SAMOS BEACHES

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Tsamadou Beach

Definitely one of the prettiest beaches in Samos and very popular especially amongst young people. It is one of the three most famous beaches on the island’s north coast (with Lemonakia and Tsabou).

It is a pebble beach with turquoise crystal clear waters surrounded by pine trees. It is organised with umbrellas and sunbeds and it is partly a nudist beach, but only on the eastern side.

The only negative is that it can be a bit uncomfortable laying on a beach towel because of the large pebbles. There is free parking on the main road and then access to the beach on foot is through a small path.

Photo Tip: The Cafe Snack Bar Tsamadou Beach at the southeast side of the beach provides nice views of both Tsamadou & Lemonakia.

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Psili (or Chrysi) Ammos Beach

One of the most beautiful beaches on the south coast of the island. Actually, there are two Psili Ammos beaches on the island and this one is also known as Chrysi Ammos (= golden sand). One of the few with fine sand makes it perfect for families. It has a beautiful setting surrounded by pine trees.

It is located at the southwest coast of Samos, close to Marathokampos. Partly organised with sunbeds and umbrellas and two tavernas located behind the pine trees. There is free but limited car parking, 3min walk from the car park down to the beach.

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Potami Beach

Potami beach is a pretty pebble beach with blue waters to the west of Karlovasi and near the Potami Waterfalls. The beach is partly organised with umbrellas and sunbeds available for rent and a beach bar. It has a beautiful setting surrounded by steep cliffs with pine trees and vegetation. It can be windy at times.

Photo Tip: The church of St Nicholas overlooks the bay and provides beautiful views. Definitely worth stopping.

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Tsabou Beach

Tsabou beach is one of the prettiest beaches in Samos located on the north coast of the island. It’s a small but wide bay with large pebbles and crystal blue waters. The water is quite deep so not ideal for small children and it can get windy at times. It is organised with sunbeds and umbrellas for rent and it can get busy at peak times. Parking is limited and they usually charge at high season. To the east of the beach is a scenic rock that you can swim around.

Photo Tip: There is a place by the main road on the west side of the bay where you can stop for a great picture of the beach. Check the photo locations here.

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Psili Ammos

One of the most beautiful and popular beaches on the island with fine white sand, as the name actually suggests (psili ammos= fine sand). It is organised with sunbeds and umbrellas and it can get crowded in high season. It has very shallow waters so it’s ideal for small children.

The beach is located at the closest point to the Turkish coast at Mycale Strait. It feels like you are swimming in a lake with Turkey so close to the other side and the small islet of Vareloudi. There are a few tavernas and rooms to rent around the beach.

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Lemonakia

That’s another beautiful pebble beach next to Tsamadou and very close to Kokkari with deep clear turquoise waters. Much smaller in size but also quite popular and well organised with sunbeds and umbrellas. It can get very crowded in high season. It is not as windy as the neighbouring beaches of Tsamadou and Kokkari. A steep path leads down to the beach from the main road.

Kampos Marathokampou & Votsalakia Beach

Kampos Marathakampou and Votsalakia beach is one long stretch of coast in the shadow of Mount Kerkis. There are actually two bays, one with a very long sandy beach and few pebbles to the east, and a smaller bay to the west with mainly pebbles. Both are organised with sunbeds and umbrellas but never get that busy because of their size.

Kampos is the main tourist resort on the southwest of Samos island with lots of places to stay and eat and all the tourist amenities, although it is not as busy as the resort of Pythagorio.

Limnionas Beach

Another pretty beach with sand and calm waters in a beautiful mountain setting. It’s located to the west of Marathokampos and it’s organised with sunbeds and umbrellas, but it never gets that busy. There are also some restaurants and hotels nearby.

Kokkari Beach

Kokkari beach is located at the pretty town of Kokkari, the best resort on the north coast of Samos with a picturesque harbour. The beach has white pebbles and clear blue waters. It’s quite busy with tourists staying at the hotels and holiday homes located behind the beach. It can get very windy at times making it ideal for windsurfing.

Kerveli Beach

Kerveli is a nice beach located to the east of the island. The beach has small pebbles and some sand and beautiful green waters. It’s surrounded by green vegetation and there are trees providing shade. Not as busy, although there are some few sunbeds and umbrellas. There are also a few hotels and restaurants at the back and a diving centre nearby.

Livadaki Beach

A hidden gem located north of Vathi and accessible by car via a 2km dirt road. Very small sandy bay with shallow and turquoise waters that gives you an exotic feeling with the planted palm trees and amazing setting. There is a beach bar providing sunbeds and umbrellas and it has become popular with the younger generation.

