Beaches of Samothraki
Samothraki has one long sandy beach, Pachia Ammos, at the end of the road on the south coast. Almost everywhere else the beaches are pebbles and stones, with clear water that deepens fast, so bring water shoes. The north coast is a string of beaches along the road from Kamariotissa to Kipos; the wild south-east has no road, and its coves are reached by boat or on foot.
The south coast
The road from Kamariotissa runs south-west past Makrilies beach and through Lakoma, then down to Pachia Ammos. When the summer wind blows from the north, this is the calmer side of the island.
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The island’s long sandy beach, at the end of the road below the cliffs, with a taverna on the sand. Panagia Krimniotissa, the chapel on the rock high above, looks over the whole south coast.
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A pebble beach by the road to Pachia Ammos, with an organised stretch and a beach bar in summer, and quiet water beyond it.
The north coast
About twenty kilometres of pebble beaches along the road from the port of Kamariotissa to Kipos, where the road ends, with Mount Saos rising behind them.
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13 km from the port and 700 m below the village: long and wide, stones and gravel, forest at one end and the mountain behind. In July and August it has sunbeds, showers and Saoki, the island’s first beach bar; boat trips round the island leave from the little harbour beside it.
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A wild stretch of pebbles and driftwood at the mouth of the Fonias gorge, below the medieval tower: the swim after the walk to the waterfalls.
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A pebble cove on the north-east coast, on the way to Kipos, with very clear water for snorkelling.
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Where the road ends, at the island’s eastern tip: a long beach of dark stones, with Garden beach bar for shade and food and nothing else around.
The wild south-east, by boat or on foot
Between Pachia Ammos and Kipos there is no road at all. In summer, boat trips reach the coves and Kremastos, the waterfall that drops into the sea; on foot, a path marked with red dots runs along the cliffs from above Pachia Ammos to Vatos in 1.5 to 2 hours, with ropes in places: only for experienced hikers with no fear of heights.
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A cove a few bays east of Pachia Ammos, where the Vatos river reaches the sea through its own small canyon.
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A pebble cove under steep cliffs on the same coast, with nothing on it: bring everything you need.
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The waterfall that drops off the cliffs straight into the sea, best seen from a boat.
Boat trips and charters
Sailing and diving businesses on the island that take you to the beaches you can’t drive to.
Good to know
What are the best beaches on Samothraki?
It depends on what you want. Pachia Ammos, at the end of the road on the south coast, is the island’s long sandy beach, with a taverna on the sand; when the summer wind blows from the north, the south coast is the calmer side. The north coast, from Kamariotissa to Kipos, is pebbles and stones with clear water that deepens fast: Therma has sunbeds and a beach bar in July and August, Fonias beach sits at the mouth of the gorge, and Kipos, where the road ends, is wild, with one beach bar for shade. Vatos and Katarti, on the south-east coast, have no road: you reach them by boat or on foot. Bring water shoes for most beaches. More in the beaches of Samothraki.
