9 beaches in Thassos you don’t want to miss

Before making a tour of the most beautiful beaches in Thassos I must tell you that the turquoise waters and unique beaches, with sand or pebbles will make your holiday unforgetable. People call Thassos the “Emerald Island”, due to its pine forests that head almost into the sea. The island has been inhabited for more than 3000 years and has a great history lost in the mists of time. For this reason it is sprinkled with stunning historical places, sanctuaries and  picturesque villages. The Thassians will help you find out a lot more about the old customs in this region. These are only some of the reasons you should visit the Thassos island.

If these reasons didn’t make you buy a plane ticket already, here are some of the most spectacular beaches in Thassos on which you can relax.

Saliara or Marble Beach

Considered by some people kitsch, by others a miracle, you must visit this beach yourself and make your own opinion. To me it seemed fantastic and different from all the other beaches in Thassos and not only. It felt wonderful to lie on this beach with its rounded marble pebbles and an incredible turquoise waters. The pebbles come from the nearby marble quarry in the nearby area. Located in a small bay, you get the impression that you are in a pool, but the color is not given by paint, but by the water. Fish like it, too. The place is very good for snorkeling, because you can easily spy the fish in the transparent water. Besides you can lie on this beach without any towel, nothing will sting you, the temperature will be perfect and when you will get up, you’ll be as clean as before you sat down.

A minus would be the fact that it is isolated and you must drive really careful to reach it, on a back road. In order to get to the Marble Beach one has to head from Limenas to Makryamos until the barrier of the resort. Before the barrier there is a back road on the right side. Drive on this road 6-7 km and after it goes down, on the right side you’ll see a plateau big enough for several cars.

500 meters away from Saliara to the right there is another similar beach, white, with marble pebbles and clear turquoise water, but with far less visitors.There are also platforms for the ones that are in for jumping.

Paradise Beach

It’s a very beautiful beach with white fine sand, bordered by rocky steeps on which you can surprisingly see goats that seem to float over the see. The water is turquoise, growing very very slowly in depth and at the horizon you can see a small conical island, Kinira. Due to its position, here you can find waves almost all the time. This is a good place for windsurfing. It is one of the few beaches in Thassos where you and play in the waves at any time.

The beach is 1-2 km from Kinira and around 8 km from Alyki. The road from the main street, where you can also see a sign for the beach, is a sandy back road. In order to reach the beach you’ll have to drive down a pretty steep slope of about one kilometer on brick-red sand. In a corner of the beach there is a furbished spot where one can still practice nudism.

Metalia Beach

In Limenaria you won’t miss beautiful beaches. The beach in the center of the city is extended by the one of the Grand hotel and then by Tripiti. The latter is a little farther, about 3-4 km from the center, but walking slowly along the others and picking colored pebbles you won’t even feel the long way there. However, my favorite is in the opposite part of Limenaria, in the east, Metalia or the beach of the abandoned mines.

If you are in Limenaria, you’ll see on a hill an isolated villa, Palatki, built in 1905. The building housed the administration of the German company Speidel which exploited by then the Thassos mines. The picturesque way to the beach crosses this hill through pines, figs, the abandoned buildings of the mine, its ovens and workshops for processing the metal, but also more recent marble monuments: The Horoscope and The Maze. The sand here is not as fine as on other sandy beaches in Thassos. The brick-red color is given by the iron ore. It is a great place for snorkeling because of the few persons that come here. The fish shoals are attracted by the bay area.

Golden Beach

The fine golden sandy strip stretches for 4 kilometers between Skala Potamia and Skala Panagia. Golden Beach is the most popular beach in Thassos, especially among the families with small children, due to the sand and the crystal shallow waters. The beach is wide enough for the sunbeds not to look too crowded. Besides it you will see the highest peek on the island, Ypsarion, what makes her particularly picturesque. One can practice several water sports here, as well as snorkeling. On its margin there are Greek taverns and an amusement park for children. Next to the beach you can walk on a pontoon and watch different species of fish, crabs and small octopuses.

