The 4 Most Beautiful Beaches on Ios: A Local's Guide

My grandparents opened the first restaurant in Mylopotas back in 1962. I grew up here, barefoot most of the summer, swimming in the same waters my dad swam in. So when people ask me which beaches on Ios are the best, I don't really think about top-ten lists. I think about where I send my friends when they come visit, and where I still go on my days off.

Ios has more than 35 beaches. Some are famous, some you'd only find if a local pointed you there. This is the short list — four beaches that, together, give you the whole island. The busy one, the famous one, the sunset one, and the quiet one.

1. Mylopotas — The Main One

If you've seen a photo of Ios, it was probably Mylopotas. Golden sand, water that goes from clear to deep blue as you walk in, and a slow, easy slope that's perfect for kids or anyone who just wants to float around for a while.

It's also the most organized beach on the island. Sunbeds, beach bars, watersports — paddleboards, windsurfing, all of it. There's a reason it's been the most popular beach on Ios for years.

What I tell people: Mylopotas has two moods. It's a family beach — calm, easy, beautiful at the start of it, as well as a party zone at the end of it after 6pm. The music gets louder at the beach club and things pick up. Both versions are great. Just pick the one you're in the mood for. But definitely walk from one site to the other and feel the sand changing above your feet as you walk.

How to get there: 1.8 km from Chora. Buses run all day in summer, or it's a 20-minute walk downhill . Most hotels around here are walking distance from the sand.

This is also the beach right outside Methyra. A lot of our guests spend the whole day here and then walk up for dinner once the sun starts going down.

2. Manganari — The Famous One

Manganari is the beach that put Ios on the map. If you've ever seen the movie The Big Blue by Luc Besson, that's where they filmed it. The bay hasn't really changed since.

It's at the southern end of the island — actually five small beaches in a row, in a kind of W shape. There are tavernas and sunbeds, but also there is a completely wild areas. The sand is soft and golden, the water is shallow and calm, and the turquoise looks almost fake against the mountain around it.

There's a place close by that's gone viral on Instagram lately, called Neverbay. Once you see it, you'll get why people drive an hour for one photo.

What I tell people: Manganari is worth the trip. The road from Chora is around 20 km asphalt, and from Mylopotas is 20min less. If you try it in flip-flops on a scooter don't forget sunscreen and also try find Santorinaika is you want the quiet site of it.

3. Koumbara — The Sunset One

Koumbara is where I tell people to go when they ask, "Where to go for wild beauty?" It's only about 5 km from Chora — walkable if you feel like it, 10 minutes by car if you don't. Sandy beach, sunbeds, a couple of beach bars and tavernas behind it.

But the real reason to come to Koumbara is the sunset.

Ios faces west. From Koumbara, you watch the sun drop straight into the sea with the island of Sikinos in the distance. Some evenings the sky turns pink, the water goes copper-coloured, and everyone on the beach just shuts up. It just happens.

4. Agia Theodoti — The Quiet One

If Mylopotas is the heart of Ios and Manganari is the famous one, Agia Theodoti is the one when the weather is not good in the other two.

It's a long, horseshoe-shaped beach on the northeast side, with mountains on both ends. The sand is a bit coarser than Mylopotas, mixed with some small pebbles, and the water is some of the clearest on the island — you can see your feet in five metres of sea. There are two small areas with sunbeds.

Up on the hillside there's a 16th-century Byzantine church — that's where the name comes from. There are also ruins of an old Hellenistic tower and an ancient aqueduct nearby, if you feel like a short walk between swims.

A Few Things I'd Tell a Friend

Get something with wheels. Ios is small but spread out. A car, ATV, or scooter will get you to two or three times more places than the bus will.

Go early or stay late. Midday in July and August is hot. The best hours on any beach are 8–11am and 5–8pm.

The wind matters. When the meltemi blows from the north, the east side (Agia Theodoti, Psathi) gets choppy. The south and west stay calm — so head to Manganari or Mylopotas on those days.