Thassos is favourite of families looking for a pleasant beach holiday with an authentic Greek flavour. Beaches are dotted all around the coast of this relatively small and near-circular island and just about all of them are easily reached from a good coast road. The east coast bay at Golden Beach is a popular target of package tour firms but the area has resisted the downmarket pull of cheap package deals. Good beaches are to be found all around the coast of Thassos. The Limenaria area, in the south has four good beaches while less crowded stretches of sand can be found both to the south-east and the north-west. Most Thassos beaches have good sand and plenty of nearby facilities. Thassos has picked up eight Blue Flag awards for clean beaches this year including those at Makryammos, Golden Beach, Pefkari, Thassos Town and Dasylio.
Blue Flag
Daily buses
Boat hire
Car hire
Cash point
Ferry
Laundry
Museum
Ruins
Tavernas
Taxis
Watersports
THASSOS TOWN, known locally as LIMENAS or LIMIS, is the island's main town, though not its main port which lies to the east at Ormos Prinou. Thassos Town was once split in two with a pretty port to the east and an ugly cement wasteland to the west but much has been done in recent years to spread its appeal.
The marble-laden lorries that once roared through Thassos town centre have been diverted west and the swathes of dirt and cement that once typified the town have been re-paved and planted with attractive shrubs.
Visiting tourists streaming off the ferry from mainland Keramouti are still greeted by the sight of the ugly new harbour but it is only a short walk to the traffic-free centre where things improve considerably.
The prettiest part of Thassos Town is found around the old port and the revamped marina. Traffic restrictions have paved the way for taverna tables, trinket shops and street stalls piled high with jars of delicious Thassos honey. A few tavernas will sink the heart with neon menus, greasy chips and canned vegetables - but most are good.
The attractive old harbour is swamped with tourist-hungry tavernas but it nevertheless enjoys a warm, rustic atmosphere with the brightly painted fishing boats bobbing gently against the harbour wall and quays littered with fishing nets laid out to dry.
Thassos town has several good archaeological sites. The Agora, next to the newly-revamped and extended Archaeological Museum has impressive Roman foundations while the amphitheatre in the hills above hosts summer performances, with fabulous views over the bay.
Also found on the hill ridge are some well-restored city walls and remains of an Acropolis, with temples to Apollo and Athena. Back in town, ancient ruins still crop up between the shops and houses. Those not fenced off have almost disappeared under the concrete.
Thassos Town beach lies to the east of the old harbour. It is long and deep and, although occasionally tarted up with lorryloads of sand, it is still a very pleasant spot. The shallow waters are ideal for children and the tourist facilities, such as sunbeds and showers, are plentiful.
A string of pleasant tavernas line the road behind and the beach is interspersed with attractive tamarisk trees offering natural shade.
The more mountainous east coast of Thassos is covered in thick pine forests that are liberally criss-crossed with hill tracks and fire breaks. The main road runs along the coast, then cuts inland, rising up through tortuous bends to the hill villages of Panagia and Potamia before dropping down again to the popular coastal resort of Skala Potamis.
Beaches on this side of Thassos island tend to be smaller and more intimate with pine-covered slopes often sweeping right down to the shore. Mountain villages such as Panagia and Potamia are a big draw, both for ad-hoc visitors and for organised coach parties.
Blue FlagDaily busBoat hireTavernasWatersports
The medium-sized, sandy beach at MAKRYAMMOS lies to the south-east of Thassos Town. It looks delightful when approached by boat with steep, pine-clad hills sweeping down to the crescent bay of white sand. Closer inspection however reveals a few flaws.
First is the lack of space on the sands thanks to a huge chalet-cum-bungalow complex hidden in the surrounding wooded hills (actually part of a nature reserve). Early risers tend to snap up the best Makryammos beach spots and late arrivals must scratch for what little sand is left.
Second, the Makryammos Bay appears to attract huge gobs of leaves from the surrounding woods. The dead leaves coagulate into great black mounds in the sea then slump like beached whales on the shoreline attracting swarms of flies.
Third is a self-service beach cafe that serves up burgers, chips, ketchup and cola. Self-service queues are what many go on a Greek holiday to avoid, although this one seems busy enough.
Makryammos beach is a favourite with day-trip boats which tie up at a breakwater some distance from the beach. Access from the main road above is through the holiday camp complex where 'Private Property' signs deter the passer-by and give the impression that Makryammos beach is private - it is not.
Daily busTavernasTaxis
The coast road turns inland and into the hills to the picturesque hillside villages of PANAGIA also pronounced 'Panahia' and POTAMIS or POTAMIA. Both villages are a big tourist draw thanks to their lovely position buried in deep woodland on the east coast hillsides above the coastal resorts of Skala Potamia and Golden Beach.
