Agioi Anargyroi Beach

Agioi Anargyroi is the largest bay on Spetses and, by some distance, the one that ends up in the brochures. It is a wide crescent on the south coast, backed by pine and low hills, with a long shoreline of coarse sand and fine pebble and water that goes from pale green in the shallows to a proper deep blue further out. At the western end, in the cliff, is the Bekiris cave.

If you have one beach day on the island and you want the classic Spetses beach experience, this is it. If you want quiet, read the honest section below carefully and then go to Zogeria instead.

The Bekiris cave

The cave at the western end of the bay is the thing that makes this beach more than a beach. It is a sea cave in the rock, reached by swimming or by scrambling over the rocks along the shore, and inside it opens into a chamber where light comes through an opening above and turns the water an odd luminous colour.

The name is local and the story attached to it is that Spetsiots sheltered inside during the war of independence, which is entirely plausible given the geography and which nobody on the island will argue with. Whether every detail of the version you are told is documented history is a different question, and we would take the specifics lightly.

Practicalities matter here. The swim in is short but the entry involves rock, the interior is dark, and in any swell it becomes genuinely unpleasant and slippery. Go on a calm day, go with something on your feet, take a small torch if you have one, and do not take small children in unless the sea is flat. There is no supervision and no handrail.

What is genuinely good

The size. This is the one beach on Spetses where there is enough shoreline for everybody to have some space, at least outside the peak fortnight. On an island of small coves that is a real thing.

The sand. It is closer to actual sand than anywhere else here, and shallow enough at the eastern end for children to stand up in, which makes it the sensible family choice on Spetses.

The services. A taverna and a bar, loungers, and water sports gear in high season. You can arrive with a towel and get through a whole day, and the bay’s shape shelters it from the northerly meltemi so it stays swimmable when the wind is up.

And now the honest part

It is the busy one. Every water taxi, every beach bus and every moped on the island converges here in August, and by late morning the loungers run the length of the usable sand and the free towel space is squeezed. The photographs that made you want to come here were taken at eight in the morning or in May.

The loungers are not cheap and there is little shade that is not attached to a paid parasol. The pine sits behind the beach rather than over it.

Sunbeds and the pedalo trade dominate the good stretch. If you want an unspoilt cove, this is the wrong beach and we will not pretend otherwise. That is what Zogeria is for.

Facilities are seasonal. Outside July and August, opening is patchy and by late autumn you may find nothing running at all. Bring water either way.

Boat traffic. Excursion boats and private tenders come in and out of the bay constantly through the day, so the water near the middle is not somewhere to let children swim unsupervised.

Getting there

Water taxi from Dapia is the usual choice, and there are frequent runs to this bay in season because it is the main destination. Agree the fare on the quay and confirm the return.

The seasonal beach bus serves the south coast including this bay in summer, with the service thinning right down outside the high season. Ask at the harbour on the day rather than relying on a printed timetable.

By moped or bicycle it is around eight kilometres on the ring road, covered in more detail on our cycling the coast road page.

The plan we recommend

Arrive early, do the cave first while the water is flat and before the boats arrive, swim, and eat at the beach. Then leave by mid-afternoon before the return crush and take the long way back round the coast. If you would rather see the cave and the whole south coast without committing a full day to one bay, take a trip around the island by boat, which stops here anyway.