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You are here: Home Sights Beaches ..in north Crete Plaka Beach, Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, east Crete
Plaka Beach, Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, east Crete
Beaches in north Crete

Plaka beachPlaka village and beach is located 13km north of Agios Nikolaos town, east Crete, Lassithi Prefecture. While some of the big luxury hotels have their own private beaches in the Plaka - Elounda area, there are plenty of decent public beaches in Elounda. In Schisma, there is a sandy beach backed by row of small palm trees, with sunbeds and umbrellas for hire and watersports facilities.

Plaka has a good pebble beach backed by tamarisk trees, with sunbeds and umbrellas plus great a view of Spinalonga Island. Between Schisma and Plaka, the sand and shingle Driros Beach, overlooked by Hotel Drisos, is one of the best in the area and has sunbeds and umbrellas plus a windsurf club. In addition, taxi boats from Schisma harbour take visitors to Kolokitha Bay beach on the peninsular.

North of Plaka, just after the village, before the road turns to left up the mountain, there is a dirt track to the right, following the coastline. After about 600 metres you see a path leading down to the sea. This path is blocked by a little wall, so that's where you have to leave the car. Walk down the path and at the end there is a flat surface of limestone with easy access to the sea. Ideal for sunbathing and snorkeling. You have great view over Spinalonga island (the leper-island).

Beyond the Plaka beach - Village:

Just 4.5km (3 miles) north along coast from Schisma, the pretty fishing village of Plaka with its authentic seafood eateries is worth a visit. From both Schisma and Plaka, daily excursions boats take visitors to the haunting island of Spinalonga, which was fortified by the Venetians in the 17th century to protect the Cretan coast against the Turks, then used as leper colony from 1913 to 1957.

 

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Last Updated on Friday, 06 July 2012 13:31
 

Comments  

 
0 #5 Re: Staying in Plaka, Elounda or Agios NikolaosLiverDepos 2012-02-21 10:02
Quoting GreenIk:
LiverDepos - why do you say that "as a solo visitor" Elounda is better? What's the reasoning for it being better specifically for a solo visitor because there are more place to eat?


Not just that, although that is a consideration, but for me I would enjoy sitting in the village square looking at the harbour and people watching while enjoying a drink/meal. I could stroll to the causeway or salt pans, stopping off, if I felt like it. there are local shops, supermarkets I could browse in or buy supplies from. There are a number of bookshops where I could pick up items of local interest.

Basically in Elounda I could be as inactive as I wanted, but if I wanted other distractions, in lovely surroundings, these are available.
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0 #4 Re: Staying in Plaka, Elounda or Agios NikolaosGreenIk 2012-02-21 10:00
Thanks, both.

LiverDepos - why do you say that "as a solo visitor" Elounda is better? What's the reasoning for it being better specifically for a solo visitor because there are more place to eat?
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0 #3 Re: Staying in Plaka, Elounda or Agios NikolaosLiverDepos 2012-02-21 09:59
Quoting GreenIk:
Is it realistic to base myself in Plaka, or will I be better off in a larger place like Elounda or Agios Nikolaos?


As a solo visitor Elounda may be a better place to stay, as there are more choices of places to eat and more places to stroll to, when you feel like stretching your legs, if you have been travelling all day .

Plaka is tiny, with nothing much to see, apart from the sea views, and they seem to be constantly building there, which is spoiling the once sleepy atmosphere of the village.
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0 #2 Re: Staying in Plaka, Elounda or Agios NikolaosMg100Sur 2012-02-21 09:57
Quoting GreenIk:
Is it realistic to base myself in Plaka, or will I be better off in a larger place like Elounda or Agios Nikolaos?


Hi there

I would say that it depends on whether you are hiring a car or not, if you are then yes it would be fine to stay in Plaka, but it is very quiet in Plaka, just a few tavernas - so very low key in the evening.

If you are going to be using the buses then I would definately stay in Agios, as it will be just so much easier to get to the various destinations that you have mentioned, and dont worry about the " all night loud herberts" you find these in Plaka, Elounda or Agios lol

Also if you do decide to stay middle to late October, I would also choose Agios - Agios is a working Greek town so open all year, whereas Plaka and Elounda may well be starting to "close down" towards the end of the season.
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0 #1 Staying in Plaka, Elounda or Agios NikolaosGreenIk 2012-02-21 09:46
Having made a short visit to Crete (to see Phaistos, Agia Triada, Gortyn and Knossos) earlier this year, I'd now like to go back for a slightly more leisurely trip, in September or October.

I'd like to visit the Minoan sites at Malia and Zakros, to go Plaka and Spinalonga, and to spend some time in Agios Nikolaos and maybe Elounda. I'm not sure how long I'll be there - 5 or 6 days, maybe. My intention would be to fly into Heraklion and hire a car.

I don't know yet if I'll be getting a hotel or looking for something self-catering.

I'll be travelling solo, and have no wish to be surrounded by all-night partying loud herberts.

Is it realistic to base myself in Plaka, or will I be better off in a larger place like Elounda or Agios Nikolaos?
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