The 12 best beaches in Greece

Best for: getting (very) off the beaten track

We’re not going to say ‘hidden gem,’ promise, but this sand-strewn cove lapped by water so clear you can see starfish tiptoe across the bottom is in the running for actually being one. Just note that this is no commercialised beach; in fact it’s a bona fida desert island, so bring your own water and buy a bag of the local herb pies at Pigadia’s old fashioned bakery before taking the ten-minute taxiboat trip to this blissfully remote island dotted with the ruins of barrel-roofed houses where pirates once lived.

Best for: surfer dudes

Rhodes isn’t particularly renowned for its beaches, but this bite-sized slice of tropical paradise on the island’s remote southwest coast is the exception that proves the rule. Imagine three kilometres of sand the colour of old gold stretching out on either side of a narrow peninsula, with wild wind and waves for the surfers on one side and calmer waters for families on the other. That’s the vibe. 

Best for: old-school beaching

Thirasia is only a ten-minute boat ride from the fish taverns lining Santorini’s Ammoudi port, but you’ll genuinely feel like you’ve turned the clock back 50 years when you get there. Part of Santorini before the volcanic eruption that split the island asunder back in 1600BC, this rarely-visited Cycladic atoll has a clifftop village like Fira, and a peaceful pebbled cove lapped by pristine waters where cheap-as-chips local dishes are served up at Riva’s family-run taverna, along with spectacular volcanic caldera views. 

Best for: the feed, mainly

Far from underrated like some of the others, Red Beach’s rust-red sands framed by ochre cliffs are a magnet for instagrammers diving into water the colour of molten glass or take sunset pics with that brick-toned scenery as a backdrop. Icing on the cake: Akrotiri, the Minoan site known as ‘the Greek Pompei’, sits just behind the beach. Pay a visit before ending the perfect day at Glaros in Akrotiri village where they serve the best domatokeftedes tomato croquettes on the island.

Best for: actual peace and quiet

The poster child for stunning beaches on an island which has plenty to choose from, this pretty-in-pink strip of rose-coloured sand backed by rolling dunes sits at the tip of a remote peninsula some 50 miles from Chania’s Venetian harbour. The main section of the beach has plenty of sunloungers and parasols, but if you’re seeking peace and privacy wade across the shallow lagoon which links the main beach to a small sandstrewn island opposite dotted with near-deserted beaches and hidden coves. 

📍 Discover the best things to do in Crete

Best for: feeling like you’re somewhere very far away

Calling a Greek beach after a well-known island in the Indian Ocean seems a bit cheeky, but catch a glimpse of this gently curved strand strewn with bone-white pebbles descending to shimmering turquoise waters and you’ll immediately get it. It’s a steep hike to reach this hidden-away beach on the Blue Zone island of Ikaria and there are no facilities, but family-owned taverna Feroi next door in the tiny port of Maganites serves their fish straight from sea to plate.

Best for: lunar landscape lovers

With its blue-domed churches and chalk-white volcanic landscapes Milos might be a whiter version of sister Cyclades Island Santorini, but the moon-like landscapes of Sarakíniko Beach are like nothing on earth. Be warned: this bite-sized sandy beach gets crowded – especially in summer – but a series of fjord-like inlets separated by wind-shaped rocks and washed by turquoise waters offer more privacy. Apart from a mobile kantina selling drinks and snacks, there’s not much in the way of facilities either.

Best for: a picture-perfect beach day

A crescent of golden sand framed by sheer white cliffs and dotted with the rusting remains of MV Panagiotis, a shipwreck that washed up here in the 1980s, Navagio – better known as Shipwreck Beach – is the strand that features on all those instagram feeds. A fleet of small boats will whisk you to Navagio from Agios Nikolaos or Skinari, but for the best photos follow winding roads to clifftop Volimes village, which has a spectacular designated viewpoint area.

Best for: hiking and nature-ing

Imagine a horseshoe-shaped bay lined with talc-soft sands and backed by budget-friendly tavernas. That’s Voidokilia, one of the Greek mainland’s most beautiful beaches. This bite-sized slice of paradise near the town of Pylos famed for its castles and cobbled alleyways also overlooks the bird-teeming Gialova lagoon where you can spot pretty pink flamingos and other exotic wildlife from a tangle of hiking paths. Alternatively seek out the ancient vaulted tomb that’s said to belong to the son of Nestor, the legendary king of Pylos. 

Best for: serious sunsets

Setting for tearjerker movie Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Kefalonia is also home to Myrtos, a white pebble beach surrounded by sheer cliffs that’s so gorgeous it will make you weep for joy. Often described as one of Greece’s most striking strands this slice of paradise sitting on Kefalonia’s northern coast near the picturesque village of Assos is also the best place to watch the sea morph from turquoise to scarlet during one of the island’s breathtaking sunsets.