Welcome back to this guide on the best beaches in Skiathos, an island in the Sporades and one of the smallest in Greece, which, despite its only 10 km width, has a large number of beaches suitable for any taste!
Whether you prefer serviced beaches, free beaches or natural ones, you will definitely be satisfied in Skiathos!
Want to see more besides the beaches? Don’t miss the 10 things to do in Skiathos!
Additionally, to visit the beaches of Skiathos, it is not even necessary to rent a car or a scooter/quad.
In fact, there is a public bus service that runs along the main road of the island, which covers the southern coast of Skiathos with 26 stops, all close to a beach.
The 26 bus stops in Skiathos are marked with a number (and sometimes also the name of the nearest beach). The first stop is in the town (Skiathos Town, on the east of the island) and the 26th stop is at Koukounaries beach, on the west of the island: for all the details, however, I refer you to the article where I talk about the Skiathos buses!
Skiathos Beaches Map
Let’s start as usual with a map of the beaches to better understand their location.
The yellow pins indicate the beaches of Skiathos that I recommend in this guide, all personally visited;
The red pins indicate other beaches that I haven’t seen but could still be worth a visit if you have more free days.
Now, let’s begin!
Koukounaries Beach
Overall rating: 8/10
Services: Yes, 3 bars/tavernas, watersports, restrooms/showers
Accessibility: Easy
Bus stop number: 26
Nearby accommodations: you can find them all here, such as Maistrali Studios or Mandraki Village Boutique.
Koukounaries beach is probably the largest and most well-known among the beaches of Skiathos. It has a large parking lot in front, but it can also be reached by taking the bus and getting off at the last stop (number 26), right in front of the beach.
Koukounaries beach is a long sandy beach with all the necessary services, restrooms, showers, and small but curious changing rooms, watersports, and three bars/tavernas, also good for having lunch in the shade of the pine trees.
As with all beaches in Skiathos, Koukounaries alternates between serviced areas with umbrellas and free beach areas with enough space. The sea water is clean and transparent despite the crowds and it descends gradually, making it ideal for children and families.
During the peak hours, you can find shelter under the pines at the back of the beach (but be careful of the resin when laying out your towels..!).
If you feel like taking a walk, behind Koukounaries beach there is a protected area, accessible by a couple of trails in the middle of the beach and near the parking lot, which lead to the nearby lake.
What makes Koukounaries beach special is that the bars, particularly the central one, “Barracuda Beach Bar,” start playing music with DJ sets as early as the afternoon, gradually transitioning from 80s-90s, commercial, and house music; when I was there they had an excellent music selection.
Koukounaries beach is a beach I recommend to everyone, even for the aperitif time; however, it might be very crowded if you go in mid-August (as the whole island, by the way).
Megali Ammos
Overall rating: 6/10
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Bus stop number: 5/6/7 or walking from the center. Here I explain where to stay.
Megali Ammos is the closest beach to the town (Skiathos Town), and it can be easily reached by walking from the town or from bus stops 5-6-7.
It is a long but narrow sandy beach, alternating between areas with umbrellas and free zones.
In my opinion, it is a nice beach but nothing extraordinary, perhaps good for a quick stop if you are nearby and don’t want to take the bus; there are other, more beautiful beaches in Skiathos to visit.
Don’t go too late because in the late afternoon, it becomes completely shaded. On the eastern side, you’ll find several tavernas elevated above the beach, so if you want to dine with a sea view, consider them (but be aware that some don’t display menus with prices).
Vromolimnos Beach
Overall rating: 9/10
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Bus stop number: 13 or 14
Vromolimnos Beach is a beach located approximately in the middle of the Greek island of Skiathos, accessible by getting at bus stop 13 or 14 and walking down the small road located between the two stops, or by parking the car in the pine forest in front of the beach.
There is only one bar at this beach, which is quite expensive, so I recommend having breakfast before arriving.
This beach also has both serviced areas and free areas, and if it is not high season, you can enjoy a lot of peace and quiet. In the morning, you can find shaded areas near the pines or near an old abandoned bar.
The water is usually calm and very clean, and it is one of the beaches in Skiathos that you can’t miss!
Banana Beach and Small Banana
Overall rating: 7/10
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Quite simple
Bus stop number: 26
Nearby accommodations: In the Koukounaries area, you can find them here by entering your dates
Banana Beach is a beach located on the west side of the island, from which you can enjoy the sunset with the sun setting behind the hills of the Greek mainland right in front of you.
Small Banana is the adjacent beach to Banana, in the past it was a nudist beach. It can be reached by the trail or by walking carefully over the rocks starting from Banana.
