19 loveliest beaches in Greece

Greece is famous for its numerous beautiful beaches – if we include the island, the count of Greek beaches is simply too large to actually go through in a reasonable amount of time. As such, we decided to narrow the list a little and pick out only the best beaches which Greece has to offer. Which ones? Here’s our selection!

 

Marathonisi Island (Zakynthos)

 

Marathonisi grecja plaża

Near Zakynthos, there’s a tiny uninhabited island of Marathonisi. It’s sometimes referred to as Turtle Island thanks to it literally resembling a massive turtle if viewed from the side. There are actually two beaches here – the first one is well visible, the second, smaller one is on the other side, snuggled between caves.

 

Lalaria Beach (Skiathos)

 

Lalaria Skiatos

Lalaria is a lovely beach in the northern part of Skiathos, only accessible by boat. You’ll either have to join a cruising tour or hire a boat for yourself. Due to it requiring some extra effort to get here, you usually won’t find crowds here. Thanks to the white rocks and light gravel on the beach, the water has an exceptionally beautiful azure colour. We’d highly recommend Lalaria, both for the aesthetic and for the fact that it’s usually quite a peaceful beach.

 

Golden Beach (Thassos)

 

golden beach grecja

If you’re looking for a great beach for families, you can always opt for the Golden Beach on Thassos. It’s a perfect place for having a sandy stroll, swimming in the crystal clear water and watching the sunsets. It has a very gentle descent, so you don’t have to worry about it being too deep for your children. It’s really a bookcase family beach, hence why you may find it a tad crowded.

 

Navagio Beach (Zakynthos)

 

navagio grecja

Back to Zakynthos for a moment – another popular beach there is the Navagio Beach (also known as the Shipwreck Beach) with a wreck submerged in the sand. It’s surrounded by massive cliffs which, combined with the wreck, make it look like a movie scene. You can reach Navagio by boat.

 

Hovolo Beach (Skopelos)

 

Plaża Hovolo

Welcome to Skopelos! Hovolo beach is located in the western part of the island – it’s partly sandy and partly rocky. It’s not a large beach per se but the good thing is that you’ll need to take a short walk through sand and water. Why’s that good? Because most people will not bother and so you don’t have to worry about crowds. There’s also no equipment rentals, shops or anything really, so even more so. It’s simultaneously one of the most beautiful spots in Greece, in our view at least, so it’s highly worth it. Do be mindful of the fact that it may be impossible to reach amidst large waves.

 

Pefkohori Beach (Chalkidiki)

 

Chalkidiki grecja

The Pefkohori Beach is a lovely golden beach with no shortage of souvenir shops around. It also has a gentle descent, so it’s ideal for children. We have to warn you, however, that this is one of those beaches we don’t even approach in the high season. There are lots of horror stories online on how it just becomes a dirty moshpit in July and August. As such, pay it a visit only if you’re visiting outside of the peak season.

 

Koukounaries Beach (Skiathos)

 

skiathos grecja

The Koukounaries Beach has a beautiful backdrop of a whole umbrella of pine trees, giving it an incredible aesthetic. It’s one of the largest beaches in the Aegean basin and one of the most popular beaches on Skiathos. There’s also a park with a lagoon filled with ducks and swans nearby!

 

Elafonisi Beach (Crete)

 

elafonisi grecja

Elafonisi is not a large beach, but it has become known as one of the most beautiful and unique Greek beaches. It is called the pink beach because of its lightly pink sands. Due to its size and fame, though, be warned that it may be crowded. It’s usually noted as the most famous and best beach of Crete.

 

Georgioupolis Beach (Crete)

 

Speaking of the best beaches of Crete, we also have the Georgioupolis Beach located near Rethymnon. The portion of the beach by the town is quite crowded, though it’s not so bad once you move away from the centre. It also has a decently gentle descent, so it’s safe for children.

 

Anthony Quinn Bay (Rhodes)

 

anthony quinn plaża

The Anthony Quinn Bay is located on Rhodes and offers an incredible backdrop of massive cliffs overgrown with pine trees. It’s a very popular beach, though you may want to avoid it if you’re travelling with children, as there are lots of sharp little rocks in the sand.

 

Preveli Beach (Crete)

 

preveli Kreta

Okay, back to Crete. Preveli Beach is known primarily for its magical landscape – it sits at the mouth of the river surrounded by a forest with a massive cliff on the left side. It’s also a tad difficult to get to, which means that it’s usually not so crowded.

 

Kokkino Nero beach

 

Another peaceful beach, this time by the Aegean Sea, on the mainland. You may know that Kokkino Nero means ‘Red Water’, which derives from the hot springs in the area coloured by the minerals. As for the beach, be warned that there are sections of it which are pebbly, so have good footwear just in case.

 

Glyfada Beach (Corfu)

 

corfu plaze grecja

One of the largest beaches in Corfu is the Glyfada beach, surrounded by wondrous green cliffs. It’s also one of the most popular, and it’s no wonder – it has some great infrastructure, plenty of tavernas and shops nearby and the Blue Flag status. It’s also suitable for children.

 

Agios Gordios Beach (Corfu)

 

agios gordios grecja

Agios Gordios is another popular beach in Corfu – its views consist of a bay surrounded by green hills, forests and vineyards. You can also hire water sports equipment on site. It’s suitable for all ages.

 

Egremni beach (Lefkada)

 

egremni grecja

Bright sand and fairytale-like blue water await tourists at Egremni beach. There is no shortage of sun loungers, umbrellas and food facilities. The landscapes on this beach are photographed quite often due to their uniqueness – where do you think the photo above was taken from? 🙂

 

Milos Beach (Lefkada)

 

Milos Lefkada

Milos is a large beautiful beach right next to Agios Nikitas. To get here, you have to walk for about 20 minutes so, as you can imagine, it’s usually not too crowded. Take some proper footwear though, as the path will demand it. You have some equipment rentals here (€15 per day for sun loungers and an umbrella). There’s also a water taxi which can take you to the town for €3. You might be getting bored of hearing this but this one is also surrounded by lovely green cliffs. Incredible how spoiled we get.

 

Kathisma Beach (Lefkada)

 

kathisma grecja

Kathisma is another beautiful beach on Lefkada, with glistening white sand, turquoise water and (you guessed it) green cliffs. It’s, sadly, also very popular, so it may not be the best option for the high season.

 

Vlychada Beach (Santorini)

 

Vlychada

Vlychada is a unique beach on Santorini located in the south of the island, next to its namesake village. Though you can see that for yourself above, its uniqueness lies in its black sands and large volcanic cliffside towering above it. There’s a car park at the entrance to the beach – you’ll also find a equipment rental and tavernas. It’s one of our favourites due to the fact that you can easily find peaceful secluded spots on it.

 

Afales beach (Ithaca)

 

plaza itaka afales

The Afales Beach is not very large and it’s mainly valued for its incredible location. It’s located at the entrance to the bay and it’s surrounded by olive trees. A great spot to visit, even if for nothing more than the sights.

 

See also:

Leave a comment