In the latest ranking of Europe’s most beloved seaside escapes, Simos Beach on the Greek island of Elafonisos has claimed its place among the Top 25 Best Beaches in Europe for 2025, and for good reason.

Praised for its dazzling turquoise waters, golden sand dunes, and natural tranquility, Simos Beach stands proudly at number 8 on the list, according to a new report released by Holidu, the holiday rental platform. Based on thousands of Google Maps reviews, this Greek gem earned an impressive 4.8-star rating from over 4,500 beachgoers, solidifying its spot as one of Europe’s most awe-inspiring coastal destinations.

Where the Aegean Sea Unfolds in Technicolor

What makes Simos truly unique is its twin beaches, Megalos Simos and Mikros Simos, divided by a narrow stretch of sand and hugged by softly rolling dunes. The sea here sparkles in surreal shades of green and blue, so clear and calm it almost feels like a natural infinity pool.

Located off the coast of Laconia, in the Attica region, the beach is accessible via a short ferry ride to Elafonisos, a small island that remains largely untouched by mass tourism. This isolation is part of Simos’s charm; it’s a place for sun-soaked solitude, snorkeling in crystalline coves, and evenings watching the horizon melt into the sea.

An Escape Worth the Journey

While some of Europe’s best-known beaches come packed with bars and crowds, Simos offers a peaceful alternative. Visitors come for the sheer beauty and stay for the sense of freedom and space. Behind the beach, fragrant juniper and cedar forests stretch inland, while soft, white sand invites barefoot walks that can last for hours.

Camping is popular there too, for those who want to wake up with the sunrise over the Aegean just steps away from their tent. It’s a rare chance to disconnect and let nature take the lead.

A Greek Highlight Among European Giants

To be listed among iconic coastlines from Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the UK is no small feat. Simos Beach shares the 2025 Top 10 with destinations like Spiaggia dei Conigli in Italy and Barafundle Bay in the UK. Yet Simos brings something truly different: a raw, uncommercialized coastal beauty that feels like discovering a secret.

Mamma Mia! (2008) – Skopelos & Skiathos

No list would be complete without this feel-good musical. Set on the fictional island of Kalokairi, the real filming locations were the lush Sporades islands of Skopelos and Skiathos. Think whitewashed chapels perched on dramatic cliffs (remember the wedding scene?), sun-drenched beaches, and winding cobblestone paths that invite spontaneous singing. Even if ABBA isn’t your thing, the scenery alone is enough to book a ferry.


@loucosporviagem

The Big Blue (1988) – Amorgos

This cult classic by Luc Besson isn't just a story about free diving—it's a deep, meditative ode to the Aegean Sea. Filmed in Amorgos, especially around the iconic Monastery of Hozoviotissa, the film captures the surreal tranquility and mysticism of the Greek islands like no other. The island’s raw, untouched beauty and azure waters have gained a loyal following thanks to the film.


@turigaltravels

Before Midnight (2013) – Messinia, Peloponnese

The third film in Richard Linklater’s beloved trilogy brings Jesse and Celine to the sun-drenched olive groves and ancient stone houses of Messinia, in the southern Peloponnese. It's a quieter, more grounded look at Greece—one steeped in history, conversation, and golden hour light. If you're craving a trip that’s more about connection and less about crowds, this one's your aesthetic.


@nikos.tsiak

The Two Faces of January (2014) – Athens, Crete

A psychological thriller set in 1960s Greece, this film takes you from the majestic ruins of the Acropolis to the sun-bleached alleys of Chania, Crete. If you're fascinated by old-world intrigue and neoclassical elegance, this film paints a rich visual portrait of Greece beyond the islands.


@simytravelphotos

Mediterraneo (1991) – Kastellorizo

This Italian Oscar-winning film is a hidden gem set on the tiny Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo (also known as Megisti). It tells the story of a group of Italian soldiers stranded on a Greek island during WWII, where they slowly fall under the island’s peaceful spell. The film beautifully captures the laid-back pace of Greek island life, with pastel-colored houses, quiet harbors, and a sense of suspended time. A perfect watch if you're looking for something slow, sun-soaked, and soulful.


