Discover Skiathos’ Best Beaches. The bus is just the beginning. It will willingly drop you off at the Mandraki stop (Stop 21). Then, the driver turns around, closes the doors, and the island takes over. “From here, it’s only on foot,” someone says matter-of-factly. And suddenly, you know they mean it.
A Pine Forest That Teaches You to Slow Down
The path to the sea leads through a dense forest dominated by Greek pines and low Mediterranean maquis shrubland. What caught my eye were the barrels placed along the trail. They aren’t there for thirsty tourists; they are for firefighters. There is a silent agreement here: on your way back, you pour your remaining water from your bottle into them. No signs, just a gesture—a quiet pact between the forests of Skiathos and man.
Wild Mandraki Beach: When the Forest Parts
After a thirty-minute hike, the space suddenly opens up, and Mandraki Beach appears so abruptly that you feel the urge to check if you just imagined it. In that moment, you understand the difference between natural uniqueness and commercial tourism. No music, no stalls. Just sand, the sea, and a wind that offers nothing but gives everything.
I strip off my gear and hang it on pieces of driftwood—improvised hangers made by the locals. Functional, beautiful, and designer-free. Jumping into the sea is divine—not metaphorically, but physically.
A Jungle Trail You Must Earn
I tried to reach the headland directly from the beach, but I couldn’t push through. It wasn’t until I spotted a faint path in the thick “jungle.” Surrounding Mandraki and Elias beaches is an almost impenetrable barrier. This isn’t your average forest; it’s a dense Mediterranean “jungle” made of Aleppo pines and extremely thick maquis vegetation. The shrubs grow so closely together, interwoven with sharp branches, that without a machete or an official trail, you stand no chance. This very isolation saved the beaches from mass development—the terrain is simply unconquerable for heavy machinery.
The trail isn’t there for everyone to find; it’s there for those who deserve it. You walk in the shade and catch your breath for a while until the path spits you out onto a small meadow and the sand dunes of Mandraki Elias Beach. If you wade through the sand to the very end, you’ll discover a parking lot and, beyond it, the small Agistros Beach.
Why Does Elias Beach Have the Best Waves?
Unlike the calm beaches in the south, Elias Beach is exposed to the direct northern wind known as Meltemi. Thanks to the specific slope of the sea floor, the waves don’t break far from the shore; instead, they gain power and roll in full glory directly onto the sand dunes. If you’re looking for the true sound of a stormy Aegean Sea and sea foam on the shore, you’ve come to the right place. Mandraki and Elias definitely rank among the most beautiful beaches on Skiathos.
Here, nobody cares about swimwear. The practical FKK (nudist) approach allowed me to keep my own trunks dry, which is a plus. It’s not about nudity; it’s about freedom. Suddenly, you have nothing to hide—from the sea or yourself. And everything just moves differently.
Koukunaries Wetland
The final touch of the day. The journey back via the ST14 trail was great for views and reflection, though a bit tedious. It wasn’t until the steep descent back to the bus stop that my legs let me know they had their own opinion about the day’s work. As a bonus, I added a loop around the Koukunaries Wetland nature reserve. It’s a place that speaks a different language: peace, flat paths, and silence. A perfect full stop to a day that had more sentences than periods.
Koukunaries Wetland is a freshwater gem in a salty world. This wetland is a protected site, and its uniqueness lies in being a rare brackish ecosystem (a mix of salt and fresh water). It is home to over 200 bird species and unique black swans. What is truly fascinating, however, is the adjacent Stone Pine forest growing directly on the sand dunes. It is one of the few such forests in the entire Mediterranean, where the trees literally “drink” water from the wetland while simultaneously anchoring the dunes.
The Reality of Skiathos Transport
A tip from Greek practice: Check the bus schedules, but don’t rely on them. The quirk of local transport is that if a driver decides there aren’t enough passengers, they might simply skip the trip or wait indefinitely. This happened to us at the Evangelistria Monastery, but that’s another story. Still, with sand in your shoes and the forest in your head, you eventually find your way onto that bus.
Local Tip: If you wanna find Skiathos’ Best Beaches during the high season, buses run very sporadically to the famous Aselinos Beach, with a stop at a local monastery. The result? Beautiful views. The monastery is closed. The way back is nowhere in sight.