Pythagorio & Potokaki Beach

Pythagorio & Potokaki beach is one long stretch of coast located by the airport and very close to Pythagorio. There are actually two bays: Pythagorio Beach, which is smaller with pebbles and some sand, and closer to Pythagorio, and Potokaki beach, a very long pebble beach to the west.

Pythagorio beach can be very busy in summer with tourists staying in Pythagorio and nearby hotels. It is organised with sunbeds and umbrellas and there are also watersports available. It is mainly busy with young people.

Potokaki beach provides similar facilities but it is more orientated to locals with families.

Mykali Beach

Mykali is a long pebble beach located 8km south of Vathy and east of Pythagorio. It stretches for about 3 km with beautiful clear blue waters. The beach is partly organised with a few sunbeds and umbrellas. There are also some tavernas and some rooms for rent.

Mikro & Megalo Seitani

Mikro (=small) and megalo (=large) Seitani are two isolated beaches to the west of Potami on the north coast of the island. They are inaccessible by car and the only way is either by boat or through a long hike from Potami (approx. 1.30min). Both are unspoilt with no facilities.

First is Mikro Seitani, a small pebble beach in a beautiful setting. The trail continues to Megalo Seitani with thick sand and clear waters, surrounded by amazing scenery.

Balos Beach

It’s a nice long beach with mainly small white pebbles and some sand within a beautiful bay overlooking the southwest coast. It’s not as busy as it is located away from the main resorts.

Balos is a small seaside settlement with few restaurants and rooms for rent, located near the village of Koumeika.

Posidonio Beach

Very narrow pebble beach with trees providing shade located on the picturesque bay of Posidonio. Some sunbeds and umbrellas are available for rent. It’s worth the visit for the nice setting, but there are better options for swimming in the area.

Kedros Beach

It’s a pebble beach with blue waters but quite exposed to the strong north winds. Not as popular as the rest of the north coast beaches. We just stopped there for a few pictures. Very quiet the day we went.

Ireo beach

The beach is located in Ireo village. It is quite small and narrow serving mainly the tourists staying in the village. It has clean waters and it is protected from the strong winds, so it’s good for families with kids.

The area around the bay is quite developed with small hotels and fishing tavernas, located next to the sea.

Kasonisi

Kasonisi is a small island on the east side of Samos, separated from Samos by a narrow strait. This is not actually a beach, but the strait has some amazing turquoise shallow waters for swimming. Difficult to get to from land and not many people know about it yet. It is accessible by car via a dirt road and then by walking through a rocky path down to it or by boat.

Papa Beach

A small pebble beach surrounded by white cliffs very close to Ireo village. There is a beach bar that provides sunbeds and umbrellas for rent as well as food and drinks.

Glykoriza Beach

This is a small bay with a narrow beach, partly sand and with few pebbles to the east of Pythagorio. The beach has shallow, calm and clear waters, ideal for families. It is located in front of the Glykoriza Hotel which provides sunbeds and umbrellas for rent as well as drinks and food.

Gagou Beach

It is a small pebble beach and the closest beach to Vathy, next to a number of hotels. In the last few years, it is frequently visited by refugees coming down for a swim from the refugee camp located on the hill above the town.

Tourist Map

I have created a map that shows all the best beast beaches on the island and other useful information.

Further Reading

You can check the following posts:

• Samos
• Town & Villages of Samos
• Best things to see and do in Samos

Travel Resources

• Flights: I always use Skyscanner as my first choice as it’s so easy to use and you can search best deals by month. Momondo is another very good search engine as well as Google Flights.
• Accommodation: I always use Booking.com as my first choice, as it offers a great choice of accommodation at affordable prices and it’s so easy to use. TripAdvisor and Kayak are the best search engines to check deals from different websites; however not as good for checking the actual properties & rooms. Airbnb is a great alternative to find out homes and apartments to rent by real homeowners.
• Ferries: Ferryhopper is one of the best websites to check ferry schedules and buy the cheapest ferry tickets while in Greece.
• Car Rental: I always check Skyscanner for the cheapest car rental options.
• Public Transport: There is no booking site to check bus timetables and book buses online in Samos.
• Day Trips & Tours: Viator provides the most comprehensive list of day trips and you can book directly with them. TripAdvisor is also a great place to search for tours & activities to do.
• Travel Insurance: SafetyWing is a great choice for long-term travellers and digital nomads. Alternatively, you can use one of the price comparison websites for cheaper quotes.

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