A Preveli beach tour is a trip to Preveli on the south coast of Crete, where a river runs through a palm grove and a lagoon into the Libyan Sea below the Preveli monastery. The tour is one of the Greece Tours on Greece Ville, listed with the other Crete tours and day trips from Heraklion.
This post covers the beach and the palm grove, the river and the lagoon, the monastery, the Kourtaliotiko gorge and the history of the area, then the formats on sale. Common questions come last.
What is a Preveli beach tour?
A Preveli beach tour is a day trip to the sandy beach and palm grove at the mouth of the Kourtaliotiko gorge, on the south coast of Crete in the Rethymno region, joined to the gorge and to the monastery above.
Preveli is a location on the south coast of Crete, in the Rethymno region, and the monastery is what makes it notable. The beach sits below the monastery, so a Preveli beach tour joins the two.
The beach is served by boats from the nearby resort of Plakias. Rethymno lies about 21 kilometres north of Plakias. Mountains rise behind the village, and the Libyan Sea fills the view ahead.
Buses connect Plakias with Rethymno and with Preveli, and small boats link the resort with Preveli Beach, which is also known as Palm Beach. Both the road and the sea therefore lead to the beach.
The Crete tours post covers the wider choice of tours across the island, and a Preveli beach tour is one of the main south-coast days in that range.
- Region: Preveli lies in the Rethymno regional unit, one of the four regional units of Crete.
- Sea: The Libyan Sea lies south of the coast at Plakias, and mountains close the resort to the north.
- Beach name: Preveli Beach takes its name from the monastery above it and is also called Palm Beach.
- Resort: Plakias first appears in an official record in the 1961 census, which lists six fishermen as permanent residents.
The rest of this post follows the beach, the river, the monastery, the gorge and the history of the area, then lists the formats on sale.
What does a Preveli beach tour show at the beach and the palm grove?
A Preveli beach tour shows a sandy beach with clear water, backed by an extensive glade of Cretan date palms, a place also known as Palm Beach that lies below the monastery at the mouth of the gorge.
The palms are Phoenix theophrasti, the Cretan date palm. The species is one of only two palms native to the Mediterranean basin, beside the European fan palm, and forests of these palms are the only palm forests in Europe.
Werner Greuter chose the name theophrasti in 1967, after Theophrastus, the ancient Greek father of botany, who had described more than one type of palm, including one from Crete. A Preveli beach tour stands in that tradition of botany.
The palm grows up to 15 metres tall. Its leaves reach 2 to 3 metres in length, and its oval yellowish-brown fruit measures 1.5 centimetres, with thin fibrous pulp and an acrid taste.
A fire on 22 August 2010 destroyed almost 70 per cent of the Preveli palm forest. The Cretan date palm resists fire, and by 2011 the forest had regenerated fully.
- Heart rock: A rock in the shape of a heart stands on the beach, and locals call it the stone of lovers.
- Legend: According to local legend, Odysseus stayed in the wider area of Lake Preveli on his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
- Protection: After the fire, an effort was made to protect the forest from grazing and trampling.
- Water: The beach is sandy and the water is clear, which explains why the place draws visitors.
The grove therefore has a documented record of loss and recovery, and a Preveli beach tour walks into a forest that renewed itself within a year.
How do the river and the lagoon shape a Preveli beach tour?
A Preveli beach tour meets a river, a lagoon, a palm forest and a beach in one place, because the stream from the Kourtaliotiko gorge reaches the sea below the monastery and forms the lagoon behind the sand.
The beach and lagoon lie below the monastery, at the mouth of the gorge. The area is popular because of the river, the palm forest in the gorge and the sandy beach with clear water.
A path across the river leads from the gorge to the beach for an experienced hiker. A second path runs parallel to the river and is easier and faster to walk, so a Preveli beach tour has a choice of ways down.
The town of Plakias stands on an alluvial fan, a spread of material washed down the Kotsifou gorge to the north. Its Greek name means flat. The Rethymno tour post covers the city of Rethymno, the capital of the regional unit.
Plakias Beach is a 1.5 kilometre developed section of narrow crushed shell. Damnoni, Ammoudi, Skinaria and Souda lie nearby, and small boats serve Damnoni as well as Preveli Beach.
- Lagoon: The lagoon of Preveli lies below the monastery, where the gorge meets the beach.
- River path: The path across the river is for experienced hikers, while the parallel path is easier.
- Plakias: The Plakias shore grew from sand that the Kotsifou gorge carried down to the sea.
- Climbing: Paligremnos Rock near Plakias is a climbing site, protected as a Monument of Natural and Cultural Heritage since 2023.
The river, the lagoon and the sand explain the layout of the coast, and a Preveli beach tour reads best when the three are seen as one system.
What does a Preveli beach tour show at the Preveli monastery?
A Preveli beach tour shows the Preveli monastery, officially the Holy Stavropegiac and Patriarchal Preveli Monastery of St John the Theologian, a Greek Orthodox monastery spread over two main building complexes above the beach on the south coast of Crete.
The upper or rear monastery of St John the Theologian is still in use. The lower monastery of St John the Baptist is a ruin. Together they form the two complexes of the site.
The founding is placed in the Middle Ages, under Venetian rule of Crete, and its founder is named as a feudal lord called Prevelis. The monastery grew over centuries into a religious and cultural centre for local people.
The upper monastery holds religious relics and icons. Its buildings are heavily restored, and a good part of them is open to the public, so a Preveli beach tour can pair the shore with a visit above it.
- Upper complex: The operational monastery of St John the Theologian stands at the rear of the site.
- Lower complex: The ruined monastery of St John the Baptist lies below it.
