Reordered anticlockwise from NW round via S to NE
Rio / Rion
Rio is 7 Km N from Patras. The beach is after the Porto Rio Hotel. You're passing Porto Rio's beach (on foot and direction to Patras) and after the bushes there is the beach that you can swim nude.
(Can anyone spot the bushes? Perhaps these directions pre-date the bridge…)
Kalogria (Madona)
As you arrive at Kalogria facing the sea, on your right hand there is a small hill. You pass the hill and there is a wonderful sandy beach where you can swim nude. It's name is Madona, probably because of a graffiti on the wall of the ruins that kind of mark the beginning of the path that leads to the beach. Though the path is not a difficult one, it is slippery and one should be careful. It is a very nice beach which is mostly occupied by gay males. Sometimes there are clothed couples or families, and rarely mixed nudist couples. The beach is quiet and idyllic, away from the noisy music at the main beach, and the sea bed is fine sand with a very gentle slope.
A visit in June 2009 found the path appropriate only for those very fit.
Kalogria (Southern part)
The southern part of Kalogria beach offers the most opportunities to enjoy nature. The naturist section begins a few hundred metres' walk away from the parking space ("A" on the map above). The beach is very long and has space for everyone. Even during weekends you can be completely alone, provided that you are willing to walk a bit longer. There are no facilities at the beach, so provide for yourself. On the back of the beach there are sand dunes and a wonderful pine-tree forest which you can explore nude. The sand is fine and the water is clean, though there is some litter washed out by the sea from time to time. If it wasn't for this, it'd be a five star naturist beach.
Zaxaro (Zacharo)
There is a beach at the thermae of Kaiafa on the west side of Peloponnisos, 5 minutes from Zaxaro. It is an enormous sandy beach just in front of the railway station of Kaiafa. There is a small forest on the beach where free camping is practised. The beach is so long that can never be crowded. Anyone who wants to practise nudism will surely find a place to do so, especially on the left side as you watch the sea. the day my contributor was on the beach (August 2002) were 6 people, all nude, at a distance of about 100 metres.
Kalo Nero
On the west coast of the Peloponnese, some kilometres north of Kyparissia, there is the village called Kalo Nero (= beautiful water). with an immense and large sandy beach on the south and the north. From about 2 km on the north of the last houses the beach is nearly deserted for distance of more than 5 km. Even on Sundays in August there were not more than 20 persons on this immense beach, that is ideal for nude bathing and walking. No sun loungers, parasols, tavernas or anything like that. My contributors enjoyed it a lot and will come back!
Romanou / Romanos
My correspondent, who visited in June/July 1998, says Romanou is a very small town north of Pilos on the Peloponnese. The beach is easy to find. Just drive into the village, follow the sign to the beach. Near the sea there is on your left hand a parking place, keep on riding. Follow the sand road as far as you can. At the end of the road you find a beautiful long beach. The beach is visited mainly by Greek men. There is some cruising of gays in the dunes behind the beach.
Another Barefooter, visiting in late April 2010, reports that, perhaps because of the last sentence, an environmental catastrophe has been perpetrated on this beach. From end to end the vegetation on the dunes has been flailled and the whole mixture of sand and fibres regraded by excavator, so that until it (re)consolidates, it is even difficult to walk on it (especially barefoot!). Only one incongruously small patch of bamboo has escaped out of what must be a good number of hectares so treated. A large development on the north side of the river (on what the G Map currently shows as a bare, brown expanse) must be blamed for this. So, don't go there until things have settled down a bit.
