Beaches on the east coast heading south.

 

Benitses.    The beach here consists of 2 narrow strips of  shingle and sand separated by a small harbour. In our opinion the beach is uninviting and nondescript as at the moment it is being revamped.

 

 

 

 

 

Moraitika.    Moraitika has a sand and shingle beach. The sea is shallow and makes it ideal for families with children. There are some water sport facilities and sun beds. It can be fairly  crowded in high season due to it being a busy  resort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Messongi.    Messongi has a large sand and shingle beach with shallow calm water making it ideal for children. It is one of our favourites as the calm sea makes it good for swimming and snorkelling There are sun beds and there are taverna's/ snack bars on the sea front.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boukari.    Boukari has a long narrow shingle beach with calm shallow water and once again a favourite for us for swimming and snorkelling It is a very quiet peaceful place, having few tourists,  There are several good tavernas  alongside the bay and small harbour.

 

Notos.     Notos beach,south of  Petriti, can be reached either by walking  along the cliff path from Petriti  or by road through Aghios Nikolaos. It is a small quiet, sheltered, sand and shingle beach. There is one taverna.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kaliviota.     Kaliviota, south of  Notos, is very quiet and has a sand and shingle beach which is almost deserted as there are very few tourists here. There is a taverna on one side of the beach near the boat jetty,

 

Bouka.    Bouka is a small, quiet sandy beach reached by the road from Lefkimmi alongside the river passing a small harbour.

 

 

    Beaches on the west coast heading north.

 

Kanoula.    This beach is situated at the most south westerly point of the island. It is a deserted vast expanse of sand which is difficult to access by car as the road tracks are very rough. It can be reached by foot from Spartera (see our section on walks) and is well worth a visit if you are feeling fit and energetic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gardeno.    Gardeno beach can easily be reached by road from Vitalades. It has a long expanse of sand  with a cliff backdrop and is fairly quiet. It is good for children as the water is shallow. There is a large parking area and a couple of tavernas. This is one of our favourite beaches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marathias and Santa Barbara.    This is a long, quiet sandy beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aghios Georgios.    Aghios Georgios is reached by road from Argirades. It has a long sandy beach although in our opinion untidy probably due to the fact that it is a busy  tourist resort.It is popular for its windsurfing and water sports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issos.    Issos beach, another one of our favourites, is a long, vast sandy expanse of several kilometres backed by sand dunes. It is popular but  because of its size it is never crowded. You can walk northwards along the beach to join the Korission beach and the lake area. There are sun beds and water sports here and a couple of beach shops. Because of the vast expanse it is also used  by nudists.

 

Korission.   The beach here is long and sandy and is separated from the lake by a narrow strip of sand dunes and a dirt road. This area is quiet, remote and unspoiled with no snack bars or sun beds.

 

Paramona.    From Aghios Matheos several beaches can be reached. Paramona beach is long sandy and quiet with a couple of tavernas but it has few tourists. From here following the coast road south there are a few other small beaches. Between Prasoudi and Skidi beach we found it good for snorkelling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aghios Gordios    Aghios Gordios, a small family resort,  has a long sandy beach backed by cliffs.