THE CYCLADES ISLANDS      MAP      ALT MAP Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Donoussa, Folegandros, Ios, Iraklia, Koufonisia, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Syros       Imagine a village on a hill. A dense cluster of whitewashed houses cascades down the hillside. An array of squat, thatched-roofed windmills spans the crest of the hill. The background is a cloudless blue sky. The foreground is a sparkling blue sea. Somewhere in between is the gleaming blue dome of the village church. Imagine getting lost—on purpose—as you wander the narrow, labyrinthine streets of the village, which were paved with cobblestones before anyone ever dreamed of a motorized vehicle. You pass a series of shops and dwellings, distinguished mostly by the hues of their doors and shutters: light blue, dark blue, teal, turquoise. You duck under a low-hanging canopy of pink bougainvillea as you round a bend and suddenly find steps leading up to the next narrow street of the terraced village. You stop to pet a tabby cat at the bottom of the steps. A calico is waiting at the top. Such a scene is what may come to mind if you close your eyes and conjure up an island in Greece. Such an amalgamated vision is most emblematic of the Cyclades.       The Cyclades are a cluster of Aegean islands located south-southeast of Athens and north of Crete, contained with a north-south span of about 200 kilometers and an east-west span of about 170 kilometers. The substantial islands (i.e., those larger than islets) include about two dozen inhabited islands and about half a dozen uninhabited ones. The land areas of the five boroughs of New York City are good templates for getting an idea of the various sizes of the inhabited Cycladic islands. Santorini is a little larger than Manhattan, Ios is the same size as The Bronx, Milos is the same size as Staten Island and Paros is a little larger than Brooklyn. Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades, is about the size of Queens and Staten Island combined. Donoussa, the smallest of the Cyclades considered in this guide, is not quite one-quarter the size of Manhattan. Mykonos and Santorini are the most touristed of the Cyclades, and six of the islands—Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini and Syros—have airports. Most of the Cyclades have at least one well-established nude beach. Fourteen of the islands are considered below.
Amorgos     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Amorgos is a long, narrow island that spans about 30 kilometers along a diagonal line, with one coastline that is generally oriented toward the northwest and another that is generally oriented to the southeast. As the crow flies, the island is about 230 kilometers southeast of Athens. Amorgos does not have an airport, but there are two ferry ports, one in Katapola about midway along the northwest coast and the other in Aegiali toward the northern end of the northwest coast.       The only nudist location in the immediate vicinity of Katapola is Plakes Bay 36.8363N, 25.8446E  , which is a hidden nook with rocky ledges but no actual beach. There is regular boat services to Plakes from Katapola. Otherwise, the only way to get there is by a long and taxing hike along unmarked paths. On the opposite side of the island, less than 10 kilometers by car from Katapola, Agia Anna Beach 36.8217N, 25.9055E   is located below Chora, the hilltop main village of the island. A hidden niche at the south end of Agia Anna is attended by nudists, and it tends to have more nude bathers than any other beach on the island. It also has the most stunning view. From the beach, you can see the Hozoviotissa monastery, which clings spectacularly to a precipitous cliff wall. This amazing feat of Byzantine engineering is the most famous landmark of Amorgos. Farther south on the same side of the island, Mouros Beach 36.7858N, 25.8317E   consists of three distinct beaches, two of which get a small degree of nudist use.       Near Aegiali, Levrossos Beach is a very beautiful beach that used to draw nudists, but nudity has all but ceased to be viable there as the beach has become more developed. However, nudity remains possible at nearby Psili Ammos Beach 36.9081N, 25.9668E   and Chochlakas Beach 36.9081N, 25.9632E  , two nearby beaches that are not accessible by road. Levrossos is the starting point for hiking to both these beaches, with Psili Ammos being the nearer and more popular of the two.