Instead head south from the little horseshoe rowing-boat harbour (you will have to leave your vehicle there) to the next bay, which is almost as large, with high dunes at the back and a modest formation of palm sunshades below the trees that you come to first. When I asked one of the men putting out the loungers about nudists, he said "Yes, nudists" and smiled… There are other delightful, smaller bays beyond, past Petrochori (a very minor hamlet), with offshore rocks to keep the swell down, but at the time of visiting there was no-one there…
Voidokoilia
According to the Gialova tourist leaflet this beach was voted by the New York Times as one of the world's 10 best beaches. On two visits in April 2010 there was a very relaxed air with both textile and naked sunners - the former predominate. Definitely worth the difficulty in finding your route to get to it, but at least it can be seen from afar, as the gap in the range of coastal hills. It is backed by a big lagoon of murky water which is also a good landmark. There are more plants, birdlife and archaeology than you can shake a stick at. Zero facilities unless you count the carpark near the north end. The aerial view shows what seems to be a secret beach within the northern headland cliffs - another report on this would be welcome.
From a visit during a weekday in late May 2010: 2 - 3 nude couples on the southern side of the beach.
Click here for some photos
Divari and Bouka (Golden Beach)
Close south of Voidokoulia (to which there is a well-trodden path round the shore of the lagoon), these form the entire north shore of the Bay of Navarinon, with access from a tarmac, later dirt, road mostly within 50 metres of the shore behind small trees and evergreen bushes. There are many delineated parking nooks and a bigger carpark where there is a seasonal "cantina". With more than 2 km of beach, there should be little difficulty in finding a spot for bathing au naturel but it probably gets extremely popular at all the usual times. The beaches are sand and the water shallow, with a small wreck to snorkel about. (April 2010)
Finikounda
There are three lovely beaches in Finikounda. The one on the Methoni side is the longest. There are three points of entry to the beach. My contributors visited in August 2002. They used the turning off the main road furthest away from Finikounda. They entered the beach and walked back towards the town. Here there was a stretch where there was always a group of nudists well spaced out on a great stretch of golden sand. Textiles walked by but were not intrusive. It was a very relaxed spot.
Other Barefooters visited during 2007. They found the beach quite easily but came in from Finikounda end, found it a long walk along the beach, which was made of very gritty sand and was hot in the heatwave. On arriving at the area we found three couples and a few gazebos, and lots of young Greeks walking up and down. But the wind spoiled their visit - they had a good run on the hot sand to retrieve their brolly. They felt they had been to better beaches.
Zaga (Zanga) beach
Zaga beach is the beach in the little town of Koroni. It's a very long beach but not crowded at all. If you walk along the beach to the middle there are good opportunities to be nude. Barefooters who were there in June 2007 sunbathed and swam nude all the time. When they took off their swimsuits others did too. There were about five people more. No one stared when they walked along the beach. Lovely sandy beach with trees for shade.
near Kalamata
A correspondent staying in Kalamata in early May 2010 found a definite shortage of nudist beaches in the district. However there is this short section of the coast within easy cycling distance to the southeast, which seems to have definite possibilities. It is just north of Mikri Mantinia, but the name for these coves was not found. From Kalamata take the main road south, then the right fork towards Kitries. In less than 3 km you come to the Akti Taygetos Hotel complex on both sides of the road. 100 metres beyond the end of their blue railings there is a pedestrian crossing at the foot of a road, Odos Antheon. You can park there and go down steps (on both sides of the main road) into a ravine which gives access to the beach. If you go left you soon come to a bay about 100m long, beyond which there is the prominent concrete buttress for a house above (they don't seem to look). Beyond this is the wide open public beach of the village to the south (yes, tavernas) where nudity is rare, although sometimes possible. All the beaches are pebbles, gravelly near sea level, and sand after a few feet out, so comfortable for barefoot swimming. Further information as to the local name for these beaches would be welcome.
Trahila
Take the street from Agios Nikolaos and Agios Dimitrios to Trahila in the region called Exo Mani and pass (south) through the small village of Trahila. About half a km later (the road is now a stony track) you find on your right cliffs with dressed and naked bathers (50% to 50%). The water is very clean and nice but there is few space for taking sun.
On a visit in May 2010, there was no-one visible there and no apparent way down the cliffs, which are of a rather loose conglomerate rock and overhanging up to 20 feet in places. You need local knowledge and/or considerable determination to bathe here. Trahila is an excellent place; visitors are so rare (being at the end of the road), the locals will go to no end of trouble to make you welcome.
