Plages à promité

Although Agia Galini has a pleasant and enjoyable sandy/pebble beach with many facilities to serve as a real stay-put, holiday area. You might have a more adventurous attitude. Wander off, day-tripping, exploring the other wonderful areas of Crete, returning "Back Home" exhausted but totally satisfied.

Kalamáki

A 30 minutes drive
Is a small town along the very long sandy beach which stretches out to Kómmos. Here you’ll find shops, hotels, apartments, restaurants and tavernas.

Kókinos Pyrgos

A 20 minutes drive. Kókinos Pyrgos (meaning red tower) , that took its name by a castle that was there during the Middle Ages built from red clay earth. Kókinos Pyrgos is a small coastal community, 2km away from Tymbaki, with a fantastic beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Crete, and a clear transparent sea. At Kokinos Pyrgos, there are docking facilities for sailing and fishing boats, hotels, restaurants, bars, etc.
More info: http://www.interkriti.org/timbaki/kpyrgos.htm

Kómmos

A 40 minutes drive.
Alongside with the excavation area, which is not open for public, you will find a beautiful long and quiet sandy beach with parking facilities, public toilets, sunbeds and a small cafeteria located in a van. The sea is crystal clear and shallow with big flat rocks. The beach of Kómmos is unspoiled, charming, stewn with fine golden sand where the Caretta-Caretta sea turtles lay their eggs. The view from the beach is also magnificent.
More info: http://www.angelfire.com/super2/greece/kommos.html

Agios Pávlos

A 30 minutes drive.
Taking the main road to Rethymnon, just before Kria Vrisi, you will find a sign turning left towards the villages Ano- and Kato Saktouria that lie high in the Vouvala mountains. Here the road winds down again towards the sea. There's a nice beach in the village with umbrellas and sunbeds, and two super-super beaches just outside the village. They can be reached by descending a very (!) steep sand dune. But once you are there it's a big reward. The beach is stunning and it's a delight to swim in the sea (in the nude, because nudism is allowed here). A lot of people don't want to go down afraid they won't make it, or even worse: not make it back up the hill again.
More info: http://www.angelfire.com/me4/greekislands/agiospavlos.html

Agios Geórgos

A 20 minutes drive.
Taking the road to Melambes. you will find a turn to the left with a sign. Here the road winds down towards the sea. You can either take the east or west part of the beach. The east side has sunbeds with a little taverna high on the cliff-top which has a great view.

Triópetra

A 40 minutes drive.
Drive direction Spíli, at Akoumia you take a left turn and follow the sign. The road takes you along the mountain and down to the sea. There is a small beach with sunbeds and a good taverna on the east side and a long stretching beach with good taverna’s on the west side.

Agia Fotíni

A 50 minutes drive.
Just before Spíli at Kissou Kambos you turn left towards Kerames follow the sign. The road goes high through the mountains before winding down to the sea. There is a small restaurant and a few sunbeds. A quiet sandy beach with beautiful cristal clear blue sea.
More info: http://www.amazingcrete.com/taverna_agia-fotini.htm

Préveli

A 45 minutes drive.
Préveli River and Palm Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Crete, beautiful and romantic. Just a few kilometres from the monastery. You can get to the beach in car and walk over the mountain ridge from George's Taverna or you can sail in a boat from Plakias.
More info: http://www.amazingcrete.com/crete/beach_preveli.htm

Kali Liménes

A 50 minutes drive.
There are fine beaches around Kali Liménes, as well as a few restaurants and a very small number of rooms for tourists. The main reason that Kali Liménes remains undeveloped is the ship refueling station on the small island at the entrance of the bay.

Léntas

A 60 minutes drive.
A small friendly place reached by descending a steep and spectacular winding road, with no large hotels. A few cafes and tavernas and a special cafe (El Greco) with attractive gardens leading down to the sea. A small pebbly beach, and a steep background give this small place atmosphere. As it is quite popular it is often best to book accommodation in advance. Some spectacular sandy beaches are a moderate walk away, including Dytiko beach which has tavernas on its long sandy beach - popular nudist beach.

Amoúdi

40 minutes drive.
Direction Plakias. Has a small beach with restaurant and apartments. Has a small nude-bathing area nearby direction Damnóni.

Damnóni

A 40 minutes drive.
Direction Plakias. Damnoni is a long stretched sandy beach close to Plakias in the south of Crete, partly umbrellas and sunbeds, partly not. The landscape behind the beach is dominated by the large Hapimag Time Share Hotel, and the Damnoni Beach Hotel behind it. There are a couple of restaurants. Has a small nude-bathing area nearby direction Amoúdi.

Plakiás

A 45 minutes drive.
Small but lively town. Plakiás is set in a spectacular bay on the South Coast of the island overlooking the Libyan Sea with beautiful surrounding countryside. The first mention of Plakiás was in the census of 1961 when 6 fishermen were its only permanent inhabitants, it can therefore be said to be a relatively new village or small town.
More info: http://www.crete-connections.com/Places/Plakias.htm

Chóra Sfakión

A 120 minutes drive.
In the harbourfront of Chóra Sfakión there are a lot of tavernas and some rooms for rent. Besides the boat that will take you to Agia Roumeli, Loutró, Sougia and Paleochora, there is also a ferry that sets sail for the island of Gavdos a couple of times a week (two hours trip, usually in the weekends).
More info: http://www.chora-sfakion.com/

Loutró

A 120 minutes drive + boat trip.
West of Chóra Sfakión in the south east of Crete you can find the quiet village of Loutró. You can only reach it by ferry or on foot. This is why there are no cars in the village. Loutró is the site of the Doric city of Finix. In the area there are remains of Byzantine churches, and Venetian and Turkish castles.
More info: http://www.loutro.com/