Klisidi Beach, Plakias, Crete: The Tiny Sandy Cove Between Two Narrow Rocks, 4km East of Plakias, Connected to the Adjacent Nudist Beach by an Underwater Passage

Greece | Plakias | Rethymno Prefecture, South Crete

Just 200 metres west of Ammoudi, you will find a tiny sandy beach called Klisidi. Its gorgeously clear, turquoise waters and the rocky surroundings evoke a feeling of awe.

Klisidi is a small, charming shore between two long, narrow rocks. The beach is not organised with umbrellas, but the large rocks provide natural shade. The coast is covered in golden sand, and its crystalline turquoise waters dazzle under the sunlight. There are no tourist facilities at Klisidi, but you can find snack bars and canteens at the nearby beaches, Ammoudi and Mikro Ammoudi. Next to the parking space, there are free toilets available. Access to the beach is quite difficult, as you will need to descend the rocks carefully.

The beach is named Klisidi and is an ideal choice when no people are there — quite rare in peak seasons.

Klisidi is rather remote and often occupied by naturists. Klisidi has a resemblance of the Seitan Limania beach in Chania apart from the rock in the middle of the water.

The Seitan Limania comparison is accurate — both are tiny dramatic coves between rocks with electric-turquoise water that require careful access and photograph better than almost any beach their size has any right to. The characteristic rock standing in the sea at Klisidi is the specific visual feature in every photograph.

Getting There: 34km From Rethymno Through the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, 4km East of Plakias, Park Near Ammoudi, Descend the Rocks

Klisidi beach is located 34km south of Rethymnon between Damnoni beach and Ammoudi beach.

The route from Rethymno: drive south toward Spili and follow signs for Plakias. The road descends through the Kourtaliotiko Gorge — one of the most dramatic gorge roads in Crete — before reaching sea level at Plakias. From Plakias, drive east 4 kilometres past Damnoni toward the Ammoudi beaches complex.

Next to the parking space, there are free toilets available. Park at the Ammoudi parking area and walk to Klisidi — it is 200 metres from Ammoudi.

Access to the beach is quite difficult, as you will need to descend the rocks carefully. This is the consistent honest caveat. The descent is achievable for fit adults with decent footwear, but it is not a casual stroll. Water shoes are useful not just for the entry but for the approach.

The Underwater Passage: You Can Swim From Klisidi to Ammoudaki Only by Diving Through a Hole

At the other end of Ammoudaki, there is an underwater hole that connects Ammoudaki with Klisidi. So you can get from one beach to another only with a dive.

This is the single most unusual geographical detail on this stretch of coast. The two beaches share a wall of rock between them; at the base of that wall is an underwater passage that confident swimmers can swim through. The passage connects the golden sand cove of Klisidi with the sandy nudist beach of Ammoudaki — two completely separate beach experiences separated by a dive.

The Ammoudi Beach Complex: Klisidi, Ammoudaki, Ammoudi, Damnoni

Ammoudi is a beach complex located 32km south of Rethymno and 4km east of Plakias.

The four-beach cluster: Damnoni (organised, family resort, 5km east of Plakias), Ammoudi (crystalline water, rocky seabed, prime snorkelling and diving), Ammoudaki (nudist, canteen, sunbeds, marine cave on west side), Klisidi (tiny sandy naturist-friendly cove between two rocks, characteristic standing stone in the sea). All are accessible from the same access road east of Plakias.

Souda Beach: The Western End of the Same South Plakias Coastline

Souda Beach Plakias Crete Greece is the westernmost beach on the Plakias coastline — 3 kilometres west. The Finikas river and the Theophrastus palm colony mark the western end; Klisidi and the Ammoudi complex mark the eastern end. The full south Plakias beach programme connects them.

Klisidi Beach near Plakias, Crete is the tiny sandy cove between two long narrow rocks 34 kilometres south of Rethymno — no facilities (snack bars and toilets at adjacent Ammoudi), access by careful rock descent, large rocks providing natural shade (no umbrellas needed), characteristic standing rock in the sea, naturist-friendly, underwater passage connecting it to the adjacent Ammoudaki nudist beach (dive through the rock wall), and the Kourtaliotiko Gorge on the approach road from Rethymno.

Park at Ammoudi. Walk 200 metres west. Descend carefully.