Agios Pavlos Eligias

It is impossible not to be impressed by the excellent, pebbly beach of Agios Pavlos with the ascetic landscape that surrounds it. Golden sand, turquoise waters, tall green pines and a very old Byzantine church form the landscape.

The beach of Agios Pavlos is located at the exit of the gorge of Eligia, east of Agia Roumeli, to the south of the city of Chania and is accessible through the passable coastal path E4 that joins Agia Roumeli and Loutro.

To reach the beach you have to walk for about an hour. As none of these two neighboring villages have a road, the beach remains deserted almost all year.

If you decide to swim at the beach of Agios Pavlos, you will have to walk for about four hours and the fact that there is not a lot of shade along the route makes it even more difficult. If you do not want to walk, you can rent a boat.

A Byzantine church was built on the beach of Agios Pavlos dating from the 10th century. The temple was built in honor of the Apostle Paul who according to the ecclesiastical tradition baptized Christians there during one stop of his trip to Rome.

Although it is an isolated beach, at Agios Pavlos you will find a canteen where you can buy water and food. However, there are not any umbrellas and the trees grow quite higher than the coast, so make sure to bring your umbrellas to be protected from the hot sun.

If you want to be completely isolated or avoid the hikers of August you can go east along the coast where the trail disappears into the pine forest.

Even though the water is quite cold, the sea is crystal clear and the colors of the water will be unforgettable.