[Mithrandir]

Greece is best known for its 3,000 islands, of which approximately 170 are populated. Each one has an attractive and varied landscape, from lush greenery to protruding cliffs. Those islands are famous for their laconic beaches, crystal-clear water, party towns and traditional villages with winding cobbled streets, populated by idyllic whitewashed buildings. Having hundreds of islands to choose from, making the list of the 10 Most Beautiful Greek Islands was extremely difficult.

[Marko]

Corfu, Greece – by Alexander Saprykin – www.sapr.in :Flickr

[alkor]

Mykonos, Greece – by Raging Wire – ragingwire/Flickr Mykonos, Greece – by Raging Wire – ragingwire/Flickr

[Natanael]

The island of Milos has some of the most spectacular beaches in Greece. It also has some amazing places to swim that are not actually beaches. The flow of lava has created a shoreline that is multi-faceted and in many places quite dramatic with strange rock formations that look like you are on another planet. Many of these rock formations are great places to swim. At Sarakiniko beautiful smooth white rocks form a long narrow inlet with a tiny beach on the end offering a safe place for children to swim and great snorkeling, while the rocks let you sunbathe without getting sand all over you. A hundred yards or so to the west is the remains of a freighter that has been smashed on the rocks and is half out of the water, another great place to snorkel. For those who were seduced by photos of shipwreck beach in Zakynthos this is way cooler and a lot easier to get to and nowhere near as crowded. Nearby are sheltered coves and tiny beaches made by the lava flow.

[noxion]

As you go down the coast on the road to Pallonia you come to several beaches and small settlements like Agios Konstantinos with its boat houses on a tiny inlet and the beautiful Alogomantra and Agios Konstantinos beaches. Further on is the town of Pahaina and its long sandy beach. The small beach at Papafrakas is like no beach you have ever seen. One of the most bizarre places to swim it is a long channel cuth through the rock going inland about 75 yards and ending in a small beach. Part of it is covered so in order to get to the sea you swim through a cave. (To be honest with you I found the place a little scary.) In the town of Polonia there are several beaches, notably the main town beach in the bay which has white sand a shade trees and another on the back side. But the most interesting place to swim is the area to the west of the town on the flat rocks that jut out into the straits between Milos and Kimilos. In Pollonia there are a number of seafood restaurants and cafes and the church of Agia Paraskevis which was blown up by the Germans during World War Two because they wanted to put a gun on that spot to cover the straits. You can also catch the ferry to Kimilos at the pier just below the church.

[RichardG]

If you go west from Sarakiniko the swimming gets even better. In the small harbor of Mandrakia there is a white beach in the bay and you can swim off the rocks beyond the excellent Medusa Restaurant-Ouzerie . Very nice for snorkling along the coast. Mandrakia is one of those boat-house villages that are common in this part of Milos with the buildings actually built around caves in the rock. Further on is the small town of Firopotamos, similar to Mandrakia with a tree shaded beach and a canteen that seems to be a hang out for young people. Beautiful blue water, the kind you see in postcards and think they are fake. On the south side of the island there is a long beach at Paleohori , again with postcard blue water and colorful patterns on the stones from sulphur. There are a couple tavernas and a cafe that overlook the beach which looked pretty good (you can't eat everywhere). If you walk east along the beach and climb over some rocks you come to another beach that is accessable only by foot and by excursion boat. They say there are hot springs at Paleohori and I am guessing that is where they are since a steady stream of people were coming over the rocks from there. It is probably an unofficial nudist beach. To the west is the Big Blue Cafe Bar built into the cliff overlooking the sea, a popular hangout day or night. The beach at Provatas is home to the Golden Beach Hotel as well as the famous Tarantula restaurant.

[amps]

If you want to stay around Monolithos Beach and want a bit of luxury, check out Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Santorini. It has a large outdoors swimming pool, certain suites with private pools, spa facilities and private sunbeds.

[woola20]

Swimming here might be a challenge for some people, as the blue water gets deep fairly quickly. [links]

[jimmy]

It will appeal to you if you want an upscale stay close to the coast, or just don't want the hustle and bustle of Oia and Fira. Nikki Beach is located between Monolithos and Kamari, so you get the best of both worlds.

[srf21c]

This long, pebbly part of the coastline was pretty deserted when we were there. While it was picturesque, we wouldn't have chosen to stay here, as the pebbles would make it rather uncomfortable to put out a towel.

[corwin78]

A long asphalt road where you can walk or drive with your vehicle passes right next to Perissa. Note that the road is closed to traffic from the early afternoon onwards. If you come here in your own transportation and are planning to stay for a few hours, make sure you park somewhere else.

[M.I.]

The way Santorini beaches go, this was Vanessa's favourite. It is a large, black sand beach (no surprise here!), with plenty of free space, watersports, a volleyball court and many other facilities.

[Anthonyse]

All the Greek beaches have their own beauty and charm. The beaches below are considered the most beautiful in Greece (by our team and public opinion).
Discover the best beaches: Balos in Crete, Myrtos in Kefalonia, Porto Katsiki in Lefkada, Super Paradise in Mykonos, Navagio in Zakynthos, and more.

[sputnik]

The pebbled beach of Chalikiada is in the area of Limenaria village, and its access is difficult, after going though a pinewood area. For this reason, Chalikiada offers more privacy, to the point that it is taken as a good option for nudism.

[bidcoin]

This is the most famous beach of Skiathos, therefore the most crowded. It is well-known for its extremely fine white sand and its fragrant pine trees forest from which the region took its name. here