Plakias is a village on the south coast of the island inland from Rethymno. It is part of the municipality Foinikas, and is surrounded by mountains to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south. The coastal hills tip forward to form a semi-circular bay with Plakias and its tint harbour lying a little towards the west. The eastern end of the bay is closed off by a high crag. This is the prettiest setting of any coastal village in Crete. There are many striking villages behind Plakias on the mountainside making this the ideal place to purchase land-or-houses and villas.

There are two roads into Plakias through the mountain range which lies to its north, both of which run through gorges- to the north of Plakias, the Kotsifos Gorge and to the northeast, the Kourtaliokiko Gorge.

Agia Galini is the most popular resort of the central part of the south coast. It occupies a narrow valley ending in a small harbour with fishing boats and tourist boats and a general sense of activity. The back end of the valley where the road enters has seen much development in recent years