Makry Gialos is the best all-round base on the south coast of East Crete if you want a proper beach, places to eat and easy access to quieter coastal stops. Myrtos was my favourite village to visit, while Diaskari was the beach I would choose when swimming mattered more than facilities or evening atmosphere.
What made this coastline work for me was accepting that not every place deserved the same amount of time. Some were worth several nights. Others were better as a swim, lunch stop or slow hour beside the sea.
Once I stopped trying to turn every village name on the map into an attraction, the journey became much easier.
The East Crete Travel Guide gives the wider regional picture if you’re deciding how this southern coastline fits into a longer trip.
🏘️ Is Myrtos Worth Visiting on the South Coast?
Yes. Myrtos was one of the places where I immediately wanted to slow down, and I would make time for it even if I were staying elsewhere on the south coast. Its waterfront, tavernas, beach and narrow residential lanes sit close together, so I could leave the car and let the village unfold without planning a route.
The beach itself was not what won me over.
It was mostly shingle, although the water shelved gently and the mountains behind helped shelter the bay from stronger northern winds. What stayed with me was the way the beach, waterfront and lived-in back streets fitted together. Houses still sat among the tavernas rather than the whole place feeling arranged for visitors.
How Long Do You Need in Myrtos?
Half a day felt about right. I could swim, have lunch, wander through the lanes and sit by the water without forcing Myrtos into a full-day excursion or leaving with the sense that I had rushed it.
I would not choose it for a week unless I specifically wanted somewhere extremely quiet. As a village stop on the south coast, though, it was one of the places I would make time for again.
🏘️ HOW I WOULD USE MYRTOS
Come for a relaxed half day rather than a checklist of sights. Swim, eat by the water and leave time for the back streets before moving on.
🌊 Is Tertsa Worth the Detour?
For me, Tertsa was worth the detour when I specifically wanted a quiet swim or lunch beside the sea, but I would not treat it as an essential stop. It felt smaller and more isolated again, with little more than a scattering of houses and tavernas facing a long, dark-pebble beach and the mountains rising immediately behind the coast.
That lack of development was exactly why I liked it when I wanted a quiet swim. There was less organised beach infrastructure, fewer people around and very little pressure to do anything beyond getting into the water or finding a table for lunch.
What Makes Tertsa Different From Myrtos?
The road made Tertsa feel like a deliberate detour rather than somewhere I would casually add between other stops. Once there, a slow lunch beside the sea justified the effort for me. Without swimming or eating, I would struggle to find enough reason to make the diversion.
That is the sort of useful distinction the south coast kept forcing on me. Quiet did not automatically mean better. Myrtos had more to wander around; Tertsa worked because there was less.
🏖️ Is Makry Gialos the Best Base on the South Coast?
For the way I travelled, yes. Makry Gialos was the easiest place to use for several nights because the broad bay put accommodation, tavernas, shops, organised beach sections and a small harbour within easy reach. It gave me considerably more choice than the smaller villages without turning the place into a large resort.
The shallow water made everyday beach time unusually easy. The shore was sandy in places and the sea stayed gentle enough to suit families and less confident swimmers, while public stretches remained between the organised sections.
Who Is Makry Gialos Best Suited For?
I would choose Makry Gialos for families, less confident swimmers and independent travellers who want an easy beach base without giving up day trips. I did not think it was the prettiest village on this coast. Some stretches felt functional, and the road occasionally pressed too close to pedestrian areas, but that bothered me less once I had spent a full day out and came back wanting dinner, a short walk and somewhere easy to sit beside the water.
That was the trade-off I would accept again. If I were choosing one south-coast base for swimming, convenience and day trips, Makry Gialos would be my first choice.
The Where to Stay in East Crete guide compares it with the other main bases across the region.
🩵 Is Diaskari Better Than Makry Gialos for the Beach?
For a dedicated beach day, I preferred Diaskari. Just a few minutes east of Makry Gialos, it stripped away most of the development: there was no real village centre drawing my attention inland, only scattered accommodation and a long open shoreline facing a quieter bay.
This was somewhere I came specifically to swim.
Diaskari felt less organised and less crowded than central Makry Gialos. The shore mixed sand with coarser sections, tamarisk trees gave me patches of natural shade and the length of the beach made finding space easy.
Should You Stay at Diaskari or Makry Gialos?
I would stay in Makry Gialos and use Diaskari for quieter beach time. For a dedicated half-day by the water, I preferred Diaskari because there were fewer umbrellas, fewer tavernas and less activity immediately behind the shoreline.
For restaurants, evening walks and somewhere practical to sleep, Makry Gialos won easily. That distinction mattered more than trying to crown one place as best at everything.
🩵 IF THE BEACH IS YOUR PRIORITY
Stay around Makry Gialos for convenience, then make the short trip to Diaskari when you want the quieter beach day.
🚗 Do You Need a Car for the South Coast of East Crete?
For the way I explored this coastline, I would want a car. The value was not simply covering distance. It was being able to stop at Myrtos for lunch, make the deliberate turn towards Tertsa, use Makry Gialos as a base and then move a few minutes down the road when Diaskari suited the day better.
Koutsouras showed the other side of that flexibility. It sat conveniently between Ierapetra and Makry Gialos, with supermarkets, fuel, practical services, tavernas and a long shoreline. I used places like this because they made the journey easier, not because every stop needed to become part of the sightseeing.
Is Koutsouras Worth Stopping In?
I would use Koutsouras as a practical stop rather than build part of the day around it. The swimming spots were perfectly usable and the mountain backdrop attractive, but I never found a real centre pulling the village together. Without the harbour or compact waterfront I enjoyed elsewhere, there was little reason for me to wander once the practical job was done.
That became my rule for getting around the south coast: drive for flexibility, but do not confuse mobility with a need to stop everywhere.
🚗 THE SOUTH COAST I WOULD PRIORITISE
🏖️ Stay: Makry Gialos
🏘️ Visit: Myrtos
🩵 Swim: Diaskari
🌊 Detour for quiet: Tertsa
⛽ Use for practical stops: Koutsouras
If I were returning, I would base myself in Makry Gialos and use the car selectively. Myrtos would still get half a day, Diaskari the beach time and Tertsa only when I genuinely wanted somewhere quieter. That mix gave me more than trying to stay in the prettiest village or stop at every bay along the road.
