Date updated: October 24, 2026
This was the second monastery we visited on Crete. Plus we got to see a pretty beach and drive through a scenic gorge along the way. Plus a gun-toting abbot!
Preveli monastery and beach are on the south coast of Crete. The island is so narrow north to south that it was an easy day trip from Rethymno. The monastery entrance is modest. Inside it opens up to a flagstone courtyard with a ramp to the upper level.
The monastery is on a cliff overlooking the sea. The large cypress tree was planted in the 1800s by one of the monks.
The storage room with urns incorporates a giant rock in its wall. The old abbot’s quarters were furnished. We saw furniture like this in places we stayed. The photo on the right is a raki copper. (A still?) We’ve been enjoying the raki here.
The setting is beautiful as are little details like this mural under some stairs, and the bells hanging in the cypress tree.
We were surprised to see a menagerie. Besides the usual sheep and goats there were waterfowl and peacocks, spotted deer with antlers, kri kri (an indigenous wild goat) and even a llama.
Colorful flowers, cacti, and bougainvillea were planted next to the walls. Still wish I could grow bougainvillea at home.
The monastery took part in various revolutions. It’s perhaps most famous for its role World War II, helping English, Australian, and New Zealand troop stranded on Crete evacuate the island. I had to see the statue of the gun-toting abbot. The memorial was fenced off but we were able to see it through the fence.
A wildfire went through Preveli not long before we visited. The lower shrubs were charred though the nearby palm trees survived.
We didn’t climb down the cliff to the beach. We still got a nice view from the cliffs above. You can also get to the beach by boat.
As a bonus we got to drive through the Kourtaliotiko Gorge en route. The drive here is 15 minutes longer than the drive to Arkadi monastery but the roads were better and had more dramatic scenery.