Anafi     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Anafi is a small island that covers about 40 square kilometers, and it is located roughly 20 kilometers west of Santorini. While Santorini is one of the most touristed of the Greek islands, Anafi is a complete contrast, lacking mass tourism and having just a few hundred permanent residents. Anafi does not have an airport, and ferry service is limited compared to the more touristed islands. Starting at the ferry port, there is a chain of beaches that stretch eastward over a span of about 5 kilometers, and nude bathing is practiced at most but not all of them. The Anafi Beaches   that draw nude bathers are Katsouni Beach 36.3442N, 25.7808E, Flamourou Beach 36.3448N, 25.7843E, Roukounas Beach 36.3472N, 25.7957E, Katalymatsa Beach 36.3524N, 25.8112E and Prasies Beach 36.3546N, 25.8239E. Other than the beaches near the ferry port, there is a scattering of small beaches along more remote parts of the rugged coast of the island, but these isolated beaches are difficult to reach and typical visited only by boaters.
Andros     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Andros is the northernmost of the Cyclades, and it is slightly southeast of Evia, the large island that is bridged to the mainland and often regarded as part of the mainland. At their closest points, Andros and Evia are less than 12 kilometers apart. Andros does not have an airport. From the Athens area, ferries to Andros depart from Rafina rather than Pireaus. (Rafina is a secondary port located east of Athens.) The ferry port in Andros is in Gavrio, a village that is toward the north end of the west side of the island. The only really established nude beach in Andros is Delavoyas Beach 37.8483N, 24.7906E  , which is about 10 kilometers south of the ferry port. It is a small beach tucked away amid a cluster of hotel development, and it is mostly a textile beach, but nudity occurs at one extreme of the beach despite the fact that there is no real separation between the nudist and textile areas of the beach.       Delavoyas is the only beach in Andros where nudists, although few in number, are always likely to be present, but there are a few other beaches that get sporadic nudist attendance. Those beaches are located near Ormos Korthio, a village that is toward the south end of the east side of the island, about 35 kilometers by car from the ferry port in Gavrio. Just north of Ormos Korthio, there is popular textile beach with the unusual name of Tis Grias to Pidima, known for its beautiful setting. Just north of it, Kalamonari Beach 37.7846N, 24.9587E   is a small and usually deserted niche where you can soak up some of the atmosphere of Tis Grias to Pidima sans swimsuit. Starting at Kalomanari, you can hike to Bouros Beach 37.7883N, 24.9622E  , a beautiful and often deserted beach with fantastic nudist potential. On the opposite side of Ormos Korthio, a drive of about 10 kilometers brings you to Agios Ioannis Kremmydes Beach 37.7432N, 24.9840E  , but it is a challenging drive over a mountain ridge, and most of the route is gravel. Agios Ioannis Kremmydes is often deserted and otherwise lightly attended.
Antiparos     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Among the Greek islands, there are some that basically function as annexes of larger islands. Such is the case with Antiparos, which is just west of Paros. The only way to get to Antiparos is by ferry from Paros, and it is a short trip of just over a kilometer across the narrow strait that separates the two islands. At Camping Beach 37.0489N, 25.0852E   on the north end of Antiparos, visitors are greeted by an artistic handmade sign that proclaims "official nudist beach since the '70," which gets its point across even without an "s" at the end. While the claim of official sanction is questionable, Camping Beach is unquestionably among the more popular nude beaches in the Cyclades. Adventurous nudists can wade to a couple of small, deserted islands just offshore from the beach and explore them without a stitch of clothing. While there are some other beaches in Antiparos that get sporadic nudist visitation, Camping Beach is the only one with a well-established and consistent nudist presence, and since it is just a 15-minute walk from the ferry port, there is no need for transportation. Antiparos is an easy day trip from Paros.
Donoussa     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Donoussa is a small island with a land area a bit less than 15 square kilometers. It has fewer than 200 permanent residents, and tourism exists on a very small scale. The island does not have an airport, and ferries to the island operate several times a week but not daily. Donoussa is primarily accessed via nearby Naxos. With limited accommodations on the island, during summer there are more visitors than available rooms, so the island is most popular with youthful visitors who don't mind roughing it a bit. Tent camping along the beach is a quintessential part of the Donoussa experience, as is nude bathing, which occurs along most of the island's beaches, the most notable exception being the beach at the ferry port. In order by distance from the ferry port, the Donoussa Beaches   where nude bathing is most common are Kedros Beach 37.0979N, 25.8037E, Vathi Limanari Beach 37.0914N, 25.8138E, Livadi Beach 37.0920N, 25.8224E, Fikio Beach 37.0909N, 25.8249E and Tripiti #3 Beach 37.1260N, 25.8229E. A bit of a hippie vibe pervades Kedros and Livadi, which are the two most popular nude beaches. It takes less than 20 minutes to walk from the ferry port to Kedros, but substantially longer hikes are necessary to reach the other beaches.
