CalmBeach Greece
Sandy
Sandy beaches in Ios
16 sandy beaches in Ios: with sand underfoot rather than pebbles. Check live wind & waves for each beach on CalmBeach before you go.
- 16beaches
- 4organized
- 2with photos
Looking for sand rather than pebbles in Ios? These 16 beaches are recorded as sandy, so they are easier on bare feet and better for children playing. Check wind and waves in CalmBeach before you go.
The beaches
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Mylopotas
The river of the mills — Mylopotas lies on the western side of Ios, about two kilometres from Chora, and is considered the largest beach on the island. A long ribbon of fine…
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Manganari
The coves of The Big Blue — Manganari sits at the southern tip of Ios, about 23 kilometres from Chora, and is formed by a series of consecutive coves of fine golden sand.
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Agia TheodotiThe horseshoe below the Byzantine chapel — Agia Theodoti is on the northeastern side of Ios, about 10 kilometres from Chora, at the head of an open, horseshoe-shaped bay of golden sand.
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KolitsaniAccess by car to a small parking area then a ~20-minute downhill path, or by kayak/boat-taxi from Mylopotas. Unorganized.
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Tris Klisies mikri
A secluded beach near Manganari — Access by boat, or by car then a 10-15 minute footpath. Unorganized, with only a few trees for shade.
Photo credits
- Agia Theodoti: Zde, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kolitsani: Thettalos at Greek Wikipedia, Attribution
Good to know
Which beaches in Ios are sandy?
The beaches listed here are recorded as sand rather than pebbles or rock. Shorelines shift with storms and seasons, so the mix can change from year to year.
Does sand mean shallow water?
Not always. Sand describes the shore, not the depth — some sandy beaches drop away quickly. Open a beach to see its recorded depth, and check live wind and waves before you swim.
When is the sea calmest here?
Across 16 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.83 m in June, 1.02 m in July and 1.02 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.91 m in September. June is the calmest month of the season. We calculate these figures ourselves from European Copernicus wave-model data at 4.2 km resolution. They describe the sea offshore, not the shelter of an individual cove — a bay protected by a headland will usually be calmer than this.
How warm is the water, month by month?
Off 16 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 19.0 °C in May, 22.1 °C in June, 23.7 °C in July, 24.4 °C in August and 23.9 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. By October it is 22.0 °C. August is the warmest month. Satellite measurements, 1995–2024, from a sea cell about 5 km offshore; shallow bays usually run warmer than this.
Wind and waves change every day. See live conditions for any of these beaches before you drive out.
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