Like most of the coast lines of Greece and its islands, Thasos has many beaches to choose from for visitors and tourists to this island. Some get great reviews online, and Atspas Beach is no exception to this.
Located at the village of Skala Marion (Maries), the drive from Skala Potamia was scenic and beautiful. We noted along the way a few places we wanted to stop at on our return to our rented bungalow, if we had time. Our goal though was to get to Atspas Beach and check out what appeared in photos we had seen, the gorgeous colours of the water at this beach, which is located on a narrow cove, below the village.
Skala Marion (also known as Skala Maries)
Located about 8 KM from Limeneria (the second largest village on the island after Thasos) used to be a fishing port. Today, it boasts of a number of accommodations for tourists including small hotels and apartments, a few small grocery stores, a pharmacy, and other small shops.
From Skala Potamia, we had two choices on how to get there: Drive along the northern coast which would take about 50 minutes, or continue along the southern coast (it’s the same road) and take about an hour. We chose the latter. There were no significant reasons for the choice of our route; it was basically a “let’s go this way and maybe we come back the other way” kind of decision. Ultimately, we didn’t return to our rented bungalow from the other direction as we saw plenty of views and interesting sites that we thought we might want to see further, on our way to the beach.
From the main port of Thasos on the island, Skala Marion is about a half hour drive.
Atspas Beach
The beach is indeed like candy to the eyes when you first view it! The beautiful colours in the sea from above contrasting against the sandy beach and the rocky shore along the side is a beautiful view.
Access to the beach by vehicle is gained by driving down a fairly steep hill, mostly dirt and sand, and then hopefully finding a shaded area to park. By foot, you can simply walk down the stairs from the behind the beach bar that is located above the beach on the main road of the village.
The water is very clear, and we could easily see fish swimming near the bottom, and this makes it a chosen place for those who like to snorkel. We saw a lot of children here, along with their parents, snorkeling in the water.
The sandy beach is long and narrow – so narrow that at the foot of the beach where it meets the sea, there are only 8 sets of sunbeds (two each), sharing an umbrella. When we arrived, the only sunbed and umbrella available was about 8 rows back from the sea. For me personally, it seemed pretty crowded – and that is in a year when tourism levels are at a significant drop! I don’t know what this beach would be like in the middle of summer during a regular year when tourist traffic would be normal.
The photos that I took were taken later in the afternoon, when many of those who were at the beach had decided to leave, probably to go and have their dinner. But earlier, it was quite a bit more crowded.
Sunbeds And Beach Bar
Like many of the beaches in Greece, in order to make use of the sunbeds, you need to have a minimum order of food or beverages from the beach bar that is in control of and maintains the sunbeds. A coffee here cost us about 4 Euros each (if I recall correctly) and two of them met the minimum order. They also brought bottled water along with the coffees.
The sunbeds are quite close together – and the umbrellas, while quaint looking from above, don’t really offer much shade to those who want shade from the blazing August sun in Greece. But indeed their shape and layout makes for a great photo when taken from above the beach:
So if the beach is so narrow and crowded, why do people come to Atspas Beach?
For the beautiful colours of the sea, the fact that the water is very clear, and swimming is great for kids as it’s pretty shallow for a good distance out. Indeed, the colours of the sea at the beach, from above are amazing:
Is It Worth Going To Atspas Beach?
Well, that depends. For me, while I enjoyed the view from above the beach, I was pretty “meh” about both lying on a sunbed, quite a number of rows back from the sea, and swimming at the beach. Don’t get me wrong – it is a beautiful spot, the sand is great, and the beach certainly has charm and beauty – but to spend hours there, I wouldn’t vote for it again.
On the other hand, my companion loved both the beach and the sea here and it didn’t bother her that our sunbeds were so far back from the sea.
Personally, when I return to the island of Thasos, I wouldn’t be against mixing in a visit to the beach for a couple of hours, along with exploring some of the other areas of the island in the area of Skala Marion or beyond. But I wouldn’t want to spend a great deal of time here.
Have you been to Atspas Beach? What’s your opinion? Tell us in the comments below.
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