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The best Polish website dedicated to the Greek island Crete and to a small extent of continental Greece. You will find useful information related to visiting Crete that goes beyond the offer of optional tours. On the website you will also find descriptions of the most interesting places that we visited by visiting this largest Greek island. The content complements the current news, photographs and recipes of Greek cuisine.
In 2025, Greece took second place in the world in terms of the number of beaches awarded the Blue Flag, thus reinforcing its very high position, second only to Spain. This year, the characteristic blue flags will fly on 623 Greek beaches, 17 marinas and 17 tourist ships. This prestigious distinction testifies to the highest standards of water purity, safety and availability of beach infrastructure. Crete, as a region of Greece, received a total of 153 awards: 145 for beaches and 2 for marinas.
The annual rankings are announced by the Greek Society for the Protection of Nature (EEPF) , which coordinates the Blue Flag program in Greece. This year, a total of 52 countries participated in the competition, with 4,302 beaches, 736 marinas and 158 tourist ships awarded. According to EEPF, Greece has 15% of all beaches that have received these awards this year. It is worth noting that Greece has a steady upward trend in the number of awarded places every year. For comparison, we also provide the number of distinguished beaches in Spain [1st Place] – 642, Turkey [3rd Place] – 577, Italy [4th Place] – 487. Interestingly, in Poland, 31 beaches received the Blue Flag distinction, which placed our country in 20th place in the ranking.
As for Crete, compared to last year, the total pool of distinguished beaches has increased by 1. Some places did not receive a distinction, but new ones appeared in their place. The number of distinguished places on the island, divided into individual prefectures, is as follows:
Lassithi Prefecture : 51 beaches and 1 marina
Chania Prefecture : 43 beaches
Heraklion Prefecture : 36 beaches
Rethymno Prefecture : 22 beaches and 1 marina
A detailed list of the featured beaches can be found at the end of this article.
38 years of the Blue Flag program
The awards have been given since 1987 to beaches and marinas that meet strict requirements and criteria. Over the past dozen or so years, the Blue Flag has become the most recognizable and popular international symbol of high-quality beaches and marinas in the world. The uniform standard for this award was developed in 2001 by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in Denmark. In Greece, the Blue Flag is awarded by the Greek Society for the Protection of Nature (EEPF), which coordinates the program.
Bottle flags
Interestingly, since 2021, the characteristic blue flags have been produced from 100% used PET bottles. They are collected in supermarkets and other collection points in Western Europe. The bottles are chopped into small flakes, which are then melted into polyester yarn, from which the fabric used to produce the flags is created.
The birth of an idea
The history of this distinction dates back to 1985, when the idea of distinguishing coastal municipalities with high water quality was born in France. Two years later, in 1987, the idea was launched as an official European program known as Blue Flag. Initially, the awards were to be an incentive for bathing area managers to meet the assumptions of the European Council directive on the reduction of bathing water pollution and its protection against further pollution (Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975).
Over the next dozen or so years, the simple and clear concept of marking the best beaches and marinas was also positively received by tourists in the European Union. Work began on changing the rules to allow the introduction of this distinction in other countries around the world. Since 2001, after establishing uniform rules, this mark has become an international symbol of the best beaches.
What criteria must a beach meet to receive the Blue Flag distinction?
Beaches applying for the right to use this label must meet 33 criteria imposed by FEE (for marinas, 38 criteria, for excursion boats 51). The prerequisite for granting this distinction is excellent water quality. No other quality classification, not even "good", is acceptable. Below we present the most important criteria that are taken into account. They are divided into four topics, within which detailed conditions are specified.
Clean sea and coast
excellent bathing water quality confirmed by sample tests
sufficient number of waste and recycling containers, which must be emptied regularly
continuous, regular cleaning of the coast from rubbish, cigarette butts, etc.
Coastal organization
posting official results of microbiological analyses on the mandatory notice board
ban on vehicles and mopeds on the coast
camping ban
efficient and clean sanitary facilities
Guest Safety
the presence of trained, certified rescuers or direct access to an emergency telephone, rescue equipment and first aid
accessibility and provision of services for people with disabilities (IDP)
Protecting nature and caring for the natural environment
protection of the coastal zone, in particular protected areas including flora and fauna
implementing specific educational activities in the field of environmental protection for visitors to the Blue Flags coastal zone
Ogólnie deszczowa ta wiosna w tym roku, będzie dużo oliwek
Byliśmy we wtorek. Na szczęście się udało przed zmianą pogody. Pierwszy raz przylecieliśmy na Kretę właśnie po to, żeby przejść ten wąwóz. To było we wrześniu 2015r. Też po intensywnych opadach był zamknięty. Przeszliśmy w ostatni dzień przed powrotem do Polski. Ale niestety różnie to może być
gość PiotrWie Na Schinoussie w sobotę po południu i w nocy podał deszcz, rano w niedzielę stół na tarasie był żółto-brązowy zamiast biały
gość dodekanezowiec Żeby nie było "tylko narzekania" wczoraj widziałem ofertę biura podróży lot na Santorini z pobytem w hotelu *** śnaidanie tydzień 25.5.-1.6. (z powrotem rano na wybory :) - 1.000 zł od osoby - taki lat - cena podobna do promu Kreta - Santorini :) I to nie jakieś szemrane biuro a jedno z TOP3 czy TOP5
gość PiotrWie Na Koufonissi było na tyle słabo odczuwalne że my przespaliśmy. A droga z Myrtos do Tertsy to rzeczywiście masakra - wyryta w klifie, głazy zwisające nad drogą, w 2019 próbowała nas tam zabić koza zrzucając głaz tuż przed samochód, na szczęście przeleciał przez drogę bo pomimo niewielkiej prędkości chyba bym nie wyhamował.
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