Plakias Beach in Crete

The special thing about city or local beaches is that the city or the place is just around the corner, i.e. the cafés, taverns, restaurants and supermarkets. Cravings for a certain type of ice cream? No problem. The current kicker? Neither.

Everything just a few steps away. As do the quiet, empty stretches of Plakias Beach, by the way: you only have to walk a hundred or two hundred meters south and suddenly you have a whole beach to yourself. Even on perfect days. Even in high season.

All in all, Plakias Beach is a mile long and thirty wide, a mix of sand and shingle that slopes very gradually into the water (the surf can still get pretty rough here when it’s windy). The further you walk towards Cape Kakomoúri at the end of the bay, the finer and softer the sand becomes. Incidentally, the cape with its almost vertical rock face is a hotspot for climbers. If you prefer to go into the water: On the other side is the Kalypso Dive Center with an attached diving school.

And otherwise?
Plakias Beach is great for anyone who wants to spend their vacation days on the beach up to the last minute: because it runs north to south, it lies in the sun until it descends over the sea beyond the horizon.

Our visit: in October (low season)

The special tip:
Paligremnos Tavern, quite at the south end of the beach, is often described as the best sunset spot, but honestly, it’s also our favorite for lunch. You sit on the terrace or under the trees in the garden; there are many small lunch dishes plus a changing daily menu with regional specialties. Wonderful.