The best beaches on the island of Thassos, Greece
A QUICK 3-DAY TOUR OF THASSOS ISLAND WITH A DOG AND CHILDREN
The summer of 2023 came to an end for us in the last days of August with a quick, unplanned trip to the island of Thasos. We were two adults with two children and our one-of-a-kind dog, Charlie. We decided we’d set out today for… later today. We left Plovdiv at 2:00 a.m., took the route through Kardzhali, and shortly after 6:00 a.m., we were already on the Greek coast in Keramoti. From there, we took the ferry to Thassos. Our plan was to visit as many beaches as possible within three days.
The beaches and cities we eventually managed to visit moving around the island of Thassos clockwise were as follows:
Saliara Beach
It is located on the east coast of the island and can only be reached by a narrow black 5-kilometer road, starting from the town of Thassos (Limenas). It is also known as the Marble Beach for its white sand and the marble pebbles on the bottom, which are cool even in the hottest weather because of the marble pieces in them. The water has a unique turquoise color, just like in the photos. Until a few years ago, the beach was absolutely wild, but nowadays the coast is overflowing with umbrellas and sunbeds.
We arrived at this beach shortly after sunrise, around 7:00 a.m. Setting foot on such a beautiful beach and being the only one there (along with a dog chasing cats and some eager kids) was, to put it mildly, magical. That magic lasted no more than half an hour, when other tourists arrived, turned the music up to full volume, and the chaos began… Loud music ruins the whole atmosphere, at least in my opinion. The beach has makeshift wooden changing rooms, and the restrooms are far away—about 150 meters from the beach, heading up toward the mountain.
Mihajlo Beach
It is located in literally Saliara's neighboring bay. Also as nice. We have transited.
Vathi Beach
Another bay distance and we reach this wonderful looking from high beach, but unfortunately we were greeted by a lowered barrier. It turned out to be a private territory and is accessible only to the guests of the newly built hotel there.
Golden Beach
Then we continued on a very bumpy road, on which we had to drive extremely slowly and the entire trek lasted an awful lot of time until we reached one of the largest and most famous beaches on the island of Thassos - Golden Beach. A huge, wide beach, offering its visitors all kinds of conditions for entertainment and relaxation - water sports, umbrella, sunbeds, beach restaurants and more. The resort, although it was lively and with many tourists and hotels, had somehow retained some of its natural wild view. We went completely in transit.
Aliki Beach
It is located 35 km from Limenas and the ferry terminal. According to information on the Internet, it was supposed to be a small “picturesque peninsula with crystal-clear waters, surrounded by tall cedar trees.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t what we expected, and we were disappointed. The beach was very narrow and crowded; in the water, we had to step on large river rocks (good thing we brought our water shoes), and the water itself was polluted with oil…
Here was the place where we had lunch in a Greek tavern. Since there were many flies and all kinds of other flying bugs, the waiter put a stone in a saucer, sprinkled it with coffee and lit it with wax in order to drive away the insects. This local trick really worked. We also received a compliment from the restaurant - dessert. Prices were decent.
Livadi Beach
We visited on the second day on the island. The beach is very wide, desolate, wild, with turquoise water again and a place for snorkeling. In order not to be completely abandoned, there was a caravan where one can buy drinks and snacks. There are no toilets, or at least we didn't find any. There is a wooden dressing room. You park in an olive grove. A very calm and pleasant beach.
–> Browse and book a budget hotel on the island of Thassos at a discount. See here!
Gyola Beach
The gyol is not exactly a beach, but something like a natural sea lagoon carved into the rocks next to the sea with approximate dimensions of about 20x15 meters. There is no shade or sand there, let alone amenities such as toilets and changing rooms. Only a pebble and when the sun bakes this same pebble becomes difficult to bear. More than an hour will be considered a manifestation of heroism. It's easy to go down the steep path, but then climbing in the heat gets heavy... Otherwise, the main attraction of the gyol itself is the opportunity to jump from a height into the water. The higher, the more fun.
Potos City
One of the major cities on the island of Thassos. A very lively place with a variety of restaurants, taverns, fast food restaurants. We liked it. We sat in a restaurant in front of which there was a large sign that they offered a Greek moussaka. I shout to myself - it's time for moussaaa, but alas! The moussaka was over. Apart from me, the children were also disappointed that in this part of the island we did not find their favorite breaded chicken bites with milk sauce anywhere. Well, we weren't hungry. 🙂 Greek zucchini are always welcome 🙂
Limenaria city
We transited through it several times and never stopped. We found it calmer (understand more boring) compared to the neighboring Potos. Between Potos and Limenaria there is a large Masoútis supermarket.
Tripity Beach
This is a large sandy beach with lots of sunbeds and umbrellas. It has rich marine fauna and is a good place to snorkel. It is located a few kilometers west of Limenaria. On this beach, our dog Charlie constantly settled under foreign umbrellas - he has a soul and was looking for shade... The natural beauty of Tripiti is connected to the surrounding steep rocks, covered with dense vegetation and tall trees. We chose to visit it, as there is a water cave in the rock right next to it, and by swimming through it, you can get out from the other end of the hill, where there is a lonely beach, accessible either in the manner just described, or by boat.
Scala Marion
The small town looked very picturesque and pleasant for a walk. In the pastry shop, which is located at the northern end of the harbor, there is a bread-maker that bakes bread in the oven. One morning we stopped to buy snacks from there.
Scala Kalirachis
The apartment I had booked through Booking.com (see here) was set at Skala Kalirachis and cost me BGN 280 for 2 nights. In the village with permanent residents no more than 700 people, it was obvious that there is nothing interesting - neither a restaurant, nor where to go for a walk, not a normal store. Nothing. But on the other hand, our apartment was located right on the seaside street and we had a nice view of the sea and the sun was setting right on our terrace.
–> Browse and book a budget hotel on the island of Thassos at a discount. See here!
Glifoneri Beach
Very small and narrow beach. Terrible to stop by car. We didn't like it, even though he was once again praised on the Internet.
La Scala Beach
Easy access, large parking lot. This beach was a big surprise for us. As we walked in, we wondered, “Wow, where did we end up?” Palm trees, an indoor pool, sunbeds, a cocktail bar, a restaurant, water sports, and countless lounge chairs—all available with a minimum purchase. A luxurious and clean spot, perfect for Instagram posts. Definitely a very different place from the other wild and beautiful beaches on Thassos. It’s located 15 minutes from the ferry terminal in Limenas.
City of Limenas / Thassos
We parked near the port of a paid zone, but we used a Bulgarian disabled car sticker, which is valid throughout the EU and we had no problem. The central part of the city of Limenas (aka the town of Thassos) is very pleasant for a walk. Here we have already eaten as we know - Greek gyros for the adults, breaded chicken nuggets for the children. At 3:00 p.m., we boarded the ferry back to Keramoti, and from there to Bulgaria.
Since I'm the one drawing conclusions, I might as well say it
The landscape of the island of Thassos is covered with olive trees as far as your eyes can reach. The soil is dry. Here and there you can see wild goats lurking in the thickets. A full tour of the island is done in about an hour and a half - two. In less than 3 full days we explored 2 cities and visited 8 different beaches and passed many more.
I personally was very positively impressed by the island for several reasons:
First, there were almost no Bulgarians, or at least we didn't hit any. And this is a very important aspect if a person wants to rest to the max.
Second, the island is overflowing with beautiful sandy and pebble beaches, wild coves, easy to access by car. Literally behind every bend hides a place of beauty.
Thirdly, food and accommodation prices are reasonable and there is a variety according to everyone's preference.





































