Beaches

S

Skyros has 74 beaches, 12 sea caves and 33 small or larger islands.

The island of Skyros is characterised by a variation of landscapes where no two sides of the island are alike. To the north and east are the island’s largest sandy beaches and the surrounding terrain is mild, with earthy colours. To the southeast the beach sizes are smaller; large rocky outcrops with sea caves predominate and the environment is characterized by the impressive altitude of the vertical rock formations, home to the world's largest colony of the Black-headed Hawk (falco eleonorae).
To the south & southwest there are a number of large bays and smaller coves, protected from the north winds that statistically prevail all year round.

Listing them in order for East to West, in the southwestern part of the island you will find the following bays: Renes, Treis Boukies, Vales, Kalamitsa, Linaria, Acherounes, Pefkos, Aghios Fokas, Alyko.

Treis Boukies (Three Mouths), the largest of the bays (3.3 km wide) and the bay of Ag. Nikolaos (5.5 km wide). Treis Boukies is home to the Hellenic Navy’s Naval Station of Skyros and  when travelliing by sea, the passage of boats through the bay should be at a distance of 250 meters south of the coastal installations.
The next large bay is Kalamitsa (2 km wide) which is an ideal place for water sports that require  layered wind and low waves, such as windsurfing. The main port of Skyros, Linaria and its nearby cove belong to the third  bay in the row, that of Ag Nikolaos.

Each beach has it’s own character and can be an ‘ideal’ choice depending on the intensity and direction of the wind. The following list in bold indicates the winds that make the choice of a particular beach suitable.

The most central and easily accessible beaches of Skyros are 13, Molos, Magazia, Gyrismata (or North Beach) Aspous, Vina, Aghios Petros, Theotokos, Acherounes, Kyra Panagia, Kalamitsa, Pefkos, Aghios Fokas . All these can be found in the attached list together with 33 more for all preferences some of which are easier to access while others a bit more challening. The remaining 28 (out of a total of 74) are small, well hidden coves that can be explored by boat or by hiking on small trails sometimes through the forest. These small and well hidden beaches may be difficult to find, but once you do, the result is rewarding and will give you unique memories.

Skyros is yours to explore, with respect and moderation. Its environment needs absolute protection from any activities that could affect it negatively. Visitors and residents are required to take care to maintain cleanliness, to leave no reminders of our presence, not to disturb animals and birds, to fish in moderation and not to endanger the forest by lighting fires and having barbecues during the dry summer months. We ask those who have pets not to let them roam freely  in the sensitive ecosystems of the rocky islets.

We wish you the best of holidays!

See here for a list of all the beaches, how to access them and all the details of what you will find on each one.