Beaches
The coastline of Patmos offers an impressive variety of coasts, bays, harbours, capes, coves and rocks with strange shapes. Like beads on a rosary, beaches succeed one another, each with its own characteristics. Those accessible by road and vehicle are the following:
Agrio Livadi (or Agriolivado)
Agrio Livadi is an organised, sandy beach with trees, taverns, beach bar, youthful atmosphere and water sports. It is located 4km northeast of Skala (35-40 minutes on foot) and it is famous for its clean – relatively shallow – waters.
You can enjoy the sight of the isle of St. Thecla, with the church that gave its name to the isle, and there is also a beach that you can row to reach it.
Agios Theologos
Agios Theologos is the beach in the bay of Skala, which leads to Baftistiri of St. John the Theologian. It is not an organized beach, but the trees along its coastline create a place with shade, while in a short distance there are cafes, taverns, restaurants and the municipal park. The two factors that make this beach very popular are easy access and nearby amenities.
Alikes
As its name suggests (salt lakes in greek), in this region there were the old salt lakes of the Monastery of Patmos. It is located at the northern end of the bay of Stavros, that is located southwest of the island.
Apollou
With view the sea of Arki, this small rocky beach is located on the eastern and northern part of the island, near the small church of Apollou (or Apollo).
Aspri
In a short distance from Skala, before reaching Meloi, there is the beach Aspri with sand and small pebbles. A small isolated cove with view of the Monastery of Patmos, it has trees for shade and a fish-restaurant at one end.
Vagia
The pebbled Vagia, on the northeastern part of the island and in a short distance from Campos (1 km. from the bus stop) and 7 km. from Skala, is one of the quietest beaches of the island, with few trees along the coast that offer shade and crystal blue waters. At the top of the bay there is a café that offers cold dishes and desserts.
Geranos (or Livadi tou Geranou)
One of the quieter beaches, yet the most beloved by foreign tourists, the pebbled beach of Geranos with turquoise, crystal clear water is located in the northeastern part of the island and is protected from summer winds. Gereanos beach offers no sunbeds, just shade from the trees and as it is across the small island of St. George with its church, it creates an idyllic landscape and a target to swim at. At its one end there is a small tavern.
Grikos
The bay of Grikos has a beautiful beach, which resembles a lake, with fine gravel and sand. It is surrounded by two small peninsulas and is protected from the open sea with the island Tragonisi. It offers space for mooring yachts, a fact that gives a cosmopolitan atmosphere. An impressive feature of the landscape is the view to the “stone of Kalikatsou ‘, a big rock connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land and which can be approached by walking along the beach.
Grikos is about 4.5 km. from Skala (to which it is connected by bus) and it is easily reachable by following the road the road parallel to the coast. The beach has a few trees and loungers, and you can also find small picturesque taverns along the coast.
The International Organisation “The most beautiful bays in the world” has ranked the bay of Grikos among the world’s most beautiful bays.
Diakofti
The beach of Diakofti is located southeast of Skala, at the narrowest part of the island (just 200m.), in a beautiful landscape. It is a pebbled beach which at one of its ends has a large private dock, where there is a traditional maritime restaurant with local dishes. This point of the island is well known because the path to Psili Ammos starts there.
Kampos
In the northeastern part of the island, the beach of Kampos is the most organized and crowded beach of the island. With sand and small pebbles, it has purely blue and shallow waters and facilities for water sports and a trainer. In the surrounding area there are taverns, cafés, bars, and rooms to let. The area is accessible with the regular transportation of the island.
Lampi
Lampi is a beautiful beach with crystal clear waters in the northeast part of the island that is famous for its colorful pebbles. People admired these pebbles so much that started collecting them and extinguishing them and therefore now it is prohibited to collect them! The name of the beach comes from the shimmer of the sun on the pebbles and the sea. Equally colorful and interestingly shaped by erosion are the rocks to the right of the beach.
