It doesn’t get more picturesque than pink sands and crystal clear waters. With thousands of miles of coastline, Greece has endless beautiful beaches, with each one as stunning as the next.
Here are the 10 best beaches in Greece to plan your next summer trip – even if it’s only in your mind.
Elafonisi – Crete
Tucked into Crete’s southwestern corner, the pink-white sand, turquoise water and gentle rose dunes looks like a dreamscape. As the water swirls across the sands, rainbows shimmer on its surface.
Off Elafonisi's long, wide strand lies Elafonisi Islet, occasionally connected by a sandy isthmus, which creates a lovely double beach; otherwise, it's easily reached by wading through the water.
Elafonisi Islet is marked by low dunes and a string of semi-secluded coves that attract a sprinkling of naturists. Walk up to its high point for views of the beaches, sea and raw mountainscape.
Alas, this natural gem is less than idyllic in high summer, when hundreds of umbrellas and sunbeds clog the sand (dash out to the island, where you can find peace).
The invasion puts pressure on this delicate ecosystem and on the minimal infrastructure, especially the toilets. Come early or late in the day.
Voidokilia Beach – Messinia
This beach is presumed to be Homer’s “sandy Pylos,” where Telemachus was welcomed when he came to ask King Nestor the whereabouts of his long-lost father, Odysseus.
Follow the signs to Paleokastro and walk the lagoon-side track labeled “Nestor's Cave” from the Paleokastro car park (20 minutes) or approach by road from the village of Petrohori.
Navagio Beach – Zakynthos
Secluded, protected by vertical cliffs that tower above, sparkling azure as imagined by Greek gods, pure, perfect sand and, just to give it an extra bit of character, a shipwreck.
The beach itself is only accessible on boat trips – in summer the waters immediately offshore are chock-a-block with sightseeing cruises.
But you can admire it from above, and get that all-important selfie, from a precarious lookout platform signposted between Anafonitria and Volimes.