Folegandros     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Picturesque and rugged Folegandros is one of the quieter and more remote islands of the Cyclades. If you follow the main road from one end of the island to the other, you will have traveled about 13 kilometers and passed through the island's three villages, which collectively have a permanent population of fewer than 1,000 people. Chora, the main village, is perched dramatically atop a precipitous cliff, overlooked by a grand church that is built even higher up the cliff. It is one of the most breathtaking village settings in all of Greece. Tourism exists on a fairly small scale, and Folegandros does not have an airport. Via the fast ferry, the island is less than an hour away from Santorini, the closest island that is well connected to other parts of Greece. Folegandros is often visited in conjunction with Santorini, and it is a rustic antidote to the mass tourism of its more famous neighbor.       Near Chora, the small tourist settlement of Agkali is the starting point for getting to a sandy beach called Agios Nikolaos Beach 36.6302N, 24.8846E  . You can hike there (a bit less than a kilometer) or take a boat. Although Agios Nikolaos is considered the nude beach of Folegandros, it is a small beach that is often overrun with textiles during July and August, but there is usually at least a small nudist presence even during peak season. A less crowded option for nude bathing is Fira Beach 36.6284N, 24.8956E  , a rocky niche that can be reached by hiking in the opposite direction from Agkali. Farther from Chora, Livadaki Beach 36.6365N, 24.8597E   is a small pebble beach in an idyllic setting that can be reached by a longish hike (about 2 kilometers) that begins in the far northwest of the island. Or, it is possible to take a boat there (from Agkali). Nudity sometimes occurs at Livadaki, but it's a Catch-22 for those who are disinclined to hike. When the boat is running, the beach is typically overtaken by textiles who get there the easy way, and nudity is generally not a viable option. When the boat isn't running and the only way to get there is by hiking the better part of an hour, nudists are often encountered on the beach.
Ios     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Ios is almost precisely the same size as the New York City borough of The Bronx. The island does not have an airport, and the ferry port is located in Ormos Harbor, a prominent bay toward the north end of the west coast of Ios. Perched atop a hill overlooking the bay is the picturesque main village of the island, known as Chora. Just south of Chora, Mylopotas Beach is a golden sandy crescent that is the island's most popular beach. With a reputation for revelry that dates to the '60s, Ios rivals Mykonos as the party mecca of the Cyclades, but Ios is less cosmopolitan and less affluent compared to Mykonos—and also less expensive. Ios actually reached its partying pinnacle some time back. While the island still has a large collegiate following bent on dancing and drinking the night away, the tourist demographics are more diverse these days. Furthermore, the high-octane zone of Ios is confined to the port area, Chora and Mylopotas Beach. The rest of the island is far quieter.       Ios has just one really well-established nude beach, and that is Kolitsani Beach 36.7161N, 25.2788E  , downhill from Chora. Although the beach is close to the busiest places on the island, Kolitsani manages to fly somewhat under the tourist radar. It is hidden amid the hilly terrain, the roads to the beach are poorly signed and a hike of at least 400 meters is necessary from the closest parking.       Ios has a number of other beaches that get some nude use, but none of them seems to qualify as a really well-established nude beach. If you visit any of these beaches, odds are that you will not encounter a significant number of nudists, and opportunities for nudity vary considerably by season (July and August are iffiest due to larger crowds) and also from day to day, when who happens to get to a certain spot first may set a trend. The best opportunities for nudity are found at a cluster of beaches in the southeast of the island, about 25 to 30 kilometers by car from the port area. The Southeastern Ios Beaches  with the best nudist potential include a peripheral niche of Manganari Beach 36.6568N, 25.3634E , which is the island's most popular beach that is not in the vicinity of Chora. Three additional options that are a bit more off the beaten path are Tris Ekklisies Beach 36.6691N, 25.3821E , Kalamos Beach 36.6928N, 25.3806E  and Plakes Beach 36.7042N, 25.3860E .