Packed with tavernas they offer a change from the seaside resorts and provide cheaper meals too, although the narrow streets and heavy traffic of Panagia in particular can give them a busy, claustrophobic air.
Just before entering Panagia a sharp left turn takes you down the hillside to the eastern end of Golden Beach. Those heading for Skala Potamis take a left turn in the centre of the village.
In Panagia village centre there are the cafes and tavernas clustered around a central fountain which gushes water from local springs. Paved streets head up into the hills where there are several walks through wooded hillsides and valleys. The countryside is particularly lush even in high summer and the walks offer fine views over the hills. Booklets giving details of local treks can be bought in shops in Limenas.
Daily busTavernas
POTAMIA, also called POTAMIS, is a much quieter and more relaxed than Panagia simply because the main road bypasses the village. There is a soporific appeal about Potamia, with small cafes dotted here and there along narrow village streets that often seem deserted.
The Greek American artist Polygnotos Vagis was born in Potamis and a small museum devoted to his works can be found in the village. Like Panagia, the Potamia area is a favourite for walkers with many woodland paths that reach right up into the hills. Paths also lead down to the coastal beaches at Skala Potamia and Golden Beach, about four kilometres away.
Blue Flag
CampingDaily busTavernasTaxisWatersports
Each day at around 10am boat owners on the harbour front at Limenas yell 'Goooooolden beach' as they tout for passing tourist trade. The boats are heading for the long, sandy bay at GOLDEN BEACH or CHRISI AMMOUDIA. Many holiday brochures boast that the sands of Golden Beach are the best on Thassos but they aren't, at the eastern end at least - they are just the biggest.
Golden Beach is very long and deep with low dunes and scrubland stretched out behind. The beach sweeps right around a huge bay with Chrisi Amoudia at the eastern end, ostensibly the town beach for Panagia village, and Skala Potamis at the western end serving as the beach resort of Potamia village.
The sands at Golden Beach are quite narrow, with low dunes and scrub set on a large plain behind the beach. Golden Beach narrows to nothing in the middle of the bay and disappears into low rocks before emerging again in the west. Despite its size Golden Beach can still get quite crowded, particularly at both ends where the tour boats pull in.
The wide-open sweep of the Golden Beach bay and scruffy shoreline can give parts of the beach a quite desolate air but at each end there is plenty of sand. A road runs along the back of Golden Beach and all the way along it are scattered holiday apartments and the occasional taverna.
Daily busTavernasTaxisWatersports
As the sands at Golden Beach sweep around the bay eastwards the shore gets progressively more stony with a long line of rocks before it opens out again into the beach resort of SKALA POTAMIAor SKALA POTAMIAS at the western end. Here things improve dramatically with a deep, fine triangle of good sand edged with a small harbour.
Skala Potamia is where the sands of Golden Beach can lay some claim to being some of the best on Thassos island, with a very fine, pale beach sliding gently into the shallow blue water. Skala Potamia may look very inviting but the grains of sand may be too sharp and gritty for some tastes and beach shoes will be a help.
The Skala Potamia area has grown very popular with British tour companies in recent years and there has been a spate of new building. An 'arcade' of tourist tavernas and bars now line the back of Skala Potamia beach - pleasant enough if you don't mind the holiday crowds. There are even dodgem cars to entertain the family visitors.
Daily bus
CantinaRuins
KINIRA is a tiny hamlet on the east coast about 24km from Limenas and two small, scrappy beaches of white pebble. Known locally as Loutro, Kinira has some small hotels, a couple of tavernas and a mini-market. Also in the village are the ruins of Byzantine baths and the remnants of an early Christian basilica.
Just over the headland to the south is the idyllic PARADISO beach. Paradise lost when I once visited: the sands were strewn with plastic bags and bottles while an obnoxious film of turd-yellow scum had anchored itself along the shoreline.
But this turned out to be an exception and Paradiso beach is sublimely beautiful, surrounded by steep wooded cliffs and with a shallow pool at the southern end, ideal for paddling. There is parking on the roadside and access is down a steep track at the northern end, rather less steep at the southern end where a new track has been created.
Paradiso beach is deep and long, the sand soft and a very shallow shelf into the sea. An offshore islet add interest and there's a taverna at the back of the beach providing sunbeds and basic food and drink. The atmosphere at Paradiso is serenely peaceful, almost dreamlike.
Sheer cliffs at the southern end offer some shade from the scorching afternoon sun and there are some fabulous deserted coves to reward those more adventurous enough to venture further south on foot. A little off the tourist trail, the Paradiso area is a big favourite with naturists.
