches in Rethymno province in central and western Crete
Bali Crete Beaches – guide to all 5 beaches in this beautiful north coast village
Things To Do In Heraklion – discover the greatly underrated capital of Crete
Visiting Knossos Palace Crete – the foremost ancient Minoan site in the world
Panormos Crete – complete guide to this charming fishing village on Crete’s north coast
Arkadi Monastery Crete – fascinating monastery and church, site of infamous massacre during the Cretan Revolt
Kalypso Beach Crete – a fjord, of all things, in Crete – and one of the best places to swim and snorkel in Greece
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.
Check out more of our articles on Crete here:
- Things To Do In Chania – discover the most beautiful city in Crete, indeed, perhaps, Greece
- Balos Beach Crete – breathtaking lagoon beach in the north-west corner of Crete
- Falassarna Beach – wild series of stunning beaches backed by mountains on the west coast of Crete
- Elafonissi Beach – one of the spectacular pink beaches in Crete
- Kedrodasos Beach – glorious pristine beach and coves in a grove of rare juniper trees
- Things To Do In Rethymno – discovering Crete’s enchanting third city
- Rethymno Beaches – 20 of the best beaches in Rethymno province in central and western Crete
- Panormos Crete – complete guide to this charming fishing village on Crete’s north coast
- Arkadi Monastery Crete – fascinating monastery and church, site of infamous massacre during the Cretan Revolt
- Kalypso Beach Crete – a fjord, of all things, in Crete – and one of the best places to swim and snorkel in Greece