Iraklia     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Naxos is the largest island of the Cyclades, located toward the center of the Cycladic cluster. South and east of Naxos, there is a subcluster of the Cyclades known as the Lesser Cyclades, comprised of six islands that have a land area of at least 3 square kilometers along with a few smaller islands and numerous islets. (Donoussa, directly east of Naxos, is a bit of an outlier among the six larger islands of the Lesser Cyclades. The other five of the six are south of Naxos.) Not counting islets, Iraklia is the westernmost of the Lesser Cyclades, and it is also the largest of the subcluster, but the as-the-crow-distance from one extreme of the island to the other is less than 7 kilometers. With a population of fewer than 200 people, the island has a very limited tourist industry and infrastructure. For example, the eastern half of the island has a small network of roads, but the island lacks a gas station, and while cars can be ferried to the island, cars are not available for rent on the island. Most visitors get around on foot. Other than the small beach near the ferry port, the only significant beach in Iraklia is Livadi Beach 36.8509N, 25.4746E  , a beautiful sandy beach sheltered in a small bay, at a walking distance of 1.7 kilometers from the ferry port. Although it is the island's main beach, it never gets too crowded, and nude bathing is well established toward one end of the beach, opposite its point of entry. On the most crowded days, nudists may converge at the far end of the beach, but most of the time nudity is possible along about half the length of the beach.
Koufonisia     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Koufonisia is the collective name of several islands and islets of the Lesser Cyclades, the cluster of islands to the south and east of Naxos. The three main islands of Koufonisia are Ano Koufonisi, Kato Koufonisi and Keros. The largest of the three is Keros, but the island is uninhabited, mountainous and completely undeveloped. Few visitors take excursions there since there are no good beaches along its very rugged coastline. The other two islands are very close together, with a collective land area of less than 10 square kilometers—a size that makes them very manageable on foot. The small-scale tourist infrastructure of Koufonisia is centered in Ano Koufonisi, which is reachable only by ferry since there is no airport. Kato Koufonisi is a depopulated island that is a day excursion for visitors to Ano Koufonisi, but there are no overnight accommodations. Koufonisia is far less touristed than nearby islands like Naxos and Paros. Lacking in nightlife and other diversions, it is a destination for relaxing and enjoying natural beauty.       There are two beaches in Ano Koufonisi and four beaches in Kato Koufonisi   that get some degree of naturist use.       Ano Koufonisi has four main beaches, and nude bathing occurs regularly at Italida Beach  36.9365N, 25.6200E and Pori Beach  36.9447N, 25.6204E, the two beaches that are most distant from the island's only village. Those beaches can be overrun with textiles during peak season, but there are always ample nudist options at Kato Koufonisi, which is connected to Ano Koufonisi by regular shuttle boat service. The beach of Kato Koufonisi that is most popular with both nudists and textiles is Nero Beach  36.9027N, 25.5732E. There is also a frequent nudist presence at Hawaii Beach  36.9212N, 25.5973E, Detis Beach  36.9120N, 25.5807E and Pezoulia Beach  36.9011N, 25.5673E.