The south coast of Thassos is a very popular holiday area, particularly around Limenaria (the island's biggest resort) Potos and Pefkari. Many prefer to base themselves in this part of Thassos as drives to local beaches are shorter. The landscape here though is not as impressive as in the north and particularly so after a series of forest fires that devastated the area and from which it is still recovering.
Daily busTavernasRuins
Expect some astonishing scenery at the wild resort of ALYKI which has two small coves back-to-back along a narrow wooded promontory. A roadside car park sits high above both beaches and the visitor faces a steep climb down. But the trek is well worth it.
The southern cove at Alyki has a small, sheltered crescent of fine sand at the end of a deep bay. Half a dozen small tavernas sit above the back of the beach in the shade. The water here is very shallow and warm.
Across the headland is the northern Alyki beach, smaller and stonier affair but far less crowded and jaw-droppingly wild on windy days, with spectacular waves swelling through a narrow entrance to the bay and pounding onto the stony shore.
Between the two beaches, up small tracks behind the tavernas, are old marble quarries and a small archaeological site that includes a couple of early Christian basilicas. It's at the latter that the Greek love affair with chain link fencing may have reached its zenith. No polite notices here, asking visitors to keep off the stones, but 8 ft high chain link fencing that wouldn't look out of place in an army camp. Much of the chain link is twisted, broken and rusty - failing as a barrier anyway and leaving the Alyki visitor in awe at the Greek gift for official vandalism.
Daily busTavernas
South of Archangelos, the main road winds around several headlands before dropping down to a small coastal plain where the beach at ASTRIS lies just off a long straight road that runs across the plain.
Astris beach is easy to miss but keep a lookout for a small roadside mini market on the right as you head south. Astris beach is opposite - a long strip of golden sand bisected by an outcrop of rock where a small ramshackle taverna has been erected among the trees.
There is a boatyard at the northern end of Astris with boats for repair pulled up on the shoreline. Most people use the sandiest part of Astris beach between boatyard and taverna, although the beach at the southern end is just as fine. This is golden, powder puff sand that shelves gently into the sea so this is a good beach for families. As Astris beach is relatively little known it rarely gets crowded. There is a small rough area for parking just off the road under the trees.
Inland is the village of Atris, noted for its tiny stone built and slate-roofed houses, some of which are available to rent.
Daily busTavernasWatersports
Marble slabs slope down to the medium sized beach from the roadside car park at the beautiful resort of PSILI AMMOS. An arc of rich, golden sand dips very steeply into the sea and a couple of tavernas, one behind the Psili Ammos sands and another on top of a nearby hill. The beach taverna has been decked out in wood to resemble a cowboy ranch - not exactly to everyone's taste.
And this beautiful spot at Psili Amos is also favoured by watersports enthusiasts who have their own fun, but can irritate others with the howl of their jet skis. You will have to get used to uncomfortable crowds at Psili Ammos in the high season. The steep beach can bring in big waves and there are strong underwater currents, so Psili Ammos is not ideal for families with children.
Daily busBoat hireCar hireTavernasTaxisWatersports
You can hardly move for cushioned cane chairs in the cafes that have sprouted up on the sea front of the very popular tourist resort of POTOS. There must be 30 or more tavernas, cafes and bars lining the short sea wall above a narrow strip of good sand with a little shingle.
Potos beach is a sea of rush frond sun umbrellas as far as the eye can see, with bar service provided by the cafes above for those who can nab a sun lounger. If you like a busy up-market beach then Potos beach is just about as good as it gets on Thassos.
The beach at Potos is a crescent of good sand which turns to shingle at the harbour end. Potos beach also shelves quite steeply in parts so children must be watched.
On such a popular beach crowds tend to push up the prices but the colourful and comfortable tavernas and cafes at Potos add interest, as do the many boats that are pulled onto the beach near the harbour.
The Potos resort village is a maze of small back streets full of shops and cafes. Cars that venture into the village are forced to a crawl in the narrow, crowded streets. Visitors tend to park along the main road that sweeps past Potos village and walk down to the beach.
Blue FlagDaily busCampingTavernasWatersports
Paddle boats, surfboards and jet skis are prominently parked on the manicured white sand - clues, if you needed them, to the popularity of the fine beach at PEFKARI.
Gently shelving sand and shallow water make Pefkari an ideal spot for families with children and the nearby headland offers plenty of splendid cliffside walks. There are moderately good tavernas and cafes lining the road that runs along the back of Pefkari beach - not the busy main road that bypasses the village altogether but a small, quiet lane edged on either side with shady tavernas.
