maybe for the first time in Plakias this summer (and so new to this forum)

[terzoorso]

Hello to all

I am new to this Forum.

I am thinking to go to Plakias this summer, first time.  I would be very interested in understanding better a few things about the place. It  seems really great from what i can read on here.
But we would be without car ( no driving license). So i was wondering, for example :

1) are there any ways to go from Plakias to the beaches of Damnoni and Amoudi , when without car, except walking ? I mean like small taxi boats or fisher boats from plakias, that can get us there, for example ? And what about Souda ? If there's no way, how long and difficult are the walks in the heat of July.
Plakias seems much more authentic than Agia Galini from what i read. Is that so ? But The thing i liked in Agia Galini last summer, is that, being without car, we could easily go by small boats from Agia to several  beautiful nearby beach of Agios Giorgios and Agios Pavlos, which would have been very difficult otherwise....
So i was wondering...

2) Are there easy connections by bus to go to (or come from ) Agia Galini ? Like connecting in spilli maybe ?? Or would we have to go back to Rethymnon first ??

Thanks for any info ....And Sorry for my english, french guy here.

This forum is really nice ...Nothing similar in french forums....

[Greecemad]

Hello to all

I am new to this Forum.

I am thinking to go to Plakias this summer, first time.  I would be very interested in understanding better a few things about the place. It  seems really great from what i can read on here.
But we would be without car ( no driving license). So i was wondering, for example :

1) are there any ways to go from Plakias to the beaches of Damnoni and Amoudi , when without car, except walking ? I mean like small taxi boats or fisher boats from plakias, that can get us there, for example ? And what about Souda ? If there's no way, how long and difficult are the walks in the heat of July.
Plakias seems much more authentic than Agia Galini from what i read. Is that so ? But The thing i liked in Agia Galini last summer, is that, being without car, we could easily go by small boats from Agia to several  beautiful nearby beach of Agios Giorgios and Agios Pavlos, which would have been very difficult otherwise....
So i was wondering...

2) Are there easy connections by bus to go to (or come from ) Agia Galini ? Like connecting in spilli maybe ?? Or would we have to go back to Rethymnon first ??

Thanks for any info ....And Sorry for my english, french guy here.

This forum is really nice ...Nothing similar in french forums....

Terzoorso,

Don't worry, your English is perfectly understandable.

There is no way to get to Damnoni, Ammoudhi and Souda except by foot and by taxi. You used to be able to go by 'train' (that ran on the road) on some days, but last year it was not running. However, the walks are not too far for me and interesting - about half an hour to Damnoni. Also, the main beach of Plakias is very long and runs away from the village. It is also a lot better beach than the beach at Aghia Galini, so you do not need to go to the other beaches if they are too far to walk. The reason why I stopped going to Aghia Galini was because I didn't like the beach, but I have been back to Plakias many times since. The only beach that you can go to by boat from Plakias is Preveli, as you can from Aghia Galini.  

It is possible to go by bus to Aghia Galini. You take the bus to Rethymnon as far as a road junction (near Koxare) and change onto the bus from Rethymnon that goes through Spili to Aghia Galini. The connections are not very good, though. The last time I did this, I had to wait an hour, and I don't know whether it is sensible to go there and back on the same day.  


Greecemad

[Chas]

Hi, terzoorso,

Adding a little bit more, you can use the Plakias-Rethymno bus to get to the villages near the beaches as far down as Shinaria.

However, you will still have to walk another kilometre or so from the village to the beach.

This was the bus timetable for July 2007:


One more thought - there are several taxi services in Plakias that will arrange transport to and back from other beaches.

Personally, it is easy walking around Plakias - even for me - that avatar is a lot like me!  If I can do it, most people can.

[Greecemad]

Hi, terzoorso,

Adding a little bit more, you can use the Plakias-Rethymno bus to get to the villages near the beaches as far down as Shinaria.

However, you will still have to walk another kilometre or so from the village to the beach.

This was the bus timetable for July 2007:


One more thought - there are several taxi services in Plakias that will arrange transport to and back from other beaches.

Personally, it is easy walking around Plakias - even for me - that avatar is a lot like me!  If I can do it, most people can.

Chas,

I can't read the bus timetable on your photograph. I have a similar shot taken last June that I can read, but there looks to be more buses on yours. Could you interpret the relevant bits for us, i.e. Rethymnon to Plakias, Rethymnon to Aghia Galini and return.

Greecemad

[Ali & Dave]

Hi

For a bus timetable try this


www.bus-service-crete-ktel.com
Ali

[terzoorso]

Hello Again

First Thank you all  ( greecemad, chas, ali & dave) for your useful answers and infos !

1) about the taxis : arent they over-expensive in Crete? I had the idea there were much more expensive then elsewere in Greece...
Do anyone know for example how much it would be to go from Plakias to Spili by taxi ??

2) Also, as i said ,  i was in Agia Galini last year, and there i found the food ( and also fish dishes) really really bad everywhere, if i compare with other places in Greece i visited, and specially with the cyclade islands where it was often excellent...

Is the food and fish good in several places of Plakias ? Hope so....


