(Continued, beginning in issue number 6 (12) 2017)

Falassarna

The exotic beach of Falassarna is located 59km west of Chania and 17km west of Kissamos. It’s located in the western part of Cape Gramvousa. At the northern end of the beach are the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Falassarna.

Falassarna bay is one of the most famous beaches in Greece, which has been awarded as the best beach of Crete and one of the 10 best beaches in Europe in the past. Falasarna spans a huge area and consists actually of five consecutive beaches, with the two most central being the most favorite.

The sand in Falassarna is white, making the water color tropical. Indeed, if you’re lucky and be here on a day that is not blowing from the west, rare in west Crete, you will be enchanted by the beach and its turquoise waters.

The main beach of Falassarna is called Pacheia Ammos (i.e. Coarse Sand). It is an exotic beach with a length of 1km and a width of 150m. This beach hosts the most visitors of the area, but because of its length it never seems crowded.

There is another long beach north of the main beach having a length of 800m, identical to the main beach, which is broken into several smaller beaches. This bay is divided in half by a sand dune and a few rocks. The beach is more quiet than Pacheia Ammos and offers no facilities. Nearby, there is the chapel of Agia Paraskevi and a spring with fresh water.

Further north, near the archaeological site, there is a small cove looking south. It is pebbly and the seabed is rocky. It is a good choice when the winds blow from west or you seek isolation. South of Pacheia Ammos, at Livadi, there is another long beach that has sandy shore and rocky seabed. It is a very good choice for fans of the snorkelling. Livadi is surrounded by a very important wetland with ponds, which host many birds in winter. Even southern, near the small harbor of Limeniskos settlement there is a small pebbly beach, which is a good choice if you do not want to stay remote.

• Color of water – turquoise
• Sand color – white, in some places – stones
• Depth – normal
• Not very crowded
• Easy to access
• Food and drink nearby
• Sun beds and umbrellas, shower
• Lifeguard
• Water sports
• The Blue Flag
• Ideal for scuba diving / spearfishing
• Distance from Heraklion – 188 km

 

Plakias Beach

Plakias is a popular tourist resort, located 36km south of Rethymno city, at the exit of a fertile valley surrounded by high mountains and dense olive groves. Next to it empties the river Kotsifos.

One of the major growth drivers of the region is the long beachfront, known as Gialia. The main beach starts near the town and extends to the east for 1.3km, up to Cape Mouri. It is a well organized beach, with cool green waters. Along the beach there is a road, ideal for walking or cycling. Along this road there are several restaurants and hotels, while on the beach there are tamarisk trees, umbrellas, water sports, beach volley courts, snack bars, changing rooms, showers, etc.

The eastern part of the long beach is called Paligremnos. The beach is sandy and very well organized, next to hotels and restaurants. Characteristic of Paligremnos are nearby huge vertical cliffs that rise to a great height. There are caves, dug by Wehrmacht during the German Occupation. Moreover, this place is called Gonates (i.e. knees), because according to tradition, the epic hero Digenis kneeled there to drink water from a local spring. Lastly, in Paligremnos a strange phenomenon takes place on every full moon, from September to January. The moonlight is reflected in the mirror-like towering cliffs. Thus, many big squids approach the beach and locals gather them with big sticks.

• Color of water – blue
• Type of beach – Sand and pebble
• Depth – shallow water
• Not very crowded
• Easy to access
• Food and drink nearby
• Sun beds and umbrellas, shower
• Lifeguard
• Water sports
• The Blue Flag
• Nesting place for sea turtles
• Distance from Heraklion – 113 km

Fodele Beach

Fodele beach is located 26km northwest of Heraklion and just 3km north of the village Fodele, which is believed to be the birthplace of the painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos, mainly known as El Greco. The National Road connecting Heraklion and Chania passes beside the beach. It’s a nice sandy beach, exposed to north winds and protected on the east by Cape Stavros and on the west by the hill of Kastellos, on top of which there are ruins of an old fort. The beach of Fodele is formed at the exit of the river Pantomantris or Fodelianos.