Milos     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       About halfway between Athens and Crete, Milos lies toward the southwestern corner of the cluster of islands that comprise the Cyclades, and it is almost exactly the same size as the New York City borough of Staten Island. The island is the original home of the Venus de Milo, the famous ancient sculpture with missing arms that now resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris, having been unearthed in 1820. Volcanic in origin, Milos is renowned for its colorful rocks, and many beaches are set against multi-hued backdrops in shades of red and orange. The rugged coastline is dotted with caves, arches, narrow inlets, rocky spires and other spectacular formations, and the intricate coastal topography can be appreciated fully only from the sea, so a boat tour around the island is an essential part of the Milos experience. Milos is not as touristed as one might expect considering its exceptional natural beauty, which is not to say the island has not been discovered by tourists. It certainly has. It's just that Milos has yet to enter the stratospheric realm of tourism of Santorini or Mykonos, and Milos devotees doubtlessly would prefer it stay that way. While the island is not known for its nude beaches, there are a number of beaches that get a small degree of nudist visitation, and there are many beaches that are likely to be empty, especially if you visit outside of July and August.       Achivadolimni Beach 36.6923N, 24.4540E   is located along the most inland part of the Bay of Milos, the body of water that makes a very prominent indentation in the north side of the island. Over a kilometer long, the main textile area is at one end, and nudists have plenty of isolation toward the opposite end. On the south coast of the island, Firiplaka Beach 36.6679N, 24.4615E   is backed by craggy cliffs with red, orange and violet color patterns, and it is among the more visually striking beaches on an island that has no shortage of visually striking beaches. The end of the main (textile) expanse of the beach is demarcated by a monolithic rock at the shoreline that is an unmistakable landmark. Nude bathers gather at some point beyond the rock, but exactly how far beyond the rock varies by season and overall size of the crowd. Farther east on the south coast, Psaravolada Beach 36.6707N, 24.5031E   is a rather obscure beach near a much better-known and well-signposted beach called Agia Kiriaki. Psaravolada consists of three small distinct segments, two of which get sporadic nude use. A bit farther east, Paliochori Beach 36.6730N, 24.5257E   also consists of three distinct segments, but it is quite a large beach, spanning well over a kilometer. Nudity occurs along the easternmost part of the beach, and a bit of hiking and scrambling over rocky terrain is necessary to get there.       The western half of Milos is less developed than the eastern half, and most of the roads are gravel. There are remote and lightly attended beaches on the western coast of the island that are frequented by nude bathers. However, nudity seems rather sporadic at all the western beaches, so these locations are better regarded as potential nude beaches rather than as established nude beaches. The Western Milos Beaches  with the most nudist potential include the Agios Ioannis Beaches 36.6800N, 24.3324E , which consist of three adjacent beaches near a monastery of the same name. A bit north of Agios Ioannis, nudity is generally possible at some of the three Ammoudaraki Beaches 36.6988N, 24.3348E  and the four Triades Beaches 36.7045N, 24.3370E , which collectively form a chain of seven beaches.
Mykonos     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Mykonos is one of the most iconic Greek islands, notable for its whitewashed buildings, thatch-roofed windmills and friendly pelicans but notorious for its youthful party scene and rather high prices. The island covers roughly 85 square kilometers. For perspective, Mykonos would fit into the city limits of San Francisco with a bit of room to spare, and that is a particularly apt analogy since the island is also one of the world's foremost gay destinations. Mykonos is also quite famous for its nude beaches. The custom of bare bathing began with the influx of hippies in the '60s and continued with the influx of gay men in the '70s. However, the island's reputation as a nude beach mecca is arguably more of a relic of its past rather than an accurate description of its present since there are no beaches left that are consistently predominantly nudist. As the island has evolved over the decades and skyrocketed in popularity, it now draws far more visitors who prefer designer swimwear than those who prefer no swimwear at all.       The seven Mykonos Beaches  where nude bathing is best established are located in two clusters. One of those clusters is on the south end of the island, consisting of (from west to east) Paranga Beach 37.4073N, 25.3486E , Paradise Beach 37.4101N, 25.3556E , Super Paradise Beach 37.4145N, 25.3683E , Agrari Beach 37.4208N, 25.3822E  and Elia Beach 37.4228N, 25.3876E . The other cluster consists of Panormos Beach 37.4740N, 25.3624E  and Agios Sostis Beach 37.4836N, 25.3597E  in Panormos Bay, the very prominent inlet that cuts several kilometers into the interior of the island along the north coast.       