Aliki Beach

I wouldn’t spare an entire day for this beach because it is pretty narrow and crowded. However, it is a white sand and pebble beach perfect for a quick bath while you wait for your food to be read in one of the nearby taverns. The pine forests and the olive trees seem to want to enter the sea. Also, it is next to some of the main historical sites in Thassos. Its beauty is given by its surroundings. There are a few sea urchins among the rocks, I recommend you to use your bath shoes.

Aliki is a place full of history. Behind the houses on the beach you can see the traces of an old village, some Doric columns and an old religious sanctuary raised in the honor of Castor and Polux, the sailors’ protectors.

Walking along a beautiful alley on the shore you can reach the old marble quarry. It was exploited since the beginning of the 6th century B.C. until the roman period. The prosperity of the town lies behind the exploitation of the marble. It was famous in the entire eastern Mediterranean See, from Thessaloniki to Efes, Delphi, Antiochia, Libya and Rome. The quarry was suddenly abandoned because of an unexpected event, most probably an earthquake or an invasion of the pirates.

Skala Prinos Beach

One of the blue flag beaches in Thassos is the beach from Skala Prinos. The other blue flag beaches in Thassos are Golden Beach, Pefkari, Limenas and Makryammos. The wide pine forests, the shallow waters, the elegant terraces on the edge of the beach, the hammocks, the silence differentiate it in a pleasant way from the other beaches. In the resort with the same name you can find all kinds of accommodation, from hotels to guesthouses and a camping. Enjoy an ice-cream frappe in a hammock on this beach, while the wind swings slowly some wooden wind chimes.

Giola

Even if it is not a real beach, it is spectacular and on its edge you can sunbath for sure. Giola is a natural pool dug in a rocky terrace by the angry sea waves. The stones fallen from the walls make a stunning scenery. The water in the pool is changed with every stronger wave. This can happen once in a few days, when the sea water is calm or once in a few minutes when the sea water is astir, like the day I saw it. The water is greenish because of the molecular algae. If you are in for an adventure and jump in the Giola, don’t forget your bath shoes at home. On its bottom live a lot of sea urchins. Take care also when you exit as the edge can cut you and it is full of sea urchins.

The pool lies next to Astris, between Potos and the St. Michael Monastery. Independent on where you come from, you have to drive until you reach Aeria Hotel. On the first road to the right after the hotel you will see a narrow descending route and a sign to the Sirens’ Beach. When the path does not descend anymore and you reach a small plateau, leave the car there. From here you’ll have to walk. You still have to go up and down a hill, following some blue arrows made by someone on the rocks. The trail is not difficult, but the area is arid and you should take water and a sun hat with you. In around 30 minutes you’ll get to Giola.

Potos

The beach in Potos is sandy and slowly descends in the sea. This makes it appropriate for families with small children and for those that want to try water sports. However, I don’t consider it one of the most beautiful beaches in Thassos. I don’t recommend it during daytime because it is very crowded, full of sunbeds, umbrellas, taverns and beach-bars. Why is there a place for it in may list of special beaches in Thassos? I’m sure you wonder now. The ideal moment to be here is the sunset. From here you can see it perfectly. I recommend you to find out when the sun sets in one of the days you are on the island and come here in order to admire the sun diving in the sea.

An isolated beach you can only reach by a little ship

I don’t know its name, neither its GPS location, but I know it only has 10 square meters. It lies between Limenaria and Skala Kalirachis and it is gorgeous. You can get there only from the sea. There was no human on it and the gulls were here at home. I recommend everybody a ship trip around the island and a swim on a beach known only be the locals and the ship captains. There are a lot of other beaches like it in Thassos and the captains change daily the stop. It is an experience you should not miss.

Have you visited Thassos? Which beaches in Thassos did you like the most? Which beaches in Thassos would you like to see?

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