Best Beaches in Kos, Greece
Around the capital of the island, Kos Town, there are several beaches like Lambi Beach in the north and Psalidi, Agios Fokas Beach and Therme south / southeast. Theodorou beach is the beach of Kos Town itself. It is situated north of the port and it speaks for itself that it is a busy beach with beach beds and parasols for rent.
Lambi Beach is a few kilometers north of the capital and could be reached on foot. It is an organized long sandy beach with various tourist facilities, restaurants and accommodations, and the necessary beach beds and umbrellas. The sea is shallow and it is safe for children. Some parts of the beach are used by naturists outside the high season.
At three kilometers distance to the south you find the long sandy beach of Psalidi, where several luxury hotels are built. At Psalidi Beach there are also plenty of amenities and you will find many restaurants and accommodations, and you can rent umbrellas and beach beds here. Again there is the possibility of water sports. You can walk to Psalidi Beach from Kos Town, but there is also a regular bus service from the capital.
Agios Fokas Beach is located 8 kilometers south of Kos Town. It is a long beach with sand on some pieces and on other pieces black sand and pebbles. Agios Fokas, just like all the other beaches around Kos Town is an organized beach where you can rent beach beds and umbrellas. On a small stretch of beach on the left side there are no beach beds and this part is used by the naturists.
Thermes Beach is located about 13 kilometers south of Kos Town. It is a beautiful pebble / sandy beach that is surrounded by high cliffs. On the beach there is a kind of circular pool surrounded by boulders. It is made entirely artificial. Because of volcanic activity hot water (40 to 50 degrees) comes out of the rocks here and is mixed with the colder seawater. It smells of sulfur. This source attracts many visitors and is said to have medicinal use. At the beach there is a taverna. From Kos Town there is a bus service to the beach of Thermes.
Tigaki Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches of Kos. The sandy beach of Tigaki is located about 11 kilometers north-west of the capital Kos Town, and has a length of about 10 kilometers. During the high season there are excursion boats from Tigaki to the opposite island of Pserimos.
The beach of Tigaki has actually long been seen as a partially nude beach (not on the organized area with beach beds, but beyond). Since 2002, the area near the salt lake (called Alyki) and beyond even appointed an official naturist beach. The beach is also so large that it never will feel crowded. The sea is shallow at Tigaki and there are possibilities for watersports. The lake of Alykes is a protected wetland where bird breed, and where migratory birds like flamingos spend the winter. Between Tigaki and Marmari is the Agion Anargiron church with its square white tower and its white roof.
The village of Kardamena is also one of the major tourist resorts of the island of Kos, almost putting Kos Town in the shade for its numbers of disco’s, taverna’s and Hotels. Kardamena is mostly a newly built place with no historical centre and it consists mainly of hotels. The village comes with a crowded beach and a harbour with excursion boats. At a distance of 3 kilometers west of Kardamena you can find Tropical or Natural Beach, the only official nudist beach of the island of Kos. There are beach beds and umbrellas for rent and there is a beach bar where you can get drinks and sandwiches. It is a small beach and the water is clean and shallow. If you go further west towards Kefalos you will see more turns leading to different beaches.
Portobello Beach, which lies west of Kardamena is a large organized sandy beach, which is named after the Porto Bello Hotel that is situated near the beach. On the beach there are a number of other accommodations. Basically it is a village built specifically for tourists on this beach. The same applies to Mitsis Norida Beach. This beach is also named after a very large complex, the Mitsis Norida Hotel. Mitsis Norida Beach is. like Porto Bello, a long sandy beach where you can rent beach beds and umbrellas. Blue Lagoon Beach, which is situated south of the airport, is named after the Blue Lagoon Village Hotel, which has been built near this beach (or is it the othet way around, I don’t know).
Mastichari is the largest village on the north coast. It has a good sand beach and is a bit more quiet than Kardamena. The best beach is on the west of the village centre and most of the large hotels are on the east side. It has a very large beach that is popular with the windsurfers. Also on the large beach of Mastichari there is an area where naturists can be found (in the middle, between the village and the large hotel at the end of the beach).
