Horse riding
Horse riding above Plakias.
Photo: Marinella Grce Orell / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Rethymno
- Start town
- Plakias
- Typical duration
- 2–3 hours
- Type
- Horse riding
Riding above Plakias is a guided hour through olive slopes or along a track with a view of the bay, not a beach gallop through sunbathers. Beginners are the usual guests. The heat on an open ridge at noon is the limit, so morning and late afternoon are the rides that make sense. Helmets are not optional.
Stables are on the hills around Plakias. A pickup from the village is normal. Wear long trousers and closed shoes, and say if you have never ridden.
It suits novices and older children who meet the stable’s age and weight rules. Skip it if anyone is afraid of horses. A frightened rider spoils the group and the animal.
Horse riding above Plakias needs 2–3 hours from Plakias. The months that usually work are April to November. Beginners are the point of the hour. Wear trousers and closed shoes, mention weight when you book, and stay off noon in August. The stable near Plakias sets the age and weight rules. Those rules are the booking. Horse riding above Plakias uses the stable that serves Plakias. A ride in another town is a different horse and a different track.
Is it worth it
Horse riding above Plakias is worth the hours from Plakias when it suits novices and older children who meet the stable’s age and weight rules. Beginners are the usual guests. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because Riding above Plakias is a guided hour through olive slopes
- Shoes that match the ground on Horse riding above Plakias. Stables are on the hills around Plakias. A
- A layer for the start in Plakias. April to November still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Horse riding above Plakias takes 2–3 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- April to November is the window to trust for Horse riding above Plakias. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Plakias with 2–3 hours clear. Stables are on the hills around Plakias. A pickup from the village
- Search “Horse riding Plakias Crete” and check that the meeting point really is Plakias.
Related tours
Horse ridingHorse riding on Georgioupoli beach
Georgioupoli1–2 hours
Georgioupoli is one of the places in Crete where a guided horse ride uses the long beach rather than a farm track. The ride is short, the sand is firm at the waterline, and the morning is kinder than noon. You will not cover the coast. You will be on a horse by the sea for a supervised hour. The usual length is 1–2 hours, and the months that usually work are April to October. It suits beginners who want the beach version of a ride. Skip it at midday in August, and skip it if the stable cannot provide a helmet in your size. The beach is in Georgioupoli itself. Stables meet riders at the sand or a yard just behind it. Closed shoes are wiser than flip-flops even on a beach ride.
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Horse riding near Chania
Chania2–3 hours
Horse riding near Chania is usually a beach or olive-grove loop of an hour or two, with a guide and a horse matched to a beginner. It is not a trek into the White Mountains. The interest is the pace and the coast or the trees, and the limit is the heat. Midday in August is a poor hour to sit on a horse in the open. The usual length is 2–3 hours, and the months that usually work are April to November. It suits beginners and older children above the stable’s age rule. Skip it if you expected a gallop, or if anyone is frightened of horses. Say so before the group is mounted. Stables are on the coast west of Chania and inland. A tour includes the transfer. Closed shoes are the usual request. Confirm the weight limit when you book.
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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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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 2–3 hours from Plakias. It suits novices and older children who meet the stable’s age and weight rules.
- April to November. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Plakias.
- Stables are on the hills around Plakias. A pickup from the village is normal. Wear long trousers and closed shoes, and say if you have never ridden.
- It suits novices and older children who meet the stable’s age and weight rules. Skip it if anyone is afraid of horses. A frightened rider spoils the group and the animal.
- Horse riding above Plakias is worth the hours from Plakias when it suits novices and older children who meet the stable’s age and weight rules. Beginners are the usual guests. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.