Welcome to Plakias in the south of Crete

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I’m glad that you landed on my page and found Plakias in the south of Crete! After several years during which I neglected them a lot, they are not only changed a bit in design, but also filled up with some new contributions. Existing articles have been partially updated.

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The Settlement of Plakias is a beautifully situated village on the central south coast of Crete. The once dreamy and almost deserted place served a few fishermen from the surrounding villages as an anchorage for their boats. Over the past decades, it has developed into a major tourist centre on Crete’s south coast. It is framed by a generous, expansive landscape of towering mountains and the Libyan Sea, yet filled with sunshine and refreshing winds in summer. Finikas is the name for the whole area with its villages, mountains and plateaus.

It is not surprising that this area is full of history and stories. According to the latest archaeological findings, they date back at least 130,000 years…

Mit diesen Seiten möchte ich einen möglichst umfassenden Überblick über Plakias im Süden Kretas und dieser Gegend am Lybischen Meer geben. D. h. vor allem über den Gemeindebezirk Finikas und den in ihr versammelten Ortschaften (Plakias, Sellia, Mirthios, Lefkogia, Mariou, Asomatos u.w.).

This is not at all about the tourist aspects of the area (eating, drinking, living, renting vehicles, etc.), because there are enough relevant websites for that (see the link list and, for example, complete guide to the place). Rather, I want to give an interesting overview of the country and people for all those who have a deeper interest in Plakias/Finikas.

Kakomouri, the sleeping dragon and the Finikas

The headland visible at the top of the header of this website at the southern end of Plakias Bay is called Kakomouri. With its steep rock and the two large holes, it is not only an unmistakable landmark of Finikas as a whole, but also a landmark of Crete. Also characteristic of the Finikas is the Stavros, also known as the sleeping dragon, in the west on the Souda Bay.

Finikas is the name of the municipality responsible for Plakias.

Finikas as a Greek word has three meanings: Derived 1. by the Phoenicians, 2. the mystical phoenix bird and 3. the palm tree.

The name of the district goes back to the once lively place Finikias. It is situated above Souda Bay. Only ruins remain of it. The Archangel Michael monastery there was also in ruins, which has since been completely restored and now houses the local history and church museum of Sellia.

south of Crete

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Plakias and surrounding area in pictures

south of Crete

south of Crete

I wish all visitors of this site an insightful journey through the Finikas!

Yours Andreas

South of Crete