Ten Greek Beach Destinations: The Full Selection and How They Differ

Sometimes the perfect beach day means a dramatic view and a short visit. Sometimes it means staying until late afternoon, with lunch close by and no complicated journey home. Greece offers plenty of both, but the best choice depends on the day you want to have.

This selection includes individual beaches, a village, islands and a mainland region. They are different sizes of destination, so use the list to choose a style of escape before choosing your exact place on the sand.

For a dramatic coastline

Myrtos, Kefalonia: the pale shore and intense blue water make the approach part of the experience. Conditions can be energetic, so a beautiful view is not a guarantee of an easy swim. Our Myrtos guide covers the practical decisions in more detail.

Porto Katsiki, Lefkada: cliffs and a bright strip of shore create another striking Ionian scene. Consider the descent and climb back up when deciding whether it suits everyone in your group. Bring a realistic plan for shade and the return journey.

Balos, Crete: this is a landscape to plan around, with a lagoon setting and a more involved approach than a town beach. Confirm the precise departure point and access arrangements for your chosen outing. Do not assume that staying in Chania means the beach is just around the corner.

For sand, a village or a smaller bay

Simos, Elafonisos: broad sand and the shape of the bays make this a distinctive stop near the southern Peloponnese. The official Elafonisos introduction helps place it geographically. Elafonisos is different from Elafonisi beach in Crete, despite the similar names.

Assos, Kefalonia: choose this for the relationship between village, harbour and a small beach. It is a different kind of day from spreading out on Myrtos. The Kefalonia destination guide provides wider island context.

Ammoudi near Plakias, Crete: this smaller south-coast setting belongs to a different area from Balos. Check the exact map location when booking accommodation or searching directions, because similar beach names appear elsewhere in Greece.

Agios Sostis, Mykonos: an option for a beach-focused outing away from the town’s busiest streets. Decide how you will get there and back, and take the wind into account. The island name alone cannot tell you whether the water will be calm that day.

For choosing a whole coastal base

Naxos: pick this when you want a beach holiday with room for villages and inland exploration. Our Naxos guide compares the practical role of different bases, so the beach becomes part of a varied stay.

Astypalaia: this is an island choice, not one beach. Consider where you want to spend your evenings and how you will reach the coast from your accommodation. A beautiful view from Chora may involve a different daily routine from sleeping near a bay.

Halkidiki: this mainland region offers many coastal bases across its peninsulas. Narrow the search to one area before comparing hotels. A convenient airport connection does not mean every beach in the region is close together.

Choose the whole day

Before settling on a beach, compare access, shade, food, the return journey and the conditions on the day. Our clear-water beach guide looks more closely at those practical differences. A well-chosen base and a relaxed pace often matter more than finding the beach with the most impressive headline.

1. Myrtos, Kefalonia

Myrtos’s pale shoreline lies beneath high slopes, creating a strong contrast with the blue water in an elevated view. It is worth distinguishing that broad landscape from the experience at the shore itself. Look at the access route, the beach surface and the conditions on arrival before deciding how to spend your time. A pause above the bay and an afternoon beside the sea can each be satisfying, with different preparation.

Think of the approach, the time you want to spend there and conditions on the day. A viewpoint stop and a long beach visit are different plans. The surrounding landscape is a strong reason to include Myrtos in a Kefalonia itinerary.

2. Balos, Crete

Balos combines a lagoon setting with a wider coastal landscape in northwest Crete. Both boat and land approaches require planning. Those options involve different arrangements and should be compared for the actual date rather than assumed equally simple.

The colour variations in the photographs are a large part of the appeal. They do not mean every patch of water has the same depth or that the whole visit consists of effortless swimming. Allow the landscape to guide the choice while treating access as a separate practical question.

3. Halkidiki

Halkidiki is a mainland region with many beaches and settlements, not a single beach. Quiet villages, resorts and nightlife are therefore alternatives to choose between, rather than features of one place. Choose the particular peninsula and base before comparing accommodation.

This option suits a plan organised around a region instead of a single famous cove. The useful next step is to connect a beach with where you will sleep and how you will move around, rather than book from a broad regional image alone.

4. Simos, Elafonisos

Simos belongs to Elafonisos near the southern Peloponnese, a different place from the similarly named Elafonisi in Crete. Its broad sandy setting gives the gallery a gentler outline than the cliff-backed Ionian beaches. When comparing it with another choice, include the journey to the island and the final approach to the beach. Those practical steps matter more to a day out than whether an older photograph happens to show facilities or other visitors.

Consider the journey to the island as well as the final approach to the beach. A place can have a natural-looking landscape while still receiving many visitors. Plan for the experience you want without assuming that an empty photograph guarantees solitude.

5. Porto Katsiki, Lefkada

The cliff backdrop gives Porto Katsiki its recognisable form. Steps, the shoreline surface and daily sea conditions all matter when planning the descent to the beach and the return climb.

A dramatic cliff is best appreciated with attention to where visitors are permitted to be. The gallery is a visual introduction, not a route description. Decide whether the approach suits everyone in the group before making the most famous photograph the centre of the day.

6. Assos, Kefalonia

Assos is a village and harbour setting, with a beach forming one part of the experience. Houses, trees and the fortress hill contribute to the view. That makes it different from an isolated open-coast beach selected mainly for swimming.

Think of Assos as a village day with water at its centre. Spend time looking across the harbour, choose a meal that lets you linger and add a walk according to your energy. The houses and surrounding slopes provide interest even when swimming is not the main aim. This combination may suit someone who wants a varied coastal pause more than a day organised entirely around a large beach.

7. Astypalaia

Astypalaia is a whole island, so the entry is an invitation to choose a base and individual beaches. Its white buildings and hilltop settlement form a broader cultural landscape than a single swimming stop. Check the availability of any outdoor activities you want to try for the season of your visit.

Allow time for the island itself rather than treating it as a beach appended to another itinerary. Transport arrangements and the distance between the places you want to see are part of deciding whether it fits your trip.

8. Agios Sostis, Mykonos

At Agios Sostis, the shoreline offers a different focus from a walk through Mykonos town. Decide whether you want time on the sand or simply a coastal outing, then arrange the journey around that choice. Wind and sea conditions can change what feels comfortable at the waterline. Enjoying the setting need not depend on entering the sea or reproducing the quiet atmosphere of one photograph.

Choose it for the kind of shoreline shown, then check the conditions and practical arrangements relevant to the day. A quieter-looking image can help identify a preference, but it cannot predict how many other people will share that preference.

9. Naxos

Naxos offers room to combine beach time with a different landscape inland. Mountains, cultivated valleys, marble and historic sites give the island several threads to explore, so choose the one you most want beside the sea. A beach morning and a village meal might be enough variety for one day; another outing can concentrate on archaeology. The island becomes easier to enjoy when each day has its own manageable focus.

Choose which part of Naxos interests you and how beach time fits with the rest of the journey. The range of landscapes is a more concrete reason to include it.

10. Ammoudi, Crete

For the Ammoudi near Plakias outing introduced above, check the exact location on a map before travelling. The spelling Amoudi is also used, and similar names occur in more than one place. A cove described as sheltered is not automatically safe in every condition.

This final entry completes a list that mixes individual beaches, villages, islands and a region. Start with the scale of trip you want, then select a specific place within the island or region that interests you.