Northeast of Mastichari are Nea Alikamassos, Troulos, Bravo and Marmari Beach. Nea Alikamassos is the first beach on the east side of Tigaki. It is a 3 kilometer long sandy beach with facilities. The long wide beach of Troulos is the windsurfing center of the island. You can rent sunbeds and umbrellas at the long sandy Bravo Beach and there is a restaurant. West of Mastichari are Agios Ioannis Beach and Lakos Beach. Agios Ioannis Beach is named after an early Christian basilica which is near the beach. It is a long and in some parts quite narrow sandy beach with cliffs around it. Lakos Beach is also a long and narrow beach. On the beaches of Agios Ioannis and Lakos may be some seaweed. Marmari Beach also has a tendency to lie in the wind. The sandy beach, which lies on the west side of Lake Alyki, is an organized beach with beach beds and umbrellas. In the vicinity of the beach are several restaurants and accommodations.
The more attractive destinations on Kos are harder to get to. The best beaches are situated near the village of Kefalos, 45 km away from Kos Town. The largest beach can be found in Kamari in the south. Besides a large sand beach there are also remains from an ancient agora (market place) in this village. Closeby Agios Stefanos Beach is the site of an early basilica and another good beach. In front of the village lays the islet of Agios Nikolaos with its chapel. To the east are another couple of beaches that can be reached by boat or bus stops along the main road: Paradise, Sunny and Magic Beach.
Magic Beach (also called Polemi or Exotic Beach) is the easternmost beach in this area, and the first beach you encounter as you drive from the airport to Kefalos. The large sandy beach is marked with a sign. Magic Beach is a partial organized beach with beach beds and umbrellas, where there is room for naturists. Much of Magic Beach has no beach beds or facilities, and the beach and unofficial naturist beach. Nudism sometimes gets less during the hig season (mainly in August).
Paradise Beach is also an organized beach with sunbeds. Some time ago it was also regularly visited by naturists, but that time has now ended. A particular phenomenon is a stretch of sea at this beach where bubbles come up from the sea bottom, which are caused by the nearby volcano on the island Nysiros from. The area is located just off the coast to the left of the watersports area, where you can see a black buoy which is about 200 meters from the coast. If you do go swimming towards the buoy you come to a point where it feels like a bubble bath For this reason, the beach is sometimes called Bubble Beach.
The next beach is called Camel Beach. The beach is also indicated by a sign from the road. The road to it is a little more difficult. Camel Beach is located in its own cove and consists of sand and some pebbles. There are beach beds and umbrellas for hire. To the right of Camel beach you can, if you climb over some rocks or wade through the water, reach another small beach where off season there is also a possibility for naturism. The following two beaches, Agios Stefanos Beach and Kefalos or Kamari Beach are sandy beaches where nudism is not allowed. They are also too close to the buildings.
In the far west of Kos you find Sunset Beach, Wave Beach of Agios Theologos Beach. It is 7 kilometers southwest of Kefalos. You need to drive through Kefalos and turn left after the cemetery to get there. Then you drive through a pretty rough terrain. The beach is named after the church of Agios Theologos that is placed near the beach and which is by the way not so very special. At the beach of Agios Theologos there are tavernas, but because it is a bit more remote, there is room for naturists.
You can if you drive on this road also take the exit left to Agios Ioannis, and go to Cavo Paradiso Beach, which is situated in the extreme southwest of the island. Just before the monastery there is an exit with a FKK sign that you bring to this naturist beach. The road at this point is getting a lot worse. At Cavo Paradiso Beach there is a taverna and you can rent beach beds and umbrellas. If you take the exit on your right hand side instead and go north you end up at Kata Beach. It can be reached via a dirt track. Kata beach is a long and unorganized sandy beach with some cliffs around it. This beach is also suitable for naturists. There can be a bit of wind on this beach from time to time, but it’s easy to get into the water because it is shallow and the bottom is sandy.