Terzoorso.

[JBMouse]

Terzoorso, to answer your second question first, please try the 'Article System' in the top menu, you will find many recommendations for the good selection of Tavernas and bars in Plakias, none that I know of are bad. When I was last there in 2005 (why have I waited so long to come back?) there wasn't a bad meal to be had anywhere, (but how would I know, I was at Siroko for at least 11 nights out of 14)
The Taxi price I do not know, but certainly would like to know, if anyone has the answer, as this year there will be NO TRAIN, and I will be dependent on the taxi to get me to Lefkogia, Souda Bay, Myrthios, and many other watering holes around Plakias .
Only 3 more weeks and I will be there.

[harribobs]

i don't use taxis in crete cos we always have a car but spilli is about 20 minutes away

as for food.... we could start another new thread about our favourite places to eat good food in plakias

for me, i love home cooking, despina's cooking to be exact  (the medousa) swordfish in the oven, chicken and pasta, i could go on for a while about this ....

[Chas]

Hi

For a bus timetable try this


www.bus-service-crete-ktel.com
Ali

To make life even easier .... try this link direct to the relevant page

Sorry about the low quality image of the poster timetable - I shrank it a bit too much!

[Ali & Dave]

Hi

The taxi prices may appear to be expensive but the government sets the price and you need to remember that Crete is the largest of the greek islands so distances are much greater here than other islands.

The prices will be going up shortly, government has said 5% but the taxis want a larger increase due to increased fuel costs.  So they all went on strike on Monday.

We are having 'great' fun at the moment as all the truck drivers are also striking over the same reason so we have no petrol, no fresh milk, and other things are running low!!

Ali

[harribobs]

We are having 'great' fun at the moment as all the truck drivers are also striking over the same reason so we have no petrol, no fresh milk, and other things are running low!!

Ali

i hadn't realised it had got so bad!   at the risk of sounding selfish!  i hope they get it sorted soon  !

from Ekathimerini


Gasoline trickling in
Truck drivers’ union to decide today whether to extend strike

Gasoline supplies slowly started to reach outlets across the country yesterday as striking truck drivers are due to meet this morning to decide whether they will extend their eight-day protest.

Some 200 trucks were yesterday dispatched to supply gas stations across the country, with half going to Athens, but fuel quickly ran out as drivers lined up for hundreds of meters in order to fill up their tanks.

«In less than two hours, we served about 250 cars,» said the owner of one gas station in central Athens.

Another owner said he sold 6,000 euros' worth of fuel in three hours. Under normal circumstances, 18 trading hours would be necessary to generate about 1,000 euros in sales, he added.

[travellingran]

We are having 'great' fun at the moment as all the truck drivers are also striking over the same reason so we have no petrol, no fresh milk, and other things are running low!!

Ali

i hadn't realised it had got so bad!   at the risk of sounding selfish!  i hope they get it sorted soon  !

from Ekathimerini


Gasoline trickling in
Truck drivers’ union to decide today whether to extend strike

Gasoline supplies slowly started to reach outlets across the country yesterday as striking truck drivers are due to meet this morning to decide whether they will extend their eight-day protest.

Some 200 trucks were yesterday dispatched to supply gas stations across the country, with half going to Athens, but fuel quickly ran out as drivers lined up for hundreds of meters in order to fill up their tanks.

«In less than two hours, we served about 250 cars,» said the owner of one gas station in central Athens.

Another owner said he sold 6,000 euros' worth of fuel in three hours. Under normal circumstances, 18 trading hours would be necessary to generate about 1,000 euros in sales, he added.

Have been reading the on line Greek newspapers and things look decidedly worrying as it appears the strikes have escalated. No hire cars at Heraklion ( no fuel ) , no ferries , no food deliveries and more joining the strike tomorrow.
I too hope they get it sorted soon as the knock on effect will surely make it difficult to travel to the south of the island , even by bus.

Not wishing to make a grave situation worse I found this cartoon on one of the sites I googled.

Travellingran

[Raymond]

Don't worry, the petrol tanker owners strike is over as of 8pm this evening Wednesday 15th May. Tomorrow Thursday they will begin delivering petrol to all petrol stations.

Ray
http://crete.wordpress.com

[travellingran]

Don't worry, the petrol tanker owners strike is over as of 8pm this evening Wednesday 15th May. Tomorrow Thursday they will begin delivering petrol to all petrol stations.

Ray
http://crete.wordpress.com

Thankyou , Ray , for your reassuring reply. I hope all those striking reach agreement.
Love your website , incidentally. The content makes absorbing reading , always.
Thanks again ,
Travellingran.    

[Raymond]

You are, of course, very welcome Travellingran. I suppose I must be a travelling grandad. Hmm!

Ray

Don't worry, the petrol tanker owners strike is over as of 8pm this evening Wednesday 15th May. Tomorrow Thursday they will begin delivering petrol to all petrol stations.

Ray
http://crete.wordpress.com

Thankyou , Ray , for your reassuring reply. I hope all those striking reach agreement.
Love your website , incidentally. The content makes absorbing reading , always.
Thanks again ,
Travellingran.