Several decades ago when Mykonos first began to gain notoriety for bare bathing, Paradise Beach was the straight nude beach and Super Paradise Beach was the gay nude beach, and to a certain extent those reputations remain, even though the demographics started to shift as far back as the '80s. Paradise Beach evolved into a mostly textile party beach. Nudity never vanished altogether, but nudists have long been a rather small minority. Super Paradise has likewise changed, and while one end of the beach is still mostly gay, other segments of the beach are attended by straight nudists and textiles. Elia Beach, the most distant of the five beaches, did not gain prominence until the '90s, when nudists began to seek a less crowded alternative to Paradise and Super Paradise, but as more and more tourists have continued to flock to Mykonos, Elia did not remain a quiet alternative for long. At one end of Elia, nudists and textiles mingle among the thatched beach umbrellas, and there is also a tiny, separate micro-cove just around the bend that is more or less an all-gay nudist haunt. Of the remaining two beaches among the southern cluster, Paranga Beach has a small but consistent nudist presence at one end, while patterns are much more variable at Agrari Beach, which at times is entirely textile. The two north coast locations, Panormos Beach and Agios Sostis Beach, are alternatives for nudists seeking a more subdued alternative to the bustling south coast beaches.       Mykonos is known mostly for its beaches and nightlife, but it is also the primary starting point for visiting Delos, one of the most important cultural sites in Greece. The small island, which is just a few kilometers southwest of Mykonos, has an astounding collection of antiquities, including temples, shrines, statues and mosaics. Although Delos was first settled around 3,000 B.C.E., its extensive archaeological excavations date to the first millennium B.C.E. when the island was an important center of ancient Greek religion. Today, Delos is uninhabited except for a few caretakers, and it is available to tourists only as a day trip, mainly from Mykonos.
Naxos     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Located roughly in the middle of the Cycladic cluster, Naxos is the largest island of the Cyclades, and it is also the most mountainous. Several peaks form a ridge that runs north-south across the island, spanning an as-the-crow-flies distance of about 33 kilometers. Owing to the rugged terrain, there is no road that makes a complete loop around the periphery of the island. Parts of the coastline are accessible only by gravel tracks, and parts aren't accessible by road at all. Island life is heavily skewed toward the central area of the island's western coast, where several plains comprise the gentlest terrain of Naxos. Naxos town (a.k.a. Chora), built around a medieval Venetian castle, is toward the northern end of the western plains. Beginning a bit south of Chora, there is a chain of long beaches along the coastal edge of the plains. Comprised of white and golden sand, these beaches are unparalleled in the Cyclades and are a considerable part of the island's tourist appeal. The bulk of the tourist development of Naxos extends from Chora southward along the western beaches, along a stretch of coastline that spans about 15 kilometers. Just inland from the coastal tourist corridor, the plains themselves are covered in orchards and fields, with agriculture being as vital as tourism to the local economy. Like neighboring Paros, Naxos is an important ferry hub due to its central location, so island hopping within the Cyclades will likely take you through Naxos, Paros or both. The ferry port is located in Chora.       A drive of 7 to 8 kilometers south from the ferry port brings you to the start of Plaka Beach 37.0642N, 25.3534E & 37.0480N, 25.3728E  , which is the longest beach of Naxos, spanning about 4 kilometers. A beachfront road runs along most of the length of Plaka but dead ends about a kilometer shy of the southern end of the beach. Plaka is one of the premier nude beaches of Greece, but it is not a continuous area of nude use. There are multiple zones of textile and nudist use. At the far northern end of the beach, there is a semi-hidden niche near Agios Nikolaos chapel where nudists are clustered in a stretch of 100 to 150 meters, and this is the part of Plaka with the highest concentration of nudists. Going south from that area, there is a continuous textile zone of over a kilometer that is lined with tavernas and small resorts. Along this stretch, the beach is clearly in view from the beachfront road. When the road disappears behind the dunes as it continues to parallel the beach, the long nudist zone of the beach begins, extending over 2 kilometers to the end of Plaka, which is beyond the dead end of the beachfront road. Along the long nudist zone, there are multiple clusters of sunchairs that tend to be entirely textile, especially during peak season. Nudists occupy the spaces between the sunchairs, and the distance between the sunchair clusters becomes greater as you go south. It is a pattern of alternating nudist and textile use that seems unique to Plaka Beach.       If you keep going south through the coastal plains beyond Plaka, the paved road ends along a notch-shaped peninsula called Aliko, which is a sandy mass of less than one square kilometer that is blanketed by a forest of short juniper trees and coastal scrub. There are four beautiful sandy beaches on this peninsula, and one of them—Kedros Beach 36.9833N, 25.3864E  —is frequented by nude bathers.       Besides Plaka Beach and Kedros Beach, Naxos has plenty of other opportunities for naturism. Agios Prokopios, a popular beach north of Plaka, gets a bit of nude use during the off season, and Mikri Vigli, the next long beach south of Plaka, has ample empty space for naturists even during peak season. Furthermore, there are a number of lightly attended beaches in the far south of Naxos and along the east coast, some of which are hard to reach. We have not detailed these locations because none of them seems to be consistently attended by nudists.