- Monuments: Monuments to the work of the monastery in the Second World War stand on the site.
- Bishopric: The bishop of Lappa, a see re-established by the Orthodox Church, resides in the monastery.
The monastery gives the beach its name and its history, and a Preveli beach tour that includes it adds a religious and wartime story to the coast.
What does a Preveli beach tour pass in the Kourtaliotiko gorge?
A Preveli beach tour passes through the Kourtaliotiko gorge, a gorge on the southern side of western Crete with a small church, a high waterfall and a name that comes from a rattling sound heard near its northern entrance.
The gorge holds a small church of Agios Nikolaos and a waterfall 40 metres high. A road runs through it, and the waterfall is the feature that the titles of day trips from Rethymno name.
The name Kourtaliotis in Greek means the rattle and the noisy. It comes from the kourtala, the claps that visitors hear at one point near the northern entrance of the gorge.
The nearby Kotsifos gorge lies north of Plakias, on the road between Sellia and Angouseliana. A high count of plant species found only on Crete grows there, and the gorge is noted for them.
- Church: The church of Agios Nikolaos stands inside the gorge.
- Waterfall: The waterfall in the gorge is 40 metres high.
- Name: The gorge takes its name from the kourtala, the sound of claps near the northern entrance.
- Neighbour: The Kotsifos gorge nearby is noted for endemic plants.
The gorge links the inland road to the coast, and a Preveli beach tour uses it as the approach to the sand and the palm forest.
What history stands behind a Preveli beach tour?
A Preveli beach tour rests on a long record of revolt and refuge, from the monastery’s role in the uprisings against Ottoman rule to its shelter for British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers in 1941, after the Battle of Crete.
After the Ottoman conquest of the island, Abbot Melchissedek Tsouderos led rebels in the Greek War of Independence in 1821. The monastery was destroyed, and it was later rebuilt.
In 1866 and 1878 the monastery again helped to organise rebellions against Ottoman rule. These contributed to the independence of Crete and then to its political union with Greece. The Arkadi Monastery tour post covers the Arkadi monastery near Rethymno.
In 1941 Agathangelos Lagouvardos helped to supply British, Australian and New Zealand troops on the island and gave them shelter. A group of Australian soldiers was rescued by submarine at Preveli Beach.
German forces destroyed the lower monastery after the rescue was discovered. Corporal Geoff Edwards, one of the soldiers sheltered there, later named the hamlet of Prevelly in Western Australia in commemoration.
- 1821: Abbot Melchissedek Tsouderos led rebels, and the monastery was destroyed and rebuilt.
- 1866 and 1878: The monastery helped to organise rebellions against Ottoman rule.
- 1941: The monastery sheltered Allied troops during the Battle of Crete.
- Australia: The hamlet of Prevelly, in Western Australia, takes its name from Preveli.
The record is factual and sober, and a Preveli beach tour carries it from the monastery down to the beach where the rescue took place.
Which formats of a Preveli beach tour are on sale?
A Preveli beach tour is on sale as jeep and 4×4 safaris, private day tours, group day trips, a river trek and a motorcycle tour, mostly from Rethymno and its area, and each format pairs the beach with the gorge.
Jeep tours combine the Kourtaliotiko gorge, Preveli and Spili village. A longer jeep safari adds Lake Kournas and other gorges and villages, and a luxury jeep safari covers the south coast, Palm Beach and canyons.
Private formats include a safari via the Kourtaliotiko waterfalls, a trip from the Rethymno area to Preveli and the gorge, and a private day tour to the palm beach. One private tour adds a botanic garden.
Group day trips from Rethymno visit Preveli Beach, Damnoni Beach and the Kourtaliotiko gorge, or the gorge and the waterfalls. One listing adds a swim at Preveli, and another offers Preveli or Kalypso Beach.
Other formats include a river trek in the gorge with lunch, a full-day 4×4 safari to Preveli and Spili, and an on- and off-road motorcycle tour with lunch. The Crete jeep safari post covers 4×4 days across the island.
- Jeep and 4×4: Jeep and Land Rover safaris reach Preveli, Spili and the gorge by road.
- Private: Private day tours cover the gorge, the waterfalls and the palm beach.
- Group: Group day trips from Rethymno add Damnoni Beach or a swim.
- Active: A river trek and a motorcycle tour suit travellers who want movement.
The tour cards and availability boxes on the page list live dates, so the current choice of a Preveli beach tour is always shown there.
What do travellers ask about a Preveli beach tour?
The Preveli beach tour questions below cover where the trips start, whether the monastery is part of the day, the state of the palm grove after the fire and the vehicles that are on sale for the south coast.
Where does a Preveli beach tour start?
The formats on sale start mainly from Rethymno and the Rethymno area, and one listing starts from Heraklion as well. A Preveli beach tour then crosses the Kourtaliotiko gorge and reaches the south coast near Plakias and the monastery.
Does a Preveli beach tour include the monastery?
The titles on sale name Preveli, the Kourtaliotiko gorge, the waterfalls, Spili village and Damnoni Beach rather than the monastery. The upper monastery is open to the public, so the tour card of a Preveli beach tour shows the exact stops.
Is the palm grove still there on a Preveli beach tour?
The palm grove at Preveli is still there. A fire in August 2010 destroyed almost 70 per cent of it, but the Cretan date palm resists fire, and the forest had regenerated by 2011, so a Preveli beach tour reaches a full grove.
Can a Preveli beach tour be done by jeep?
A Preveli beach tour can be done by jeep. The formats on sale include jeep tours, a luxury jeep safari and a full-day 4×4 safari, besides private day tours, group day trips, a river trek and a motorcycle tour.
Featured photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.