Preveli beach is fascinating because of two reasons. One of them is that the river Megalo Potamo flows into it which makes the fish living in it act in various ways. The other reason is that around the already mentioned river is a forest with palm trees - one of the two on Crete. A couple of years ago it all burned down but the palm trees showed their strength and they look exactly the same as before. The fire considerably changed the structure of forest, before, there were many flowers, now, there are only palm trees as the flora was destroyed.
You can get to the beach from two sides. If you chose the option leading to Piso Moni Preveli, the parking is without any problems in a car park surrounded by a fence which is easily accessible. During season it costs 2 euros, off season and at its beginning, its is free. If you chose the other way, there isn’t much space for parking. Anyway you will save the walk from the upper parking lot to the beach.
The water from the mountain river is quite cold which you can also notice from the temperature of the sea with which is mixes it. Therefore, swimming is not ideal. The bottom is quite steep and during wind the waves can get quite big.
What is really worth it is the palm forest. Taking a walk around it lasts about 30-40 minutes and ends in a beautiful gorge. At the end of this route you can wade though the river and have a look on the other side of the palm forest or have some fun in the salty water.
The toilets on this beach aren’t ideal. There is a toilet in the tavern and a small sink, which doesn’t always function properly (which is quite surprising seeing as it is right next to a river). The route to this place is through a river and through the tavern.
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The way to this beach can be approached from two points. The first option is quite simple. From Lefkogia you will go to Kato Moni Preveli and from there, continue to Piso Moni Preveli and when you arrive on the peak turn left to the sea. We never achieve this on the first try as the signs are a little but confusing, so look out for it. Once you arrive at the monument of friendship and peace, behind which is a beautiful view, you will have already passed the turn and you will need to go back about half a kilometer. After parking a panoramic descend on the stairs to the beach still awaits you but it will give you all the postcard views of Preveli.
The other option is to get right down to the beach through Kato Moni Preveli leading to Drimiskos and about halfway through the route, the road turns to the sea. Apparently it is not very comfortable but we do not know as we have never tried it.
In case of you not liking any of these options, you can get to the beach by boat. You can arrange this in the Plakias port or in Agia Galini. The boats only stop there for a couple of hours, but it is enough to enjoy the beach and the walk through the palm forest.
Preveli Beach is a protected area, so it is not allowed to camp there. As the mention fire was caused by man, it is normal that the beach is watched by guards. We also do not recommend it for the occurrence of annoying insects due to the sea water.