Pefkari beach is long and deep with soft white sand that is kept very clean. There are masses of sunbeds and a very good range of watersports. A neighbouring hotel and tourist complex however can result in Pefkari being overwhelmed with visitors in the high season.
If you are the sort that doesn't mind the merry mayhem of holiday crowds, Pefkari is one to head for, although swimmers must watch out for the sea urchins; they can be a menace.
Cantina
METALIA beach lies just to the east of the main south coast resort of Limenaria and is quiet, has a small beach bar, good snorkeling and the remains of an abandoned World War Two factory, with derelict smelting chimneys for a backdrop. It sounds dreadful but Metalia is actually quite attractive and certainly different. Some rate this as one of the best beaches on Thassos and Metalia is certainly an improvement on Limenaria if you are staying in the area.
Daily busBoat hireCar hireCash pointTavernasTaxis
LIMENARIA is the second biggest town on the island after Limenas. It has a long waterfront promenade backed by dozens of tavernas, cafes and shops. At the western end of the long promenade, lined with large boulders and rocks, is a long but scruffy narrow beach backed by apartments and hotels. At the eastern end of Limenaria is a small arc of pleasant sand overlooked by the busy road and next to it a small, square shaped harbour full of attractive fishing boats.
Some effort has been made to smarten the place up but the Limenaria cannot shake off a dowdy feel. Many speak highly of the restaurants and Limenaria is a pleasant place to base yourself, with a wide selection of hotels and eateries as well as several good beaches nearby.
Many houses around Limenaria were built by the Turks at the turn of the century to house German mining bosses. The remaining mansions add some character to what is otherwise a fairly humdrum resort.
Tourists tend to use Limenaria as a base to explore the south of Thassos island. Forest fires and mining have left some scars on the surrounding countryside but much of this goes unnoticed and there are good walks in the pine carpeted hills around Limenaria.
Daily busCantinaWatersports
TRYPITI or TRIPITI beach lies to the west of Limenaria, about 2km out of town and well-marked from the main road. There is no village at Trypiti, just a long, deep and sandy beach that's very handy for those staying in Limenaria who prefer something more interesting that the relatively poor town beaches.
Trypiti is a long and very deep swathe of clean white sand that sweeps right around a huge bay. A long dirt track runs behind the beach for much of its length and there are beach bars at either end serving up basic snacks and drinks. Cars can be parked under the trees at either end of the long track, near to the beach bars.
To the west is an interesting, shallow pool and a small sea cave that children will enjoy, though the sea does shelve deeply inside the cave and the waves can come crashing through the narrow gap on windy days.
The main Trypiti beach is a deep sandy belt, marked in the middle by some volleyball nets. The sand shelves rather steeply into the sea and there are gobs of seaweed now and then but otherwise Trypiti is a big pleasant beach. There are sunbeds at both ends, near the beach bars, and there is enough room for anyone to find a quiet spot.
The west coast of Thassos the island has been less well developed for tourists until quite recently. It is much flatter than the east, with rolling farmland and small inland hamlets. The road has fewer bends so, although they are fairly well scattered, the resorts are easy to reach. Beaches tend not to be as good as in the west and the best of them have been targeted by tour companies in recent years. Nevertheless, there are some very pleasant resorts on this part of the coast. Less crowded and less tainted by tourism it offers an attractive addition to Thassos island's offerings.
Daily bus
SKALA MARIES is an isolated resort that, despite an attractive setting, exudes a flyblown, end-of-the-earth atmosphere. The beach at Skala Maries is a scruffy, unkempt crescent of sand and scrub with the occasional rotting hulk of a boat among the weeds. Skala Maries is set in a deep crescent of a bay with the resort climbing the hill beyond.
A large number of derelict and semi-built houses adds nothing to the general air of decay - a pity as the setting is very fine. The Skala Maries beach is stone and sand and shallow. A couple of large cement lorries were parked at the back of the beach when I visited. They added little to the scene.
Daily busTavernas
SKALA KALIRACHIS is basically a huge enclosed harbour with a couple of small scraps of sand at either end. A wide concrete road runs the length of the harbour backed by houses and apartments and ending at the northern end in a handkerchief of scruffy sand and shingle, hemmed in by a high concrete wall.
To the south of Skala Kalirachis is another small scrap of sand on the other side of the jetty, a little more substantial this time but not much more inviting than the other.
Daily busCampingTavernas
SKALA SOTIROS or SKALA SOTIROU beach is a surprisingly pleasant spot down a side street that branches off the main road through the village. Skala Sotiros village is little more than a ribbon of houses strung along the main road. Sunbeds sprinkle the beach near the short jetty in front of the main taverna.
