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Home / WORLD'S BEST / Best Islands / 7 of Greece's best beaches that are less well-known

7 of Greece's best beaches that are less well-known

2023-03-25  Diana Solomon

These are the great locations in Greece for a more private beach swim, from sprawling pebbled bays on Andros to urban beaches in Syros's neoclassical city.

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Virtually all of my happiest times have been spent on Greece's top beaches, in varying degrees of summer, age, and wisdom. Yet many of them have focused on the gorgeous shorelines of the nations, where people have sprawled out on warm, smooth rocks, bobbed in boats, or glided through glass-like water to work up an appetite for grilled fish. I just require quiet, pebbled bays where I can skinny dip in the early sunlight or craggy outcrops where I can repeatedly dive into the purest seas as the sun begins to set. I don't need fancy beach clubs or luxurious loungers.

Some of my favorite beaches in Greece require you to bring a picnic, while others have straightforward taverns close by. Some need a little trekking, while others are better reached by boat. Beautiful waterways and a healthy dose of spirit bind them all together.

Go no further than our list of the top Greek Islands to visit in 2023 if you're struggling to determine where to go in Greece.

These are Greece's top beaches.

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Polyegos' Blue Waters

Milos is well-known for its beaches with crystal-clear water and lunar-like granite formations. Yet out of all of them, Polyegos, a little desert island, boasts the most beautiful blue seas. Stay at Skinopi Lodge, a collection of modern villas overlooking the island's stunning west coast, and plan a day to sail with the lodge's proprietor, Nausika. In the late morning, set sail for Polyegos, aiming for the area known as "Blue Waters" for some serious boat lounging and swimming. To get to Kimolos in time for a late fish lunch or an early dinner at To Kyma in the port of Psathi, ask your skipper to make the short crossing.

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Chrissopigi, Sifnos, and the Cyclades

The monastery at Chrissopighi, where Christian Brechneff wrote The Greek Home, is one of the most attractive places to swim on Sifnos. Wake up in the appealing Verina Astra hotel close to Artemonas, then drive south for a leisurely lunch at a restaurant by the sea in Apokofto. After you're full, turn around and go along the beach to the right, where you may spend the day lounging on the flat, smooth rocks that are underneath the monastery. You can repeatedly jump from the stone platform till the sun breaths its last breath since it is set right in front of you.

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Serifos, Kalo Ampeli, and the Cyclades

The untamed beach of Kalo Ampeli is located on the route leading from Serifos' port, Livadi, out towards the community of Mega Livadi. It will only take you 20 minutes to walk to the powder-soft white beach and stunning blue ocean you can see to your left if you take the short road on your left and park beside the church. Bring supplies with you since there are no tavernas or snack bars. The beautiful green sea is just to the right of this beach, where you may jump into it or bake lizard-like on smooth granite slabs. After a meal of fresh fish at Kalis near the harbor, which usually includes grilled catch of the day, octopus, tartare, and other seafood, I prefer to travel to Kalo Ampeli in the late afternoon. Following that, return to your accommodations at Faros Villa Guesthouse, which towers above Mega Livadi Bay like an eagle's nest.

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Ithaca, Ionian Islands' Kioni Beach

It is easy to see why Odysseus was eager to return to Ithaca after spending just a short time there because of the island's green slopes, pristine bays, and laid-back tavernas. Kioni, a charming harbor where sailing boats stop for gorgeous water and top-notch dining, is located up in the island's wilder north. You will come across some stone stairs on your left that lead down to a secret pebbled bay if you continue to follow the road around to the right of Kioni while staying close to the sea. It is like honey from the gods to sit in the shade of its trees early in the morning and take your first plunge of the day in its glass-like waters. When it's time for lunch, keep walking around the headland to Cantina Beach where you can have shared platters of tzatziki and calamari at the unpretentious taverna by the beach. Before returning to your chic accommodation at the Itha-08 hideaway, reserve a table for supper at Kalypso back at the harbor.

 

 

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Achla, Andros, Cyclades

Achla is a broad stretch of a pebbled bay with gin-clear waters that is coiled into the eastern slope of Andros, not far from the charming Chora of the island. If you want to take a small boat from Andros Town and softly hug the shoreline to the north, you will need a 4x4 and steely nerves. Have a picnic and take a dip in the isolated bay next to the Church of Panagia Theotokos. After you get in stunning Achla, drop your anchor in the water and spend the rest of the afternoon drifting around, only stopping to dive or drink wine. Stay at Melisses, a remote bed & breakfast operated by the divine Allegra, or Ktia Lemonies, both of which are located just outside the Chora.

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Beach in Asteria, Syros, Cyclades

Asteria is a popular "urban" beach among the inhabitants of Ermoupoli, the city of Syros with its marble façade. Join the swimmers floating in groups against a picture-perfect background of sherbet-colored neoclassical houses by going there early in the morning or right before dusk. Pack some goggles so that you may view the Venetian palazzos that line the shoreline from below the water's surface. You can easily squeeze in your swims just before breakfast in the shaded garden or cocktails on the marshmallow-pink rooftop because it is only a short stroll from there to Hotel Aristide.

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Saronic Islands, Hydra, and Bisti

Leonard Cohen, among many other singers, authors, artists, and poets, found inspiration on this island, which has numerous coves and rocky inlets to appreciate as long as you can reach there on foot, by boat, or by donkey. Avlaki is a charming cove encircled by pine-dotted cliffs that are only 10 minute's walk from the harbor. On your way back, stop at Hydronetta bar for sundowners. Make your base in the town, which rises amphitheatrically from the port, during the shoulder seasons (Hydra is crowded in August).

 

Related article Greece's most romantic hotels.
 


2023-03-25  Diana Solomon