Agios Georgios Alamanou
Limassol, Limassol District, Cyprus
Agios Georgios Alamanou stretches along the coast between the villages of Moni and Pentakomo on Cyprus's Limassol coast, named for the nearby Agios Georgios Alamanos monastery a short distance inland. White chalk rock formations frame the pebbly shore, and campers regularly pitch tents here overnight to fall asleep to the sound of the waves.
A peaceful stretch with real facilities and good camping, though the pebbly terrain and distance from Limassol keep it from being a quick, casual beach day for most locals.
Bring sturdy sandals rather than bare feet. The terrain is pebbly throughout, and the smaller coves further along the coast, quieter still, require a bit of scrambling to reach.
A dirt road leads to the beach from the main coastal route, about 25 kilometers from Limassol, with informal parking near the access point.
The beach itself is reached via a dirt road rather than a paved path, with restrooms and showers on site, though the pebbly shore isn't ideal for strollers.
June through September brings the warm, dry Cyprus summer and the calmest swimming conditions, with camping along the shore most common during those same months.
More Europe beaches
Kedrodasos Beach
Chania, Crete, Greece · Europe
Kedrodasos Beach lies on the southwest coast of Crete, Greece, just over a kilometer past the more famous Elafonissi and separated from it by a low headland that keeps the crowds thinner here. Ancient juniper trees, not the cedars the name suggests, grow right down into the dunes, and the water stays shallow and clear over a stretch of sand more than a kilometer long.
Voulisma Beach
Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece · Europe
Voulisma, also called Golden Beach, curves around the Gulf of Mirabello about 15 kilometers south of Agios Nikolaos on Crete, Greece, backed by a rocky cliff thick with Mediterranean scrub. The turquoise water here is calm enough for kids and shallow enough that it warms up quickly through the summer, and it's fully set up with sunbeds and beach bars for anyone who wants to stay all day.
Nanou Beach
Symi, Dodecanese, Greece · Europe
Nanou Beach sits on the south coast of Symi, Greece, a long stretch of white pebbles reachable only by boat and hidden behind a ring of high hills that keeps it out of view from the rest of the island. A small canteen serves lunch right on the beach, and the water here runs clear enough for good snorkeling and diving just off the shore.