Plakias () is a village on the south coast of the Greek island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, in the

Rethymno regional unit Rethymno () is one of the four regional units of Crete, Greece. Its capital is the city of Rethymno. Today its main income is tourism. The countryside is also based economically on agriculture and herding. Administration The regional unit Rethy ...

, about 21 kilometres south of the city of Rethymno. It is part of the municipality Agios Vasileios, and of the municipal unit Foinikas. It is surrounded by mountains to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south. The name in Greek means "flat", because the town stands on an alluvial fan of material that has washed down the Kotsifou gorge directly to the north. This material has formed along the sea's edge into a long, fine, gold-hued sand beach, which shelves very gradually out into the bay, making it quite safe for swimming and hence, for family holidays. Initially just a fishing jetty and a few houses, Plakias developed during the last few decades into a tourist resort. The first official mention of Plakias was in 1961, when it was recorded in a

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

as the permanent home of six fishermen. The recorded history of surrounding mountain villages like Myrthios and Sellia goes back to the 10th century, when the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (961 AD) built roads and bridges in order to link those villages, and there are some fragments of wall remaining from a fortified area on a hill top just northeast of the present main town. The local area is geographically suitable for a settlement, having plenty of agricultural space, and there may well have been a settlement there since Minoan times. Plakias has a 1300-metre-long sandy beach and there are several other beaches within walking distance (Souda, Damnoni, Ammoudi, and Skhinaria). The southeastern end of the beach, near the Kakomouri headland, is used by

nudist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

s. The town is not on any major passage for traffic and hence traffic is minimal and it is quieter and less dusty than many other Greek resorts. Parking along the main town road is difficult in the high season, but there is a large free-parking area just east of the main town. There are plenty of places to eat along the sea front, with the biggest cluster of tavernas at the west end. 8 kilometers to the east is the historic monastery of

Preveli Preveli (Greek Πρέβελη) is a location on the south coast of the Greek island of Crete, in the Rethymno regional unit, notable for its monastery. Preveli Monastery The Holy Stavropegiac and Patriarchal Preveli Monastery of St. John th ...

, which may have been founded as early as the 10th century. Due to its isolated position, it has played an important role in Cretan revolts against occupying forces such as the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Near the monastery and in a short distance from Plakias is the

Preveli Beach Preveli Beach ( el, Φοινικόδασος της Πρέβελης, Finikodasos tis Prevelis) is a beach located on the south coast of the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete. It is located in the municipality of Agios Vasilios in the Rethymno ...

. This is a very beautiful spot, where there is a forest with palm trees, in a gorge with a river and a beautiful beach. The area is accessible from the port of Plakias. Plakias is home to the "Youth Hostel Plakias", set in olive groves behind the town, which is famous among international backpackers as the 'most southerly

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...

' in Europe. Also well-known are the cafes "Nufaro", (known locally as "Joe's bar") and the bars "Ostraco" and "Cozy Backyard". "World International Tourism Day" is celebrated each September with a big evening festival, with a free buffet meal and free traditional music, songs, and dancing performances in the main square. There are two roads leading to Plakias through the mountain range that lies to the north, both of which run through spectacular

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

s—to the north of Plakias, the

Kotsifos Gorge The Kotsifos Gorge ( el, Φαράγγι Κοτσιφού) is a gorge on the southern side of the western part of the island of Crete. It is situated west of the mountain of Kouroupa Kouroupa ( el, Κουρούπα) is a mountain in western Crete. ...

, and to the northeast, the

Kourtaliotiko Gorge The Kourtaliotiko Gorge ( el, Κουρταλιώτικο Φαράγγι), also known as the Asomatos Gorge ( el, Φαράγγι Ασώματου), is a gorge on the southern side of the western part of the island of Crete. It is situated where the ...

. A good coastal motor track runs west beyond Souda to Rodakino beach, Frangokastello and

Sfakiá Sfakiá ( el, Σφακιά) is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania regional unit. It is considered to be one of the few places in Greece that have never been fully occupied by foreign powers. With a ...

. There are plenty of walks locally, and bolder walkers will enjoy the high green countryside beyond the coastal mountain range north of town. Scuba diving and snorkeling are popular activities in the area, with a number of diving schools to choose from. Mountain biking and cycle touring are other local attractions. There are several buses daily to and from Rethymnon bus station; some of these go via Preveli Monastery. The Plakias bus stop is on the seafront taxi rank.

External links

What to do in PlakiasAll about Plakias and surroundingsPlakias on InterkritiYouth Hostel PlakiasWelcome to PlakiasPlakias forumActivities in Plakias
{{Coord, 35, 11, N, 24, 23, E, type:city, display=title Populated places in Rethymno (regional unit)