Preveli: The River Beach Below the Monastery

A river of cool, green mountain water slides between palm trees and meets the Libyan Sea on a crescent of sand and pebble. That is Preveli, and there is nothing else quite like it in Greece. The Megalopotamos river exits the Kourtaliotiko gorge, winds through Crete's most photographed palm grove, and forms a lagoon behind the beach deep enough to swim in, so you can alternate between salt water and fresh water all afternoon, with cliffs rising on both sides to keep the rest of the world out.

Getting down, and back up

There is no road to the sand. From the upper car park east of the river, a stony path with more than 400 steps drops steeply to the beach in about 15 minutes; the climb back in late-afternoon heat is the price of admission, so carry water and wear shoes with grip rather than flip flops. An easier flank approach runs from the Drimiskiano Ammoudi side via a gentler track, and in summer excursion boats arrive from Plakias and Agia Galini for those who would rather skip the steps entirely. Check departure times locally, as the boats stop running by late afternoon.

The palms and the fire

The grove is native Cretan date palm, the same species that fills Vai at the other end of the island. In August 2010 a wildfire tore through the valley and the photographs looked terminal, yet the palms resprouted from their blackened trunks within months, and today the grove is dense again. Walk ten minutes upriver from the beach and the crowds vanish; the river continues through pools and oleander all the way to a 19th century stone bridge near the old mill.

The monastery above

Moni Preveli, perched on the slope west of the river mouth, is more than scenery. In 1941, after the Battle of Crete, its monks hid Allied soldiers and helped smuggle them by submarine to Egypt, at enormous risk; the monument by the road, a bronze rifle-bearing abbot beside a soldier, commemorates it. The monastery museum and its courtyard views over the Libyan Sea justify the short detour, with a modest entrance fee and a dress code, so check locally and keep shoulders covered.

Building the day

Preveli sits about 35 kilometres south of Rethymno and ten minutes east of Plakias, which makes the obvious plan a south coast base; our Plakias guide covers the village and its other beaches. Coming for the day, a transfer from Rethymno to Plakias puts you within a short hop of the trailhead, and the route through the Kourtaliotiko gorge is a spectacle in itself. Arrive before 10am or after 4pm in summer; the beach is small, famous and entirely worth protecting your timing for. It also stars, deservedly, in our island-wide beach bucket list.