Beaches in Greece

Around fourteen thousand kilometres of coastline and several thousand islands, which makes generalisation useless. The pattern that does hold: the Aegean is pebble, wind and clarity; the Ionian is softer, greener and has the sand; and the volcanic islands of the south Aegean are black. Access is often the deciding factor — a great many of the best beaches have no road. Two practical rules cover most of it. Greek law makes the shore public, so a beach that appears to belong to a hotel does not, and a free strip is required even where sunbeds are laid out. And the meltemi, the northerly summer wind, decides which side of any island is usable on a given day — ferries are cancelled by it, and the sheltered bay is the one that matters in August. Many of the best-known beaches have no road and are reached by boat, on foot down a cliff stair, or not at all.

They spread across six beach worlds, the largest group being two cliff and calanque beaches. Together they account for 5 km of shore. · computed from the 8 records below