A Guide to the Beaches of Tinos

If you are vacationing on the island without a car or motorbike and are relying on public bus, here are three excellent beaches with good access:

 

The nearest is Kionia, 3 kilometers west of Tinos Town and along the southern coast of the island.  Nearly hourly bus service, until early evening, and from late June until early September, makes this the beach with the easiest access.  A very long stretch of sand and a bit of shingle begins at the Mistrali Taverna, passes by the archaeological site of Poseidon, and runs all the way to the Tinos Beach Hotel, the terminus for the bus.  You’ll find plenty of cafes and tavernas along the coastal road, plus lounges and umbrellas in front of the hotel, which can be rented for a small sum.  Beyond the hotel, you will find some small coves, accessed by rugged descending paths.

 

The next nearest beaches are on the Porto bus route, terminating 6 kilometers east of town, also on the southern coast.  Ai. Sostis and Skilandari form a long contiguous stretch of sand beginning at Cavos Bungalows and ending at Villa Tereza.  Excellent sandy conditions, crystal clear water, and views across to Mykonos make this one of the best beaches on the island.  Here and there along the beachfront, you’ll find umbrellas and lounges (some free; some not), a few tavernas, a cantina in high season, and a mini market on the side road leading to Skilandari.  This is a fantastic beach for children, as the water deepens very gradually.  The bus ends at Porto Beach, which follows immediately after Skilandari, starting just after Villa Tereza.  Here you have a beachfront taverna and a snack bar.  In certain weather conditions, you might find a bit of harmless seaweed washing up on this all-sand beach.

 

A beautiful scenic drive will take you from Tinos Town across to the north side of the island to Kolimbithra Beach.  The superb drive takes about 30 minutes and brings you to a large bay with two beaches.  The smaller of the two, and the best, lies adjacent to a small snack bar/taverna, with a second taverna up on the small hill overlooking the bay.  Here, you’ll find showers and changing rooms, lounges and umbrellas, and an absolutely incredibly clean and refreshing sea.  Most visitors here don’t bother with a picnic lunch, as the two tavernas offer good food at reasonable prices.  The larger of the two beaches is often used for volley and paddleball.  That beachfront occasionally picks up bits of debris from neighboring islands.

 

Also accessed by bus is the bay/harbor of Panormos, 33 kilometers to the northwest of Tinos Town.  While most visitors do not go there specifically for the beach, but for the lovely fish tavernas and restaurants along the harbor front, it can be included as a beach to visit by bus.  There are two beaches; one to the left over the rugged headland; and one to the right on the paved road that continues from the end of the harbor.  That beach has showers and a bit of organization.

 

If you’re based in Tinos Town and wish to walk to the beach, there are a couple of good suggestions that include pretty walks along the shore roads.

 

The first is the long pebble/sand beach of Ai. Fokas, which begins at the Aeolos Bay Hotel.  Along the way, a total distance of about 3 kilometers, the beach begins to turn to sand.  A couple of bungalow complexes have some umbrellas and lounges on the beach, so you need to check with them about rental charges.  Closer to the heliport, there is an organized section that includes a lifeguard tower and a snack bar.  The beach terminates at the conical mountain of Vryokastro.  Beyond that, the shore is quite rocky and leads to Ai. Sostis.

 

The other walking option is to the beach and ancient harbor of Stavro, 1 to 1.5 kilometers from Tinos Town, heading in the direction of Kionia.  Here you’ll find a small church with a taverna beneath, tables and chairs for outdoor dining, and a small sand/shingle beach offering terrific snorkeling.  You can also come here during the evening for a refreshing swim and the beautiful sunset.

 

With private car or motorbike, you have many more options, in just about every direction on the island.  We’ll start with the south/southwest coast, and then jump to the extreme northeast, and finally down the east coast, all in a clockwise direction on the map.

 

Just after Kionia, you reach Ai. Romanos.  This is now an easier beach to reach as you can follow the new coast road that begins just after the Tinos Beach Hotel.  The area is popular with Tinos Town locals who have holiday homes here, and who come for vacations and weekend escapes.  There’s a very good taverna here, so a picnic lunch is optional.  The beach is a mix of sand and shingle and affords a lovely view across to Syros Island.  If you’re going on to the next beach of Ai. Petros, further up the coast, you have to take the road from Ai. Romanos up the mountainside to reach the main road for Pyrgos, and then take a left turn and continue on from there.

 

Ai. Petros is a very quiet beach, also looking across to Syros Island, and without a taverna or snack bar.  Great for a picnic lunch and solitude.

 

Ormos Yiannaki (or Kalyvia) lies just below Kardiani Village.  It’s a lovely small beach with a few umbrellas and two tavernas, lovely views toward Syros, as well as behind and above to Kardiani Village.  This beach is accessed from the main road to Pyrgos.

 

Back on the main road, still heading toward Pyrgos, the next beach you’ll come to is Ormos Isternia.  The paved access road is a bit scary, as it is narrow and twists and turns its way down the mountainside.  Once there, however, you’ll find a pebble beach and a sandy beach, plus two excellent seafood tavernas, and a snack bar.  This is another good sunset spot, and the last beach on the coast with eating facilities.

 

To the extreme northeast of the island, well beyond Kolimbithra (used as a reference point on your map), you’ll find the unusual and interesting Livada Beach.  This beach is reached by the “old” road that takes you from Tinos Town up to Falatados, Steni, and Myrsini.  A newly paved road (nearly completed) takes you from Myrsini Village down to the beach of Livada.  Livada has peculiar green rock formations, large and small, and crystal clear water, though very deep and not recommended for inexperienced swimmers.  During the high season, there is a taverna/snack bar, whose owner acts as lifeguard.  You can sun yourself on the sand or on the boulders.  The newly paved road is surrounded by wild, beautiful countryside.

 

Further south of Livada and accessed by paved and dirt roads are two beaches, Ai. Petros/Ai. Dimitrios and Santa Margarita.  Neither have tavernas or snack bars, so you need to bring food and drink, but they both have beautiful settings and crystal clear water.  Here, you might find yourself totally alone.

 

The next beach is Lychnaftia, another of these quiet, undeveloped areas where you might find yourself in a totally private setting.  No taverna here, just peace and quiet, a clean sea, and a beautiful view all around you.  A rough dirt track will bring you down from the villages of Triandaros/Dyo Choria.

 

The last beach to mention is pretty Pachia Ammos, just below Lychnaftia and not far above Porto Beach.  A beach of pristine sand and sand dunes, you can reach the beach from the road above and behind the Porto Tango Hotel.  You’ll have to park and walk the rest of the way, about a ten-minute walk.  Bring a picnic, as nothing much is going on here, at least not yet.  It is such a pretty beach that you probably will not be alone, even though it is hard to find.