Your Guide to the Best Beaches in Greece

Whether you’ve been watching “For Your Eyes Only” or “Mamma Mia,” you have that familiar, uncontrollable itch for some adventurous travel — and this time Greece is the target. You’re not alone. More visitors than you can count travel to Greece every year to eat its distinctive food and lounge around on its beautiful beaches. Whether you’re looking for a party atmosphere or a romantic one, here’s a run-down of some of the best beaches in Greece:

Balos Beach

The moment you set eyes on the incredible Balos Beach on the island of Crete, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped right into a guidebook. Trust us, it looks exactly like the pictures. From sparkling white sand to vivid turquoise water, you won’t find any other place on earth that looks so much like an island paradise. It’s slightly out of the way but you can shuttle yourself back and forth on one of many cruises from nearby Kissamos. You can even spot the Venetian Castle from the distance. It’s the perfect spot for the amateur photographer in you—though with sights like these, you can fool anyone that you’re a professional.

Elafonisos Island

We know that your restless itch for travelling sometimes means you like to move around even once you reach your destination. Keep your beach-hopping going with a visit to Elafonisos Island. It’s tricky to pronounce but it’s easy to understand why it’s such a favourite. Consider it your home base to visit Sarakiniko, Simos, and Panagia, three of the most scenic and lively beaches in the world, and all in just one trip! You wouldn’t think such a small island could pack in such a huge amount of party vibes, but with plenty of bars and beautiful people walking around, it looks like good things really do come in small packages.

Navagio

From the Titanic to the Ghost Ship, the sea is a tumultuous landscape that can easily devour our most invincible vessels. Get in touch with your darker side by visiting Navagio Beach on Zakynthos Island, a beautiful, slightly eerie stretch of sand with a decaying shipwreck on display in the middle of the beach. Purported to be a smuggler’s ship, it’s an unexpected sight among the white sand and limestone cliffs. Beauty meets chaos at Navagio.

Egremnoi

Sometimes the best part of visiting a beach is doing it alone. Friends and nightclubs and crazy crowds can be fun, but for anyone a little less extroverted, that gets old fast. You don’t have to subject yourself to a massive crowd of tourists and find your way to the last tiny spot of free sand. Egremnoi is a truly lovely beach over on the west coast of Lefkada Island. Most casual tourists think it’s a little too far out of the way, so you can sit on this sand, close your eyes, and feel almost totally alone. No need to hide in your hotel room to face the crowds the next day. Do your recharging lying on a beach towel on Greece’s most secluded beach.

With your “Mamma Mia!” soundtrack loaded on your iPod—or your James Bond martini supplies packed and ready to go–you can spend days tanning on the white, sandy beaches of the Greek coast. When you finally make your way back to Canada, we’ll warn you right now: you’re going to be craving gyros and moussaka for the next year. You may just have to make your way back to the Mediterranean every summer.

Which Greek islands have you explored?