Paros     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Paros is situated more or less at the geographic center of the Cyclades, and for that reason it is a very important ferry hub. If you do a lot of island hopping in the Cyclades, sooner or later you are bound to pass through Paros, but the island is also quite a popular destination in its own right owing to an abundance of sandy beaches and a small nightlife scene. Slightly larger that the New York City borough of Brooklyn, Paros has a fairly gentle landscape, and it takes just an hour or so to make a peripheral loop around the island by car. The interior of the island is covered in large hills and small mountains, while much of the coastal area is flat. While the most popular beaches of the island are the domain of textiles, there is a scattering of places for naturists, all of which are rather hidden locations that no one would likely happen upon by accident.       At the northern end of Paros, there is a prominent inlet called Naousa Bay, which has more than 15 kilometers of coastline. The mouth of the bay is about 2 kilometers wide, and the widest part of the bay spans over 5 kilometers from one side to the other. There are three Naousa Bay Beaches  that draw nude bathers. On the east side of the bay, Lageri Beach 37.1370N, 25.2704E  is a long, narrow, sandy beach that is by far the most popular nudist location in Paros. The beach is generally well attended rarely feels crowded since there is plenty of room to spread out, and typically a large majority of visitors opt for nudity. The other two Naoussa Bay locations are on either side of Monastiri Beach, a popular textile beach on the west side of the bay. Between Monastiri and the Porto Paros Hotel, there are two nearby beaches that do not have proper names, but they are sometimes collectively referred to as Porto Paros Beach 37.1393N, 25.2232E . Nudity is usually the norm at these two small beaches, which are hidden but easy to access and generally lightly attended. Starting at Monastiri, a hike of nearly a kilometer toward the mouth of the bay brings you to Tourkou Ammos Beach 37.1441N, 25.2326E , an isolated beach that is usually mostly nude and mostly but not exclusively gay.       Besides the Naoussa Bay beaches, there are a few other locations in Paros where nude bathing regularly occurs. In the southwest of the island, Voutakos Beach 37.0063N, 25.1079E   near the village of Alyki is expansive, sandy, undeveloped and practically off the tourist radar, and nudity occurs at one end of this lightly attended beach. On the east side of Paros near Marpissa, Messada Beach 37.0229N, 25.2503E   is a small pebble beach that is similarly obscure and attended mainly by nudists.       From Paros, it is a quick and cheap ferry ride to nearby Antiparos, which basically functions as a satellite island of Paros. Since day tripping is easy, Paros visitors should keep in mind that there is a popular nude beach in Antiparos as well.