Lampi is 9.5km from Skala, it is accessed by car (motorbike or taxi) and has umbrellas and sunbeds, cafes and restaurant that offer traditional delights of the island.
Leukes
In the bay carrying the same name, west of the island, the beach Leukes is among the least known beaches and therefore it is ideal for those who want to avoid the crowds. The sea, however, is often choppy, as the open sea offers no protection from the wind. The road leading to it (asphalt in the beginning and after a point gravel road that continues to the beach) crosses a characteristic rural landscape of Patmos. In the beach you can find a beach canteen.
Ligginou (or Didimes)
In a short distance from Vagia, following a stone path (a walk of about 15 minutes), there are two consecutive coves, one slightly larger than the other, but in other respects identical (this is why it was called “Didimes” – Twins), creating a beautiful landscape between the two headlands. Both beaches are covered with small pebbles and sand and have crystal clear blue waters.
Meloi
A picturesque bay, Meloi (or Melogi) got its name from the sweetness of the figs and melons of the surrounding area. It is located within a short distance (1.5 km or 15 minutes walk) from the north side of Skala. It has a sandy beach with trees along its coast and a small tavern at one of its ends.
Petra
Petra beach is located by the narrow strip of land that connects the “rock of Kalikatsou” to the mainland. It is an organized beach with large white pebbles both in the sea and on shore and crystal blue waters. Its famous Rock was, until the 14th century a hermitage and there are up until this day carved steps and a water tank, while the view offered from the top is unforgettable. The beach is organized, and visitors can try several water sports. In Petra there is a canteen and near the beach there are taverns offering traditional dishes.
Sapsila
Small sandy beach, located in the southeast of Patmos between Skala and Grikos. Access is possible through path that crosses the homonymous small, verdant village.
Psili Ammos
It is considered as one of the most beautiful beaches of the island and, as its name suggests, has fine, golden sand – and turquoise waters, a fact that gives it an exotic beauty. Access is possible either by boat (a journey of about 45 minutes – there are boats that travel every day from Skala to Psili Ammos), or on foot by following the path from Diakofti (half-hour hiking). The relatively few trees form a shaded area. In the summer months operates a tavern.
You can also use a boat or a sailing boat to discover the beaches of neighboring islands such as:
Arki
Arki (ancient Arkitis) is the largest islet of a chain of islets to the northeast of Patmos, and within a walking distance from north of Leipsi. It is surrounded by the islets Smineronisi, Tsuka, Tsoukaki, Abaptistos, Makronisi, Psathonisi, Kalovolos and Nisaki, as well as the largest islet Marathi. All of them constitute a protected area of the European network Natura 2000. Arki has 44 permanent residents and an area of 6,69sq. Km, while the coast is about 25 km long.
The small harbor is sheltered and surrounded by old, white, stone houses, and during the summer there are some taverns and rooms to let that operate. The famous beaches of Arki are Limnari, Kapsalismenos and Tiganakia (the latter has with clear blue waters, half beach is covered with sand and half with pebbles and it is sheltered from the wind by the rocks in front of the bay).
Marathi
Small island at a distance of 9.3 nautical miles from the port of Skala, Marathi has an area of 355 acres and a shoreline of about 4km. In the bay of Marathi, on the east of the island, lies the truly unique (only one, but memorable) beach with sand, while in the same bay often anchor offshore yachts. On the island there are three taverns and rooms to let.
Chiliomodi
At a distance of 3.4 nautical miles from Skala, Chiliomodi got its name from the Byzantine unit for grain measurement, modi (bushel), indicating that in the past it was a place of cereal cultivation thanks to the existence of a small source of fresh water, a fact that is also confirmed by the stone terraces and ruins of a small windmill. It has an area of 280 acres and the highest peak is 114 meters. Despite its small size, it has a rich coast configuration and a wide beach with dark pebbles on its west side. Today it is uninhabited, except for a few farmers who bring their flocks in the summer. In Hiliomodi operated an old hermitage from which only the Church of Saint Panteleimon has survived up until this day.