10 Best Beaches in Greece You Must Visit

Greece has over 16,000 km of coastline and hundreds of beaches - from famous tourist hotspots to completely deserted coves accessible only by boat. Choosing the ten best is a subjective exercise, but these are the beaches that appear on every serious list: stunning by any measure and representing the full variety of the Greek coastal experience.

1. Elafonisi - Pink Sand, Crete

The pink-tinged sand of Elafonisi (coloured by crushed shells and coral) and the shallow turquoise lagoon make this arguably Greece's most beautiful beach. Located in south-western Crete, it is a protected national park. Arrive early - it fills by mid-morning in summer. Access by car (1.5h from Chania) or seasonal boat.

2. Navagio (Shipwreck Beach) - Zakynthos

The most-photographed beach in Greece, if not in Europe. A shipwreck on brilliant white pebbles, surrounded by vertical limestone cliffs, accessible only by boat. The view from the clifftop viewpoint is equally iconic. Book your boat trip in advance in summer.

3. Balos Lagoon - Crete

A shallow turquoise lagoon connected to the sea by a narrow channel, ringed by pale sand and accessed via a rough 4WD track (or seasonal boat from Kissamos). One of those places that genuinely looks like the photographs - even in person.

4. Porto Katsiki - Lefkada

White pebbles beneath dramatic chalk-white cliffs on Lefkada's exposed western coast. Consistently voted one of Europe's best beaches. Access via a steep staircase from the clifftop car park. No shade, so bring your own.

5. Kolymbithres - Paros

A series of small coves north of Naoussa village, famous for their bizarre granite boulders sculpted by wind and sea over millions of years. Protected from the Meltemi winds, the water is calm and crystal-clear. A genuinely unique natural landscape.

6. Myrtos - Kefalonia

Possibly the most dramatically situated beach in Greece. A 700 m stretch of brilliant white pebbles at the base of a near-vertical cliff, with the most vivid blue-green water in the Ionian Sea. Best admired from the viewpoint above (and then visited at the base).

7. Sarakiniko - Milos

Not a traditional beach - Sarakiniko is a volcanic moonscape of brilliant white rock formations descending to the sea, with a small beach area. Completely unlike anything else in Greece. A must-visit on the often-overlooked island of Milos.

8. Vai - Crete

Europe's largest natural palm forest (Phoenix theophrasti) frames this exotic-feeling beach in far eastern Crete. The combination of golden sand, turquoise water and palm trees creates a genuinely tropical atmosphere - remarkable on a European island.

9. Anthony Quinn Bay (Vagies) - Rhodes

Named after the actor who reportedly fell in love with this spot while filming "The Guns of Navarone" on Rhodes, this small crystalline cove between two rocky headlands is one of the finest snorkelling spots in the Aegean.

10. Paleokastritsa - Corfu

Not one beach but a cluster of small coves beneath a 13th-century clifftop monastery in north-western Corfu. The setting is extraordinary - crystal water, pine forests, dramatic cliffs and excellent boat access to sea caves.

Planning Tips

• The most famous beaches are most crowded in July–August; June and September offer the same beauty with fewer people
• Many of these beaches have limited or no shade; bring umbrellas or be prepared to hire sunbeds
• Elafonisi, Balos and Navagio can only be appreciated properly; don't base your whole holiday around a single beach visit