Preveli Palm Beach

Preveli with its riverside palm-groves is one of the most famous and beloved beaches in Crete.

Its name – and that of the broader region – is taken from the historical monastery nearby, dedicated to St. John the Theologian. A walk on the bank or a pedalo up the river itself through the palms and oleanders and into the gorge is a quite unforgettable experience. At the mouth of the gorge, where the river Kourtaliotis ends in a delta, is the exquisite beach of Preveli. It has pale sands and a stony bottom to the crystalline water.

It is a unique sandy beach, beautiful, with a small forest of palm trees that make it look exotic.There is small lagoon before the river reaches the sea. So the visitor who chooses this beach for swimming, has the unique opportunity to swim either in the salty waters of the sea or in the lagoon and river! Also a fantastic experience for the visitor is to walk and climb the river. The palm trees on the banks of the river offer rich shade and the soil is smooth and sandy. Sometimes one could believe that it is in an African oasis. Due to this image and the unusual environment, the beach has been a very popular destination for tourists since the 1970s, when many hippies were built and camped here with hay and palm tree huts. Fortunately this little paradise is not very organized. There is food and drink served, below there is a detailed map of how to get to the beach.