Plakias, Beach and recreation area in Agios Vasileios municipality, Greece

Plakias is a coastal settlement on the Libyan Sea in Crete's Rethymno region, with a wide sandy beach and shallow water over a sloping seabed. The village lies in a valley enclosed by steep mountain walls that rise directly from the shore.

The area evolved from a small fishing harbor with few permanent residents in the early 1960s into a modern coastal destination. This transformation occurred as road connections improved and tourism began to shape the local economy.

The name Plakias comes from a Greek word meaning flat, describing how deposits from the nearby Kotsifou gorge shaped this coastal area. The village keeps the character of a traditional fishing community even as visitors now fill its beaches and waterfront.

The beach features a gradual slope into the water, making it suitable for swimming and families with children. Nearby you will find shops, eating places, and walking trails that lead toward the mountain villages inland.

The Kotsifou and Kourtaliotiko gorges open toward Plakias, their walls rising several hundred metres above the valley floor. The Kourtaliotiko gorge carries a stream that reaches the sea near the beach, and its mouth can be reached on foot from the village.