Greek Beaches

By Frank Adam Burns · Updated 31 August 2026

Greece has the clearest, calmest and warmest swimming in Europe, and it is the single strongest argument for choosing it over Italy or Spain. The water is genuinely the colour it appears in photographs, and it stays comfortable well into October.

The famous ones

Sarakiniko on Milos is white volcanic rock rather than sand, and looks like nowhere else on earth. Balos and Elafonissi on Crete are both pink-tinged lagoons at the end of long rough roads. Navagio on Zakynthos is the shipwreck cove, reachable only by boat. Myrtos on Kefalonia is best seen from the clifftop road above it.

All four are busy in season. Go at opening or late afternoon.

The quieter alternatives

Naxos's south-west coast — Plaka, Mikri Vigla, Alyko — has kilometres of sand and a fraction of the people. Sifnos, Serifos and Folegandros all have excellent beaches with no crowds at all. On Crete, the south coast around Loutro is reachable mainly by boat, which keeps it that way.

Organised and unorganised

Greek beaches divide into organised, with sunbeds, umbrellas and a taverna behind, and unorganised, with nothing. Sunbed rental is usually modest and often waived if you eat at the taverna. Plenty of the best beaches have no facilities at all, so take water and shade.

When the sea is warmest

Counterintuitively, September and early October — the Aegean holds the summer's heat. June water is noticeably cooler than September water at the same air temperature. May is swimmable but brisk.

Safety

Greek beaches are rarely patrolled and there are no flags. Currents around headlands and in channels between islands can be strong, and the meltemi picks up quickly in the afternoon on north-facing coasts. Sea urchins are common on rocky entries — water shoes are worth packing.

Nudity is legal on many Greek beaches and topless sunbathing is common on most. Signage is inconsistent, so it is worth knowing before you arrive with children.