The southern end of Skala Sotiros tends to turn to stone but there is good sand at the northern end, with just a sprinkling of stones. The waters here are warm and shallow.
Blue FlagCampingTavernasWatersports
DASYLLIO PRINOU or DASILLIOS PRINOS is not a village as such but the name now given to the whole Prinou area that includes beaches backed by resort hotels and a huge campsite. Dasyllio Prinou has grown very popular in recent years and there are a number of smart hotels here.
Dasyllio Prinou stretches from the main port of Skala Prinou and about 2km south with a camping site that is the biggest on Thassos with about 300 tent spaces and facilities such as showers and toilets. The land around Dasyllio Prinou is heavily wooded with about 250 varieties of trees recorded - Dasyllio is the Greek name for little forest - and the trees reach right down to the shore.
Daily busFerry
Horse ridingTavernasTaxis
SKALA PRINOS or SKALA PRINOU has little to recommend it other than as a place to catch a ferry. Travel brochures increasingly tout the place as a first-rate resort but they are really describing the whole Dasyllio area. Skala Prinou is a fine base for exploring the rest of the island but it is, in fact, little more than a bus and ferry stop.
That sais, there have been recent efforts to smarten up Skala Prinou and there is new paving and roads as well as a clutch of cafes, tavernas and shops to catch the passing ferry trade and the annual tourist influx.
Also, on the plus side there is a long, narrow beach at Skala Prinou which stretches out beyond the main port to the north with a shallow sloping bay backed by a line of trees. The beach is scruffy sand and stone and not particularly attractive but still not bad.
Skala Prinou is also close to the string of Dasylliou beaches on this part of the coast.
Daily busTavernas
SKALA RACHONIS or SKALA RAHONI has recently been discovered by package tour operators and it seems to get more popular with holiday visiotrs each year.
There is a good long stretch of beach in Skala Rachonis itself and another good sandy strip can be found about 2km to the north. The beach at Skala Rachonis stretches south in one long straight stretch from an attractive, small harbour.
The sandy beach at Skala Rachonis is pleasant enough, if a little narrow, and it is backed by apartments, and cillas some of which come right down to the shore. The beach is dotted with small stands of pine which give some good natural shade.
Although Skala Rachonis has become very popular in recent years it is still very much a laid back resort with just a few tavernas and cafes strung along the shoreline. There is horse riding nearby at Pine Tree Paddock - look for the yellow signs on the main road.
Daily busTavernas
There is a beautiful beach just north of Skala Rachonis known as PACHIS BEACH. Here is a long stretch of golden sand backed by tamarisk trees with plenty of parking beneath the trees. A small hotel sits on the road and a dirt track leads down to the beach.
There are a couple of large tavernas set back from Pachis beach and some smaller ones on the beach itself. Unfortunately the owner of one beach bar assumes everyone appreciates his taste in techno music. Many visitors opt for the other end of the beach where it is much less noisy, has the best of the sand, and a pleasant taverna in the trees.
The sand at Pachis beach is soft and golden with the odd pebble here and there. It is fairly shallow offshore so it is good for families with children and tamarisk trees and pines all the way along the shore provide plenty of good natural shade.
The further north you go along Pachis beach the stonier and narrower it gets, but it is still pleasant enough and mercifully free of outdoor discos. Over the headland from Pachis beach is a tiny beach at the head of a small bay called GLYFONERI. It can be reached from the main road down an unmarked path. There are no facilities there.
Daily bus
The road from Skala Rachoni follows the coast around the headland before turning south-east and back towards Thassos Town. It passes a few small beaches. One is called PERASMA and is a small sandy cove with a summer beach cantina. There are tiny patches of sand at PAPALIMANI and AGIA IRINI which sit either side a rocky headland. The road eventually passes GLYFADA where there is a quiet sand strip backed by an ugly hotel.
The distance is short enough to be walked from Limenas but the road is steeply uphill. Unfortunately the hotel at Glyfada is as horribly prominent as it is ugly - a square shoebox of white cement. The beach however is pleasant enough, although rather narrow in places. Trees offer plenty of shade and there are facilities and parking at the hotel.
Daily busTavernas
There is a small but splendid tree-lined beach below the hotel at NYSTERI just outside Thassos - a mile or so further east than Glyfada. It is well signposted off the main road. The hotel caters mainly for Germans and it has a small outdoor bar that serves toasted sandwiches and other snacks on a terrace overlooking the beach.
There is some parking in the hotel grounds, but not a lot and you will have to find space on the main road if you arrive late. Nysteri has a fine sandy beach with trees behind offering shade. A taverna has opened in the woods behind.
