Issos beach

Issos Beach is located on the island's southwest coast and offers everything you expect from a beach and much more. The long sandy beach is surrounded by dunes and in the background are gentle hills, also covered with sand, which give the impression that you are somewhere in the desert and not by the sea. These dunes create a unique and dramatic backdrop, making this beach one of the most visually impressive on the island. Moreover, the beach is several kilometres long and features both unorganized and organized stretches with bars and restaurants.

Issos Beach sand dunes

On the southern part of the beach there are a number of hotels and the associated hustle and bustle. There is also a bus service from the capital which makes the beach easily accessible. If you have a car, there is a large car park about halfway down the beach where you can park your car within 2 minutes of arriving at the beach. This entrance leads to a smaller organized area with one bar, but plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas. The bar serves great mixed drinks, but as far as the food is concerned the offer is weaker.

Issos Beach entrance

It's up to you whether you fold on the sand or on the sun loungers. A full day's rental was only €10 and even the organised part wasn't very full. We can't judge how the southern part, where the accommodations are, was as this part in front of the parking lot was so good we didn't want to go anywhere else and even came back here on our last day.

Issos Beach empty sea

For families with children

Issos Beach is a paradise for families. We didn't actually see the kids all day, as there was a huge inflatable castle in the sea and you had to pay to enter for the whole day. We only paid 5€ per child. The water all around is shallow, so even if they jumped or fell in, they still made it. They enjoyed it so much that we literally had to pull them out of the water to get them to drink and eat, which is not very common with kids. The phrase, "Mommy I'm hungry" is standard once an hour, but here they didn't feel hungry at all. They could jump, crawl, get blown up... Better than an all-day waterpark.

bouncy castle on Issos Beach

bouncy castle on Issos Beach

bouncy castle on Issos Beach

And there's more! The beach offers soft, fine sand, with no stones to be found, and an incredibly gentle entry into the sea. There are no waves, making this the perfect spot for families with young ones, as well as anyone who enjoys relaxing in tranquil waters.

Organized part

Surroundings of the beach

The surrounding desert beckons for walks. All you need are flip-flops because the sand is hot and you can go exploring. Sea on one side, forests on the other and nothing but sand and sandy rocks all around you.

The dunes on Issos Beach are divided into two types: the newer dunes, which are up to 12 metres high, and the older dunes from the Pleistocene period around 10,000 years ago, which are up to 15 metres high.

view of the southern part

If you go further you will come across the "lion rock". If you have seen the fairy tale The Lion King, there is a similar, only much smaller rock on Issos Beach. If you have small children that you can still hold in your arms, this is the most amazing photo opportunity! Get a photo with them as if you were holding little Simba. It'll be absolutely perfect!

Lion's Rock

Together with the neighbouring Halikounas beach, they share Lake Korission, which is part of a protected nature reserve. The lake is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of sand and is an important habitat for many species of birds and other wildlife. You can walk here from either beach, it is definitely worth a visit.

Lake Korission

Unorganized part

Starting from the bar on the left we found a large organized section, while a short distance to the right of the bar a long unorganized section began. This section was devoid of people on both days. We spent the first day there, the second day we stayed in the organized part.

Issos Beach unorganized part