East coast
Faros Beach
An old fishing harbour with three small beaches strung along the headland.
Know before you go
- Three swims, one village: Fasolou, the harbour, Glyfo.
- Fasolou is the sandy, sheltered one. Glyfo is pebble and the path to Chrysopigi.
- KTEL from Apollonia in high summer. A car if you want the loop on your clock.
This page is the three swims. Rooms in the old port sit on the stay guide.
Faros was the island port until 1883. It still feels like a harbour, not a resort. Chrysopigi is a 15–20 minute walk from Glyfo.
Faros strings three small beaches along one headland, each five to ten minutes' walk from the next: Fasolou (sandy, shallow, shaded by tamarisks, and family-friendly), the harbour beach at Faros itself, and Glyfo (pebbled, quieter, with some of the best snorkelling of the three). Faros served as the island's official port until 1883, and it still has that unhurried, working-harbour feel rather than a resort one.
This suits a slow day more than a checklist one — swim at whichever of the three beaches suits your mood, eat at a taverna a few steps from the water, and nap through the early afternoon before a second swim. Glyfo is also the starting point for the island's most-walked coastal path, a scenic 15–20 minute route to Chrysopigi Monastery via the chapel of Agios Charalambos.
Swimming conditions and atmosphere
Fasolou's water is the shallowest and calmest of the three, suiting families; the harbour beach at Faros itself is the liveliest, with tavernas closest to the sand; Glyfo's clearer, deeper water and pebbled shore make it the pick for snorkelling. None of the three is heavily organized — expect a handful of sunbeds rather than full beach-club setups.
Facilities
- →Some sun-loungers
- →Several tavernas
- →Free parking
Nearby tavernas
- →To Limanaki — run by a local fishing family, tables right at the water's edge, the day's catch on display
- →Margarita — a well-regarded taverna in the Faros area
- →
How to reach Faros
20 minutes by bus from Apollonia (roughly €2), hourly in summer; about the same by car. On foot, marked trails also connect Faros to Kastro and Exambela.
Map and orientation
Gallery
Other beaches nearby
Chrysopigi (Apokofto) →
A sandy cove tucked under the iconic monastery on its rocky islet.
Fykiada →
Hidden cove on the south coast, reached only by a 25-minute hike from Vathi.
Heronissos →
Tiny fishing village at the northern tip — two tavernas, fresh-caught fish, almost nobody.
Kamares →
The bay you arrive into — a long sandy beach right beside the port.
Platis Gialos →
The longest sandy beach on the island, lined with tavernas, hotels and sun-loungers.
Poulati →
Pebble beach below the postcard-blue-domed Poulati monastery.
Seralia →
The tiny harbour of Kastro, reached by a stepped path from the medieval village.
Vathi →
A horseshoe of soft sand and shallow turquoise water on the south-west coast.
Vroulidia →
A quiet pebble cove near the island's northern tip, reached by a steep road.