CalmBeach Greece
Meltemi options
Beaches in Lesvos usually better when the meltemi blows
32 sheltered beaches in Lesvos, oriented away from the meltemi. Check live wind & waves on CalmBeach before you go.
- 32beaches
- 9organized
- 6with photos
The meltemi blows from N/NE, and the split shows up clearly in the data. Of the 62 beaches we have modelled, 32 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 20 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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Agios Ermogenis
Essentially wild/semi-organized: no organized sunbeds, but with WCs, changing booths and showers, and a seaside fish taverna. It is named after the…
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Vatera
One of the longest beaches in Greece — Golden sand with shallow, gentle water and an easy entry — well suited to swimming and families — on the south coast. The sandy shore runs roughly 8…
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Charamida niseliThe hidden pine cove just before Haramida — Niseli is a small beach just before Haramida, on the southeastern side of Lesvos, near Mytilini. It is also known as 'Karpouzi', after the cantina of…
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Charamida
The pebbled shore with the dunes and tamarisks — Haramida lies on the southeastern side of Lesvos, about 14 kilometres south of Mytilini, near the entrance of the Gulf of Gera. It is one of the…
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Agios IsidorosColourful pebbles near Plomari — A pebble beach (with rocky patches) at both shore and seabed, one of the longest on Lesvos, famous for its colourful pebbles. It is named after a…
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MolyvosA swim below the medieval castle — Fine dark-toned pebbles at the shore that turn to a sandy seabed once you wade in a little; shallow, gentle water. The distinctive part: you swim…
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Photo credits
- Charamida niseli: George Georgitzikis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Charamida niseli: George Georgitzikis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Podaras: Lesvosreisen GmbH, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Molyvos: Anasimelia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tsafi: phovos, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Vatrachia: Jordan Kapantais, CC BY-SA 4.0
Good to know
Which beaches in Lesvos 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 32 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.46 m in June, 0.52 m in July and 0.52 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.51 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 32 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 18.7 °C in May, 22.0 °C in June, 23.4 °C in July, 23.7 °C in August and 22.6 °C in September — mild at the height of summer, mild in June. By October it is 20.8 °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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