• Color of water – blue
• Type of beach – Sand
• Deep
• The crowded
• Easy to access
• Food and drink nearby
• Sun beds and umbrellas, shower
• Lifeguard
• Water sports
• The Blue Flag
• Distance from Heraklion – 29 km

 

Kommos

Kommos (or Komos) is located just 2 km north of Matala and close the seaside settlement of Kalamaki. It is actually the southernmost and the most isolated part of the huge beachfront of Mesara Bay. Kommos was once the port of Phaestus, so you can still see the ruins of the town, near the beach. You can access Kommos by driving in the road heading to Matala, till you see a sign to Kommos.
The protected sea turtles Caretta caretta nest in the sand of the beach, from May to September.

The northern part of Kommos, Potamos or Potamoserma, is a favorite destination for lovers of naturism, since the times when hundreds of hippies flooded the area. There are only a few tamarisk trees around, not buildings, because Kommos is a protected archaeological area and building is forbidden. Next to the archaeological site, on the south, there is an organized beach with umbrellas, sun beds, toilet, showers, a tavern and a lifeguard. All around there are many trees and huge sand dunes where you can admire the white lilies of sand, which sign the end of the summer. If you want to find a place to stay overnight or to eat, you can walk to the nearby Kalamaki, or drive to Pitsidia and Matala.

Kommos was the port of Phaestus and was established in about 200BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake several centuries later and was rebuilt on the same location. The archaeological site, which is closed to visitors, includes a Minoan harbor, many public buildings, warehouses, oil presses, shipyards and a large courtyard. Archaeologists have also found remains of a small temple, built on the ruins of an older one.

• Color of water – blue
• Type of beach – Sand
• Normal depth
• Not crowded, secluded
• Easy to access
• Food and drink nearby
• Sun beds and umbrellas, shower
• Lifeguard
• Water sports
• Suitable for nudists
• Nesting place for sea turtles
• Distance from Heraklion – 69 km

 

Plaka

Plaka is located 16 km north of Agios Nikolaos, opposite the entrance to the lagoon of Corfos (ie Elounda), in one of the most beautiful parts of Crete.

The most important attraction in Plaka is a beautiful view of the island of Kalidon, where the famous fortress of Spinalonga is located, which functioned as a leper colony throughout the first half of the 20th century. You can reach the island mainly by boat from Elounda, but friendly people from Plaka will not refuse you to take you on their boats.

Even today, in Plaka you will see picturesque taverns and beautiful, old houses that give the impression that time has stopped here 2-3 centuries ago. In addition, thanks to this picturesqueness and the history of Spinalonga, Plaka became the best place to shoot a wonderful series on MEGA Island, which was an event in the history of Greek television (2010).

Plaka could not miss the list of beaches in Crete, as there are two picturesque, pebbly beaches with crystal clear water. The beach in Plaka with pebbles and calm water, is very similar to the beach of Aghia Marina. The seabed is very interesting here and certainly worth a look. The beach is well organized, and the village of Plaka will be very close.

If you come to Plaka, you should take a walk in its surroundings with picturesque villages, archeological monuments and olive groves of Mirabello (that is, the mountainous, western part of Plaka). Heading north of the village, you can drive through the village of Vrukhas and look at the old windmills. From there you need to go east and go to the lighthouse of Cape Aforesmenos, located in the northwestern part of the great Gulf of Mirabello. A little before reaching the lighthouse, you will see new, modern, windmills in Vrukhas, that is a large wind farm in this region. Another route, which is also very interesting, is through the Mirabello Bay and the picturesque villages that will take you to Naples or Milatos, from where you can take the national highway towards Heraklion.

• Water color – blue
• Type of beach – pebble
• Normal depth
• Not crowded
• Easy to access
• Food and drink nearby
• Sun beds and umbrellas, shower
• Lifeguard
• Water sports
• The Blue Flag
• Ideal for scuba diving / spearfishing
• Suitable for handicapped
• Distance from Heraklion – 75 km

 

Информация в материале частично использована с сайта www.cretanbeaches.com.

August 2017