Sunset beaches in Rethymno — CalmBeach

Sunset

Sunset beaches in Rethymno

15 west-facing beaches in Rethymno: that look out toward the sunset. Check live wind & waves for each beach on CalmBeach before you go.

  • 15beaches
  • 6organized
  • 8with photos

Want to watch the sun go down over the sea in Rethymno? These 15 west-facing beaches look out toward the sunset. Time your visit for late afternoon — and check wind and waves in CalmBeach before you go.

The beaches

  • Triopetra
    Triopetra
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Easy road access
    • More sheltered from northerlies

    The "Three Rocks" on the Libyan coast — The name means literally "three rocks", after the three large rocks rising at the shore. A small peninsula divides two beaches, on the south Libyan…

  • Schinaria
    Schinaria
    • Sandy
    • Easy road access
    • More sheltered from northerlies

    The little cove below Lefkogeia — Schinaria lies on the south coast of Rethymno in Crete, in the Lefkogeia community of the Agios Vasileios municipality, a few kilometres east of…

  • Spilies
    Spilies
    • Pebbles
    • Easy road access

    The cove of the sea caves — Spilies, also known as Kitrenosis, lies on the north coast of Rethymno in Crete, in the remote area of Latzimas, just before Geropotamos. It forms at…

  • Geropotamos
    Geropotamos
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Easy road access

    The mouth of the sacred river — Geropotamos lies on the north coast of Rethymno, Crete, about 18 kilometres east of the town and 3 kilometres west of Panormo. The beach takes its…

  • Mikro Ammoudi
    Mikro Ammoudi
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Easy road access
    • More sheltered from northerlies

    The little white cove of Plakias — Mikro Ammoudi, also known as Ammoudaki, is a small cove on the south coast of Rethymno, Crete, next to Damnoni and a few kilometres east of Plakias…

  • Ligkres
    Ligkres
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Easy road access
    • More sheltered from northerlies

    The long shore with the waterfall — Ligres spreads along the south coast of Rethymno, Crete, about 7 kilometres south of the village of Kerames, at the foot of Mount Siderotas. It is a…

  • Mikri Triopetra
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Passable dirt road
    • More sheltered from northerlies

    Beneath the three rocks — Mikri Triopetra, also known as Koumado, lies on the south coast of Rethymno, Crete, below the village of Akoumia, just south of the three huge rocks…

  • Ammolofi Agiou Pavlou
    Ammolofi Agiou Pavlou
    • Sandy
    • Passable dirt road
    • More sheltered from northerlies

    The great sand dunes of Cape Melissa — The Ammolofoi (Sandhills) of Agios Pavlos stretch along the south coast of Rethymno, Crete, on the western side of Cape Melissa, between the small…

  • Paralia Katsouni
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Easy path
    • More sheltered from northerlies
  • Paralia Gialopotama
    • Pebbles
    • Easy path
    • More sheltered from northerlies
  • Podare
    • Pebbles
    • Easy path
    • More sheltered from northerlies
  • Glima
    • Pebbles
    • Easy path
    • More sheltered from northerlies
  • Paligkremnos
    Paligkremnos
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Easy road access
    • More sheltered from northerlies
  • Pachia Ammos
    • Sand & pebbles
    • Easy path
    • More sheltered from northerlies
  • Ammoudi
    • Pebbles
    • Easy road access
Photo credits

Good to know

Which beaches in Rethymno face the sunset?

The beaches listed here face west or southwest, so the sun sets over the water in front of you. Arrive before sunset to find a spot and enjoy the light.

Anything to know for an evening visit?

Wind can pick up or drop in the evening, and remote beaches have no lights. Check live wind and waves in the app and bring a torch for the walk back.

When is the sea calmest here?

Across 15 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.47 m in June, 0.46 m in July and 0.43 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.46 m in September. August is the calmest month of the season. We calculate these figures ourselves from European Copernicus wave-model data at 4.2 km resolution. They describe the sea offshore, not the shelter of an individual cove — a bay protected by a headland will usually be calmer than this.

How warm is the water, month by month?

Off 15 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 19.3 °C in May, 22.2 °C in June, 24.3 °C in July, 25.6 °C in August and 25.3 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. In October it is still 23.9 °C — warmer than June. August is the warmest month. Satellite measurements, 1995–2024, from a sea cell about 5 km offshore; shallow bays usually run warmer than this.

Wind and waves change every day. See live conditions for any of these beaches before you drive out.

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