Family
Plakias and Damnoni beach day.
Photo: Charlie Jordan / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Rethymno
- Start town
- Plakias
- Typical duration
- 3–5 hours
- Type
- Family
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.
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.
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.
Plakias and Damnoni beach day needs 3–5 hours from Plakias. The months that usually work are May to October. Hats, shade and an exit back to Plakias matter more than a second stop. Skip the version that needs a long stair or a long crossing if the children are small. One outing is the day. Plakias and Damnoni beach day is paced for a family staying in Plakias. The adult version of a nearby trip is a different page when the route changes.
Is it worth it
Plakias and Damnoni beach day is worth the hours from Plakias when it suits families based in the south or a single beach day from Rethymno. Together they make a family day that does not require a gorge or a cape. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because Plakias has a long sandy town beach, and Damnoni is
- Shoes that match the ground on Plakias and Damnoni beach day. Stay in Plakias and walk, or drive the
- A layer for the start in Plakias. May to October still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Plakias and Damnoni beach day takes 3–5 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- May to October is the window to trust for Plakias and Damnoni beach day. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Plakias with 3–5 hours clear. Stay in Plakias and walk, or drive the south-coast road from Rethymno
- Search “Plakias beach day trip” and check that the meeting point really is Plakias.
Related tours
Day tripPreveli 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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A short family day from Rethymno
Rethymno3–5 hours
A family day from Rethymno that survives contact with children is one beach or the old town, then back, finished before the late-afternoon meltdown. The town beach, Georgioupoli or Plakias can be that one place depending on where you are sleeping. Adding Preveli’s path and Arkadi and a winery is how the day becomes a transfer. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits younger children and grandparents. It is the wrong product for teenagers who wanted a boat or a gorge. Give them their own morning. Stay close to Rethymno. Ask any tour which single stop is planned and what time you return to the hotel. A vague answer is a no.
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Day tripDamnoni cove from Plakias
Plakias2–4 hours
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. The usual length is 2–4 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. 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. Walk the coast path from Plakias or drive five minutes. Parking at the cove is limited in August. Go before late morning.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 3–5 hours from Plakias. It suits families based in the south or a single beach day from Rethymno.
- May to October. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Plakias.
- 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.
- 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.
- Plakias and Damnoni beach day is worth the hours from Plakias when it suits families based in the south or a single beach day from Rethymno. Together they make a family day that does not require a gorge or a cape. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.