According to reviews and videos you can find online, Banana Beach seems to be the most renowned beach on the island for beach parties, where people dance on the beach to loud music. However, since 2017, things have changed, there are no more beach parties, and as confirmed by some visitors, Banana and Small Banana have been transformed into a sort of luxury resort where sunbeds and services are more expensive than elsewhere… and the parties are just a memory.
To reach Banana Beach and Small Banana, get off at bus stop 26 and continue for a few minutes along the uphill path in front of the parking lot. By car, motorcycle, and quad, you can park further along the same path.
I recommend these two beaches in Skiathos for those who want to see the sunset. If you have only a few days on the island, give priority to other beaches.
Agia Eleni
Overall rating: 9/10
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Bus stop number: 25
Agia Eleni is a large sandy beach facing west, close to Banana and Small Banana, with calm and transparent waters, suitable for the whole family.
It can be reached by getting off at the penultimate bus stop, number 25, and continuing along the path in front.
Once again, there is a great availability of free beach space, but be careful as it is almost always in the sun, with shade only near the cliff during the morning. One of the best and most peaceful beaches in Skiathos, definitely worth a visit.
Continuing along the same path, you can also reach another beach, the less crowded Krifi Ammos (marked with a red pin on the map).
Agia Paraskevi
Overall rating: 9/10
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Bus stop number: 16
Agia Paraskevi is a large sandy beach facing south, located about halfway across the island of Skiathos.
Equipped with services and umbrellas while still leaving space for wide free areas. There are also two bars.
This beach has no shade throughout the day, except in the small corner to the west before the rocks that, if free, can offer you the experience of resting in a small patch of beach under the trees at water’s edge:
The water at Agia Paraskevi is clear, calm (like most of the beaches in Skiathos facing south) and with excellent reflections, one of the best I’ve seen on this Greek island.
Mandraki beach – Mandraki Elias – Agistros Beach
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Quite simple
Bus stop number: 23
Mandraki Beach, Mandraki Elias, and Agistros Beach are three adjacent beaches in Skiathos located on the northern side of the island, the only ones on that side you can reach even by bus+walk.
Beaches on the northern side of the Greek island are a bit different from those on the southern side, more natural and “wild.” I talk about Mandraki Beach, Mandraki Elias, and Agistros Beach in this other article.
Lalaria Beach
Overall rating: 10/10
Services: No
Accessibility: Only by boat with one of the various organized tours
Last but not least, or better say the first on this Greek island, Lalaria Beach is a beach you must absolutely see Skiathos, unique in its kind, made of white pebbles and spectacular colors, only accessible by boat.
To reach Lalaria Beach, you will find a series of stands by the old port offering Lalaria tours (plus other beaches with shorter or longer tours), but I talk about Lalaria Beach in this other article because there are many things you need to know and pay attention to before going to avoid unpleasant surprises. 😉
Other beaches in Skiathos
Do you have a few more free days and want to see more beaches in Skiathos? Here’s a list of other beaches that I haven’t seen personally but that you might want to try: these are the ones with red pins on the map above!
- Krifi Ammos: located to the west, near Agia Eleni. Bus stop no. 25, then continue along the same path leading to Agia Eleni.
- Troulos Beach: located to the south. Bus stop no. 18, it might be a bit crowded.
- Kolios Beach: located between Vromolimnos and Agia Paraskevi. Bus stops no. 14 or 15. It should be nice, but it’s a bit small and usually many boats stop in front of it.
- Kanapitsa Beach: bus stop number 12.
- Xanemos Beach: located to the north, exactly at the end of the airport runway, which is elevated above the beach, but it should still allow you to see planes taking off above your head. You can visit it only by walking or using your own car/bike.
- Limani Beach: located to the north, but only accessible by car or other transport. It is a small, pebbly beach, but very scenic.
- Aselinos Beach and Kechria Beach: two beaches to the north, probably similar to Mandraki Beach and just as large, reachable only by car/motorbike or boat.
- Tsougrias: On the small island of Tsougrias, uninhabited with only one bar/tavern on the beach, there are several beaches accessible by boat via one of the excursions leaving from the old port. The risk is getting sunburned because all the boats leave in the morning and return after 4 PM, and it seems there’s no shade on the beach. If you go, bring a packed lunch, as rumors say the tavern is expensive since it’s the only one on the island.
And before you leave for Skiathos…
…take a look at the list of 10 things to do in Skiathos and the guide on where to stay in Skiathos!
Now all that’s left is to find a good hotel by entering your travel dates here like the excellent Aiolos House where I stayed, and a budget flight by searching with the search engine:
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