Day trip
Damnoni cove from Plakias.
Photo: Piotr Baranowski / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Rethymno
- Start town
- Plakias
- Typical duration
- 2–4 hours
- Type
- Day trip
Damnoni is the series of small coves east of Plakias, rockier than the town beach and close enough to walk in the morning. The water is clearer on a calm day and weedy if the wind has stirred it. There is a taverna and not much else. It is a local swim, which is the point if you are tired of famous names.
Walk the coast path from Plakias or drive five minutes. Parking at the cove is limited in August. Go before late morning.
It suits anyone already in Plakias. It is not worth a coach from Heraklion. The coves are a pleasant hour, not a destination you cross the island for.
Damnoni cove from Plakias needs 2–4 hours from Plakias. The months that usually work are May to October. The road or the boat is part of the day, not a preface you can ignore. Carry water and shade for the hours away from Plakias, and do not book a sunset table at home until you know the return. Damnoni cove from Plakias is one day from Plakias. A beach, gorge or monastery with a similar photograph is a different outing when the route changes.
Is it worth it
Damnoni cove from Plakias is worth the hours from Plakias when it suits anyone already in Plakias. The water is clearer on a calm day and weedy if the wind has stirred it. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because Damnoni is the series of small coves east of Plakias,
- Shoes that match the ground on Damnoni cove from Plakias. Walk the coast path from Plakias or drive
- A layer for the start in Plakias. May to October still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Damnoni cove from Plakias takes 2–4 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to October is the window to trust for Damnoni cove from Plakias. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Plakias with 2–4 hours clear. Walk the coast path from Plakias or drive five minutes. Parking at
- Search “Damnoni beach from Plakias” and check that the meeting point really is Plakias.
Related tours
FamilyPlakias and Damnoni beach day
Plakias3–5 hours
Plakias has a long sandy town beach, and Damnoni is the smaller cove just east, with a short walk or drive between them. Together they make a family day that does not require a gorge or a cape. Shade is at the tavernas and under rented umbrellas. The south wind, when it blows, is the day to switch to a pool or the old town instead. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits families based in the south or a single beach day from Rethymno. It is not the famous palm beach. That is Preveli, with a path. Stay in Plakias and walk, or drive the south-coast road from Rethymno via the gorge. Damnoni is signed just before the town if you come from the east.
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Boat tripBoat from Plakias along the cliffs
Plakias3–5 hours
Plakias faces south, and a small boat from the village runs toward Preveli and the coves the road only sees from above. The trip is a swim stop and a return, not a crossing of the island. Swell on this coast cancels boats even on days when Rethymno harbour looks flat. The village beach is the backup, and it is a decent one. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits people staying in Plakias. A day trip from Rethymno can work if the boat is the reason and the drive is accepted. Do not add a gorge hike afterwards. The boat leaves the Plakias waterfront. Ask which cove is realistic that morning and what time you are back in the village.
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Preveli palm beach
Plakias4–6 hours
Preveli beach is the palm-backed shore where the Kourtaliotiko river meets the south coast. From Plakias it is a shorter approach than from Rethymno town. You still walk down to the sand and back up, unless you arrive by boat. The palms are real. The shade under them is limited once the beach fills. Fire has scarred the grove in living memory, so the photograph in your head may be fuller than the trees. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are April to October. It suits swimmers who can handle the path or the boat. It is a poor midday choice for anyone who cannot climb out. Go earlier than the August coaches. From Plakias, drive toward Preveli or take a small boat along the coast. From Rethymno, the gorge road is the usual approach. Confirm the path is open.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 2–4 hours from Plakias. It suits anyone already in Plakias.
- May to October. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Plakias.
- Walk the coast path from Plakias or drive five minutes. Parking at the cove is limited in August. Go before late morning.
- It suits anyone already in Plakias. It is not worth a coach from Heraklion. The coves are a pleasant hour, not a destination you cross the island for.
- Damnoni cove from Plakias is worth the hours from Plakias when it suits anyone already in Plakias. The water is clearer on a calm day and weedy if the wind has stirred it. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.