Triopetra Beach
Triopetra sits on the Libyan Sea about 55 minutes south of Rethymno, west of Preveli, and takes its name from three sea-stacks that rise out of the water just off the sand. It is the swimming and lunch stop on a south-coast day: the water is usually calmer than the open coast, there are tavernas on the beach, and you are far enough from the north-coast resorts that the afternoon stays quiet even in July.
At a glance
- Cost to visit
- Free; taverna lunch extra
- Drive from Rethymno
- About 55 minutes
- Known for
- Three sea-stacks in turquoise water, and a quiet swimming beach
- Time needed
- 60 to 90 minutes including a swim or lunch
- Season
- April to October for swimming and open tavernas
The three rocks
The stacks sit a short swim or a longer look from the main beach. They are the photograph, and they are why the place has a name rather than being another nameless cove on this coast. The sand is a mix of pale and darker grains; the west end (Little Triopetra) is more sheltered.
Swimming and lunch
This is a beach for swimming, not for a hike. The water shelves reasonably, and the tavernas on the back of the beach do grilled fish and Greek salad with a view of the stacks. You pay on the table, and cash is safer than cards.
Practicalities
Free. About 55 minutes from Rethymno via Spili or via the Preveli road. The access road is paved. There is parking above the beach. An hour to an hour and a half is the usual stay. Best from April to October; the tavernas thin out outside summer. It pairs with Preveli Beach and Spili on the same loop, and trying to add Elafonisi or Knossos on the same day is a different island.
Good to know
Why is it called Triopetra?+
From the Greek for three stones: three rock stacks standing in the sea off the beach, which is the landmark you are looking for from the road.
Can you swim at Triopetra?+
Yes. It is the swimming stop on a south-coast day from Rethymno. Little Triopetra, the western cove, is usually the more sheltered water.
How far is Triopetra from Preveli?+
About 25 minutes west along the coast. The two beaches sit on the same south-coast loop with Spili on the way home.
Is there a taverna?+
Yes, on the beach. They do fish, salads and cold drinks. Expect to pay cash, and do not count on every card machine working in high season.
Read more about Triopetra Beach
- 12 Best Day Trips from RethymnoRethymno is the best day-trip base in Crete because it sits in the middle of the north coast. Within 45 minutes you can reach Lake Kournas and the Argyroupoli springs, the pottery village of Margarites with Arkadi Monastery, and the south coast at Preveli and Triopetra. Within 90 minutes you reach Imbros Gorge and Knossos with the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Beyond that, at two hours or a little more, lie Aradaina Gorge, the Samaria trailhead at Omalos, the 2,453 m summit of Pachnes, and the pink lagoon at Elafonisi. Every one of the twelve below is a return trip in a single day.
- How Many Days Do You Need in Crete?Seven days is the minimum for a proper Crete holiday and ten is where the island stops feeling like a series of long drives. Three days is a city break confined to one base; five days adds one gorge and one beach day; seven covers western and central Crete from a single hotel, including Samaria or Imbros, Knossos and the south coast; ten lets you split your stay and add Spinalonga, Elounda and the Lasithi plateau; fourteen is a full island loop taking in Vai, Kato Zakros and the roadless south-west villages of Loutro and Agia Roumeli. The island is 260 km end to end, so the constraint is always driving time, not opening hours.
