CalmBeach Greece
Meltemi options
Beaches in Lakonia usually better when the meltemi blows
33 sheltered beaches in Lakonia, oriented away from the meltemi. Check live wind & waves on CalmBeach before you go.
- 33beaches
- 15organized
- 12with photos
The meltemi blows from N/NE, and the split shows up clearly in the data. Of the 69 beaches we have modelled, 34 take no open water toward N/NE; they cluster on the south coast, facing an arc of SE–W. The most reliable of them are listed below. The other 16 sit wide open to it.
The reason is the shape of the coast itself: these beaches have land behind them on the side the wind comes from. They are not necessarily enclosed bays — they simply sit in the wind shadow of the shore opposite.
The trade-off, plainly: the same south coast is open to the opposite wind. On days the wind swings from the south, the shelter reverses and the far side is the better call. So this list narrows the choice — it does not replace the forecast; check live wind and waves on the beach page before you go.
The beaches
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Paralia SimosThe exotic double beach of Elafonisos — Note: it is on the island of Elafonisos, reached only by ferry from Pounta (~10 minutes). A natural, unorganized setting within a protected zone.
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Paralia KotronaThe heart of eastern Mani — Kotronas beach lies in the largest seaside village of eastern Mani, built at the head of a bay, in Lakonia. Pebbles and coarse sand make up the…
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Chalikia VataChalikia Vata: pebbles of inner Mani — Chalikia Vata is a secluded pebble beach in East Mani, on the western shore of the Laconian Gulf, just west of Kotronas. It sits in the bay of…
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Paralia NeratzionaNeratziona: golden sand in Vatika — Neratziona beach lies in the Vatika area, near Neapoli Voion in southern Lakonia. It is a sandy shore of golden sand and shallow water, also known as…
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ItyloOitylo: the bay with a history — Oitylo beach lies in the bay of the same name in East Mani, Lakonia, near Neo Oitylo and Karavostasi. It is a shore of pebbles and coarse sand, below…
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Paralia Selinitsas
A Blue-Flag beach with turtles — A long (~1,400 m) beach ~5 km from Gythio, with fine golden sand and small pebbles, organized (umbrellas, sunbeds, a beach bar) and Blue Flag-awarded.
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PountaThe kitesurf spot facing Elafonisos — A mainland sandy beach, ~350 m across the channel from Elafonisos, with golden sand, dunes and cedars and shallow, warm water — family-friendly. It…
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Photo credits
- Paralia Simos: Stelios tsikas, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Paralia Simos: Stelios tsikas, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Paralia Kotrona: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chalikia Vata: WikiFerDal2020, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Paralia Neratziona: Gminog, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Itylo: Zigomitros Athanasios, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Plytra - Pachia Ammos: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗΣ, CC BY 3.0
- Paralia Valtaki: Leonidas Kourentis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Charakia: Patrice78500, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pounta: Georgios Michalagas, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Karavostasi Itylou: Sotiria Pacharaki, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Paralia Sarakiniko: Angela Stefanoni, CC BY 3.0
- Paralia Trinisa: Zigomitros Athanasios, CC BY-SA 4.0
Good to know
Which beaches in Lakonia may be better when the meltemi blows?
The bays listed here are shielded from the meltemi in the exposure model, so they may be more comfortable when it blows. Local conditions still vary, so confirm wind and waves before you go.
Does this guarantee low waves?
No. Shelter shows which coasts are shielded from a wind direction, not guaranteed calm or low waves. On strong-wind days follow local flags and check live wind and waves in the app.
When is the sea calmest here?
Across 33 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.37 m in June, 0.32 m in July and 0.31 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.38 m in September. August 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 33 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 18.8 °C in May, 22.5 °C in June, 25.7 °C in July, 26.7 °C in August and 25.7 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. In October it is still 23.4 °C — warmer than June. 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.
Open the live map →