CalmBeach Greece
Meltemi options
Beaches in Mykonos usually better when the meltemi blows
22 sheltered beaches in Mykonos, oriented away from the meltemi. Check live wind & waves on CalmBeach before you go.
- 22beaches
- 16organized
- 4with photos
The meltemi blows from N/NE, and the split shows up clearly in the data. Of the 39 beaches we have modelled, 22 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 9 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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Psarrou
The cove of celebrities and superyachts — It is home to Nammos, the island’s flagship beach club. A jet-set reputation (the "St Tropez of Greece"), with premium sunbeds and high prices.
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Elia
The longest beach on Mykonos — Often cited as the longest beach on the island: wide golden sand with deep turquoise water, on the south coast that is sheltered from the Meltemi…
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Paragka
The cove next to Paradise — Two sandy coves split by a rocky headland, with golden sand and gentle water (the semicircular shape keeps waves down). Famous Paradise beach is a…
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Platys Gialos
The wide shore and water-taxi hub — The name says it all: "wide shore", a broad sandy beach with shallow water on the south coast. It is the main station for the water taxis that link…
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Photo credits
- Agia Anna Kalafatis: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
- Gymnistiki Paralia Elias: Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Loulos: rene boulay, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tsagkari: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
Good to know
Which beaches in Mykonos 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 22 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.65 m in June, 0.78 m in July and 0.79 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.73 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 22 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 18.4 °C in May, 21.6 °C in June, 23.6 °C in July, 24.4 °C in August and 23.8 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. By October it is 21.5 °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.
Open the live map →