Vathi Gythiou
A very beautiful beach in Gythio 10 minutes SW of Mavrovouni beach. There is a camping site there named "Porto Ageranos". A report says that on the left of the camping site, as you arrive there is a river that goes in to the sea and the possibility of free camping and nudism.
Unfortunately, a depressing report reaches the Captain. There are two camping sites: "Porto Ageranos" on the beach's southern end near the Hotel "Belle Hélène" and "Kronos" on the centre of the beach near the little river. "Porto Ageranos" is deserted, "Kronos" chaotic and quite dirty. North of the little river there is about 1 km for naked beach life. My contributors and their Greek and Italian friends (3 couples) frequented this beach once a year since 1994 in July. What they found in 2000 was the worst yet: a real dust-bin with hordes of free running dogs, voyeurs, men masturbating in the dunes and in the water, men coming close to you taking sun in a distance of 10 metres showing their erections. Once a lovely place, Vathi Gythiou is degenerated from year to year. The Captain deplores this kind of behaviour - it is not what naturism is about and gives ordinary naturists a bad name.
A visit in June 2009 found no improper behaviour in several visits. A shorter walk to the nudist area is possible by taking the left turn where a road approaches the central area: the left turn looks like the main road on the map, but not on the ground.
Report from a visit during a weekday in late May 2010. There were 3 naturist couples. Apparently the naturist part is towards the northern end of the beach which is quite challenging to reach by car. The pictures:
Click here for some photos
Mavrovouni beach
A beautiful sandy beach, length 6 km, situated 3 km outside Gythio town, in southern Peloponnese, in Laconia the distance is 3 hours drive from Athens. There are 3 camping sites "Meltemi", "Gythion Bay" and "Mani Beach". The beach is easily accessed. On its one end near the rocks it's completely isolated and reportedly ideal for nudism.
A visit in June 2009 found no part of the beach isolated, but a walk along the whole beach would probably have produced a spot where nudism was possible.
Kodili beach
This seems to be it on Google Maps
This beach is outside (about 1 km) of a small port called Vivari. This port there is half way on the road from Drepano Nafplioy to Iria (about 10 km from Nafplion/Argolida). When you are in Vivari you can see a cape on the left side of the bay with a white chapel (probably Agios Nicolaos) on the tip of it. Close to this cape is the naturist beach. To reach it you follow the road along the coast in the direction of Iria. The road goes up and after about 3 kilometers on the highest point there is a turn-off. There is a sign with "Kodili beach" on it. By the way you have a magnificent view from here over the bay of Argos, peninsulae in front of it and the high mountains of the Peloponnese behind it. It is an asphalt road which goes down until the beach. The beach is in fact divided into to parts by a hill, which foot just touches the water. The road arrives on the right part, which is about 300m(?) wide. Here are two bars. The left part seems to me the part most suited for naturism. You must climb over rock for a few metres. It's a big beach but most of it is pebbly.
Another beach nearby is reported (see on Google Maps). After 1 km from the turn to "Kodili" and before a small bridge, you can see, on your right, a village house with pine trees and rails around it. There you turn right on to small road with half-asphalt for the first 50 metres and then unsurfaced until the end (not so bad). At the end there is said to be a very big beach suitable for nudism. However there much shingle both on the beach and for two metres while entering the water. The water is not clear. Once you have passed the shingle you can swim quite well although there are many rollers. Overall, my contributors do not think it is a really exciting beach. But you are quite alone : not more than a few couples.
