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Preveli Beach (Greek: Φοινικόδασος της Πρέβελης, Finikodasos tis Prevelis) is a beach located on the south coast of Crete in the area of Plakias, and about 35km from Rethymno city.

According to local legend, the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, remained in the wider area of Lake Preveli after the end of the Trojan War on his return to Ithaca from Troy.

Beach of Preveli is located at the exit of the imposing Kourtaliotikos Gorge, where the Grand River (Megalos Potamos) flows. It is certainly the most famous beach in south Crete due to the river, the forest with palm trees in the gorge and the sandy beach with clear waters.

The river, forming a small lake, before emptying into the sea, has water all year round.

At the end of the river, the beach of pebbles and sand is formed. In the eastern part of the beach, there is a beautiful rock reminding of a heart. The beach is not well organized because the area is protected, without any umbrellas. It is not an unforgettable beach itself, but the surrounding scenery makes Preveli one of the most visited places on the south coast.

You have three basic options for accessing Preveli.

The first is to drive from Plakias to the Monastery Preveli. 1.5km after the Kato Monastery of Preveli, you will stop at a large parking lot, where a path that descends to the beach starts. Here you can take some fantastic photographs! To reach the beach walk the footpath that takes about 15-20 minutes. However, return is tedious as the ascent is rather steep.

The second chance is to drive in the paved road leading to Amoudi and walk the short path that leads to Preveli in just 5 minutes. However, you won’t have the chance to see the spectacular view from the cliffs on the west side.

As last option, there are small boats running to Preveli from Agia Galini and Plakias.

Further pics on my IG https://www.instagram.com/p/ClCH0YRsb2y/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y