Preveli Beach

Beach

Beach · Rethymno, Greece 35.1522°N 24.4739°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Preveli Beach

Best time

Spring and autumnBusiest 10am to 3pm

Effort

Steep steps downAbout 700 m, loose rock

Season

Boats May to OctWeather permitting

Access

Not step-freeGentler via Drimiskiano

From Rethymno

How do you get to Preveli Beach from Rethymno?

Preveli is about 35 km south of Rethymno, a drive of 40 to 50 minutes without stops. The road runs through the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, and stopping at its viewpoints adds about half an hour. In season, KTEL buses run from the Rethymno bus station, with a change in Plakias.

By boat

Can you get to Preveli Beach by boat?

Yes. Small excursion boats leave several times a day in season from Plakias, Damnoni and Agia Galini, going out in the morning and returning in the late afternoon.

Water temperature

Is the river at Preveli cold?

Yes. The river is about 20 to 22°C even in August, against 26 to 27°C in the sea. The river also cools the sea water close to its mouth.

The monastery

Can you visit Preveli Monastery?

Yes. Preveli Monastery, on the road to the beach car park, holds religious relics and icons, and many of its restored buildings are open to the public.

A freshwater lagoon sits behind Preveli beach, fed by a river that leaves its gorge through wild Cretan date palms. You can walk its banks inland, then cross the sand to swim in the Libyan Sea.

What makes it special

Preveli sits where the Megalopotamos, the Grand River, leaves a narrow gorge and meets the sea. The river runs all year, and just before the shore, at the place called Limni, it spreads into a lagoon about 500 m long.

The banks are lined with Cretan date palms, Phoenix theophrasti, which follow the river back toward the mouth of the gorge and give the shore its tropical look. This is one of only three forests of this palm, which is native to Crete.

The western stretch at river level, Preveli Palm Beach, lies about 600 m along the shoreline from the upper beach where the cliff path comes down.

On the road in stands the Preveli Monastery, Piso Moni Preveli, dedicated to Saint John the Theologian.

Visiting

Most visits start at the paid car park at the end of the road past the Preveli Monastery. From there the path drops down the cliff to the beach in 15 to 40 minutes, depending on your pace.

For a shorter walk, drive the paved road to Drimiskiano Amoudi, which has its own paid parking, and take the five-minute path over to Preveli. Arriving by boat skips the cliff entirely.

On the beach, turn inland and follow the river path upstream into the gorge. It is fairly flat and shaded, and the walk to the rapids and small pools and back takes 30 to 45 minutes. Whether the pools are deep enough to swim in depends on the water level.

Tips

Wear sturdy shoes with grip for the steps; water shoes also work well on them. Carry sun protection and enough water for the walk back up.

There are no toilets or showers down at the palm beach, so plan for that before you set off down the steps.

Know before you goThe beach is not organised: there are no sunbeds or umbrellas. There is no shade on the cliff path.In late July 2026 a wildfire reached the palm forest. Part of it survived, and how far it recovers will only show over the coming months.Visitors report that the road through the lower gorge occasionally floods after heavy rain.