Santorini     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Santorini, also known as Thira, is an archipelago consisting of a main island along with several much smaller satellite islands, of which only one is inhabited. The main island is comparable to Manhattan in land area. Santorini is notable among Greek islands for several reasons. The archipelago was once a much larger single island—that is, until a massive volcanic eruption that occurred about 3,500 years ago. This eruption basically blasted away the middle of the island, leaving a huge caldera that filled with sea water, giving present-day Santorini its distinctive shape. Santorini is also known for the exceptionally colorful and beautiful villages of Oia and Fira, which cascade down the walls of the caldera toward the sea. Oia in particular is especially renowned for its breathtaking beauty, and while the question "What is the most beautiful village in Greece?" has lots of potential answers, Oia is consistently among the top few responses. Santorini also has associations with one of the most famous mysteries—or myths, depending on your point of view—of all time. The volcanic eruption that blew away much of the ancient island devastated the Minoan civilization that existed there at the time, and Santorini was unoccupied for hundreds of years thereafter. This natural disaster, one of the most destructive volcanic events in human history, could have been the source of Plato's allegory about the sunken island of Atlantis. It would seem to be among the more plausible theories among the multitude of speculation about the lost civilization.       The best-established nude beach in Santorini is Vlychada Beach 36.3417N, 25.4294E   on the south coast of the island. Covered in dark sand and backed by a dramatic wall of rock formations that are wavy, crinkled and pockmarked, the setting of the beach is starkly beautiful and a bit otherworldly. Textiles congregate near the access point at one end of the beach, and nudists are scattered over a long area along the rest of the beach. Farther west along the south coast, Kampia Beach 36.3493N, 25.3901E   stretches for several hundred meters, with the main textile area at one end. A handful of nudists are usually present at the opposite end, which is well secluded from the main beach by the curvature of the coastline. The nude area can be accessed from the main area of Kampia or from nearby Red Beach, which is arguably the most beautiful beach in Santorini. Toward the north end of the east side of the island, Koloumpos Beach 36.4737N, 25.4208E   is about 6 kilometers away from Oia, and a few nudists are often present at the southern end of the beach, next to a headland with distinctive wavy patterns in the exposed rock face.       The 1982 movie Summer Lovers was filmed mostly in Santorini. Although it was not a commercial success and got mediocre reviews, the movie has developed a cult following, inspiring many a viewer to visit Santorini and far more to daydream about it. The island itself is the biggest star of the film, and Summer Lovers is particularly memorable to naturists for the candid scenes in which Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and the late French actress Valerie Quennessen bask in the buff at beaches full of naked bodies. It is a rare Hollywood film in which nude beach scenes are not used for comedic effect, and it is impossible to watch this movie without fantasizing about Santorini. Vlychada Beach is among the locations that figure into the film. Summer Lovers is a glimpse into a relatively brief period of Santorini's modern history when the island, like a number of other Greek islands, was a cheap destination for youthful free spirits who were inclined to dispense with swimwear at the beach. The '80s were the winding-down phase of that era, and by the '90s the countercultural ethos portrayed in Summer Lovers had been mostly usurped by mass tourism. These days, Santorini is one of those places in the world where the general consensus seems to be "overrun with tourists, but still worth it." Nudity is not a viable option at several beaches that regularly drew naked bathers in the '70s and into the '80s (including aforementioned Red Beach). Alas, Santorini is no longer the naturist paradise depicted in Summer Lovers, and it is unlikely to be regarded as a nude beach destination per se, but if you decide to go there just because Santorini is so impossibly gorgeous, you might as well check out its few surviving naked places. For a window into the island's nudist heyday, take a look at a trailer for Summer Lovers on YouTube.
Syros     MAP     [ ↑ ]
	NUDE BEACHES       Although Syros is a bit smaller than Mykonos in land area, it is the most populated island of the Cyclades, with about 22,000 residents. The population is heavily concentrated in Ermoupoli, the magnificent port town on the east side of the island. Sailing into the harbor of Ermoupoli, a pair of hills comes into view, each crowned by a grand church, with dense clusters of pastel buildings cascading from each church down to the sea. Many of the structures that comprise this colorful tableau are elegant neoclassical buildings dating to the mid-1800's, when Ermoupoli was the most important port town in Greece. It is one of the most architecturally distinctive towns in Greece, exuding a Parisian grandeur atypical of the islands. Although its cosmopolitan aura is rooted in a commercial significance that has faded, Ermoupoli remains quite important as the administrative capital of the South Aegean Islands (the Cyclades combined with the Dodecanese).       While Ermoupoli is unlike any other town in the Cyclades, Syros is not among the top-tier Greek islands for tourism, nor it is notable for its beaches. Still, there are a couple of locations on the island that have a nudist presence. Both are on the west coast, and both are within 10 kilometers of Ermoupoli. Armeos Beach 37.4197N, 24.8741E   is a small stony beach in Galissas that is tucked away beyond the main village beach, and nudity occurs along the entire beach. Armeos is considered the nude beach of Syros and is even publicized as such in local tourist information. Farther north in Kini, there is usually a small nudist presence at Delfini Beach 37.4578N, 24.8991E  , on the opposite end of the beach from the main textile area.