North-west coast
Kamares Beach
The bay you arrive into — a long sandy beach right beside the port.
Know before you go
- Sandy bay beside the only ferry dock. Five minutes from the boat.
- Shallow water. Tamarisks. West sunsets from the sand or Agia Marina.
- A July northerly can chop it. Platis and Vathi are the usual plan-B.
This page is the swim on arrival day. Rooms above the port sit on the stay guide.
It is a working harbour and a Blue Flag beach most years. Swim west of the quay if you want less boat traffic.
Kamares beach runs the full curve of the bay, its golden sand backed by tamarisk trees, low dunes, and reed beds where a protected wildflower — the sand lily — blooms in August. It's also, genuinely, one of the better swimming beaches on the island despite sharing the water with the island's only ferry terminal: the bay holds Blue Flag status most years, the water is shallow and calm, and the sunset across it, with the hills of the opposite shore silhouetted behind the boats, is one of the best on Sifnos.
This is the natural beach for a first or last day on the island — everything you'd need after a ferry crossing is within a five-minute walk of the dock: ATMs, a bakery, a supermarket, car rental desks, and a run of cafés and tavernas right on the sand. Across the bay, the quieter settlement of Agia Marina adds a handful of additional tavernas away from the ferry-day bustle, including Isalos, one of the best-known sunset spots on the island.
Swimming conditions and atmosphere
Kamares' water is shallow, calm, and cleaner than its role as a working ferry port might suggest — a genuine, Blue Flag-holding beach rather than just a place to wait for a boat. Tamarisk trees provide natural shade along parts of the shore, and the beach's low dune system supports a small population of sand lilies that flower in August. The western end of the beach, away from the main quay, is the quietest stretch for a proper swim.
Facilities
- →Sun loungers (west end of the beach)
- →Many cafés and tavernas along the shore
- →ATM
- →Public toilets — bakery, supermarket, and car rental all within a 5-minute walk (at the port)
Nearby tavernas
- →Meropi — the best-known seafront taverna; reviews vary by season, but it's convenient for a first or last night
- →Isalos — a family-run all-day bar-restaurant in Agia Marina, widely regarded as the best sunset spot in Kamares
- →Absinthe — a sunset bar right on the beach
How to reach Kamares
On arrival from the ferry, the beach is a 5-minute walk from the port — this is the beach you land into, not one you need to travel to. Buses to Apollonia and every other village on the island depart from the stop directly opposite the harbor.
Map and orientation
Gallery
Other beaches nearby
Chrysopigi (Apokofto) →
A sandy cove tucked under the iconic monastery on its rocky islet.
Faros →
An old fishing harbour with three small beaches strung along the headland.
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.
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.