Here are the above two beaches again in a more recent, amplified report:
From Nafplio, follow the main road east. The road is the one to Ligourio and Epidaurus, but the main signs say "Tolo" - the important thing is that it’s the main road out of Nafplio which isn't the one which goes north to Argos! (There are only two major roads out of Nafplio.) 2 miles/3km outside Nafplio take the right fork signed "Tolo", then 1.5 mile/2km later fork left for Drepano and Iria. Turn left (east) when you get to the T-junction in the middle of Drepano about 2.5 miles/3.5km further on. Another mile or so brings you to the little fishing village of Vivari. The road then climbs up the hillside (Taverna Exedra a few hundred metres out of the village has a wonderful set of outdoor tables perched on a platform built out from the cliff with a beautiful view of Vivari and its little gulf - recommended! - GPS waypoint N 37 32' 10", E 22 55' 24"), and starts winding round the contours. Go past "Lefka Beach Camping", and right at the top of the hill there's a shack and a right turn (GPS waypoint N 37 31' 59", E 22 56' 04"). You report this as an earth road, signed "Ag Nikolaos-Kandili", but it has now been tarmacked all the twisty way down to the beach, and is signed "Kodili" - we saw no mention of Agios Nikolaos.
Unfortunately, the cutting away of the hillside involved in producing a full-width roadbed meant there was a lot of stony debris in parts, giving one the choice of driving on the outside of the (unfenced) road or risking the underside and tyres (by now this problem might have eased). The road ends in the middle of the beach, by two large wooden structures which are presumably high-season bars, but were empty when we were there at the very beginning of June 2001. One can drive along the very good stony surface behind the beach proper to either end of the gently curving bay - around 500m total. The south-eastern end has a little rocky outcrop one can clamber over or wade round, giving access to another few hundred metres of beach. All the beach is a mixture of pebbles and coarse sand, with a fair bit of rock and stone underwater in some areas, particularly the stretch beyond the south-eastern end of the "car park". The day we visited was a Saturday, and there were quite a few people around, although certainly no crowds. But not one was naked. And while they were spaced out, particularly at either end, the spacing was never enough for one to be able to get into a large gap and strip comfortably. So we put on cozzies, had a very pleasant dip, and went elsewhere.
Instead of turning off to Kondili, we recommend staying on the road for another mile. As it flattens out, there are several houses on either side of the road, with pines and other trees. Just as you say, this is a hundred metres before a bridge, and there's a part-tarmac dirt track off to your right along the boundary wall for the first house on the right - there was a 'P' painted in red on the stone corner of this wall when we were there (GPS waypoint of turn-off N 37 31' 41", E 22 57' 23"). Our advice is not to follow the track all the way. After about 100m, take a left turn by a large eucalyptus tree, go past another track heading off to your right and a whitewashed wall on your left, then follow the track round to the right and go all the way to the end - there's room for several vehicles to park there (turn round when you arrive, just in case). The original, western, track is rather longer and less kind to the tyres and suspension, although there is a large rough parking area at its end (don't try the middle track, it's very narrow in parts, and it is very easy to end up blocking access for the farmers who live and work there). If you use the easier eastern track, turn right when you get onto the beach, turn left at the beach if you used the western track.
Between these two points (GPS waypoints N 37 31' 09" E 22 57' 14" and N 37 31' 12" E 22 56' 08" respectively) is an area a few hundred metres long used by naturists - they seem to cluster round the point where the middle track comes out onto the beach. There's less sand here - unless the sea is very calm in which case a narrow strip appears right by the water's edge - and the underwater is almost entirely stones and rock, so plastic sandals are recommended for avoiding scratches and sea-urchin spines. Non-naturists use this beach too, although there are rather more of them a bit further east by the two tavernas of Kandia beach (again, recommended).
A few miles further on again a new tourism area is being developed at Iria Beach - two or three miles of gravelly sand with the 200m strip between sand and road being infilled with villas, campsites and apartments (see here on Google Maps. The limited beach nudity we and a few others enjoyed seemed to be unremarked and accepted. Not the greatest CO beach ever, but certainly pleasant and worth a visit if you are in the area. There's even a few trees providing natural shade if you get there early enough to grab them, and the views across to the islands of Platia and Psili are good - if the air's reasonably clear you can see Astros on the other side of the Argolikos Gulf.