@nikospar1969

Films do more than entertain—they shape the way we dream about places. They give us moodboards for our own adventures. Whether you're hopping on a ferry to Skopelos, sipping wine in the Peloponnese, or simply rewatching these classics from your sofa, each of these films offers a unique lens on Greece in summer.

This season, let cinema inspire your compass for exploration!

Obsessed for decades by Greece’s unique music, Cade has plunged into Athens like a spring set free. The result, ‘Athens – The Truth’, is a 400-page revelation of aspects of the city unknown not only to tourists but even to many Greeks.

Graham Beattie, publishing guru and widely experienced judge of the Commonwealth Writers Prize, said: ‘I was immediately arrested by the 20-page introduction wherein he explains his fascination with all things Greek.’ Amazon readers have said that the book is ‘absolutely addictive’, ‘charming, critical, and thought-provoking’, and that it ‘makes the reader yearn for Athens’.

‘Athens – The Truth’ is a travel book that often reads more like a novel. As the author unearths the truths of the city, tension develops and the account moves towards a climax. At many points the writer’s love for Greece is obvious, but at other times his criticisms are frank. Whereas other authors appear to have been wary of treading on Greek toes, Cade tells all. 

Here’s part of Cade’s description of a young Greek dancing in an Athens nightclub:

‘No longer dispirited, he rises, lifts a thigh, slaps it too, as if to show determination, and then, gazing upwards, his arms raised, he begins to glide, like an eagle dignified and free upon the winds, maintaining balance while invincibly swooping and swirling above all the challenges of life.’

‘Athens – The Truth’ has been written for anyone who has yet to encounter the true Greece. The author explained: ‘I wrote it not only to help tourists, students, or business people get the most out of Athens, but so that people at home, perhaps with no intention at all of ever actually visiting, can also encounter all those locations, people, and facts which even the most adventurous seem to miss.’

‘Athens - The Truth’ can be ordered online or from bookstores worldwide by requesting ISBN 9780955209031.

An e-book edition is available from Amazon for Kindles, iPads, iPhones, smartphones, and PCs. A second e-book edition has been made available for Nooks, Kobos, Apples, Sonys, and other devices.

Or you can get it from Public here: http://www.public.gr/product/books/english/diafora/athens-the-truth/prod5111007pp/ or from the Book Depository here:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Athens-Truth-David-Cade/9780955209031

Athens - The Truth
Searching for Manos, Just Before the Bubble Burst
by David Cade
406 pages
Paperback Edition: ISBN 9780955209031
Kindle Edition: ISBN 9780955209048
Smashwords Edition: ISBN 9780955209055
Published by Tales of Orpheus

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Cade is a writer and actor based in the Shropshire Hills, England. He has worked in classical record production, schools, universities, and theatre. He studied Drama, Theatre Arts, and Music at the University of Birmingham and has an MA in Linguistics from the University of London. Besides the United Kingdom, he has lived in New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, and the Middle East. The music of Greece is his passion.

RELATED INFORMATION

Author’s website: http://www.davidcade.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AthensTheTruth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AthensTheTruth

Set in Athens, Greece, the Greek Islands and Ithaca, New York, Chasing Athens follows Ava Martin, a heartbroken American expat, whose new husband unexpectedly ditches her after their move abroad. Instead of returning to the States, she makes an abrupt decision to stay. Despite pressure from her mother, uncertainty over her divorce, and issues with her long-estranged father, she’s determined to make it on her own. With her Greek friends, she laughs and learns while facing culture shock, language barriers and the charm of Mediterranean men, until a life-threatening emergency back home in sleepy Ithaca, N.Y., forces her to confront her disappointing past, and forces her to redefine the meaning of home.

“The heroine, Ava, gets thrown into Athenian reality including protests and violent riots. She also gets a taste of the alluring islands and vibrant nightlife.  I want readers to feel what it’s like to live in a tumultuous, culture-rich, ancient yet modern city like Athens,” said Tejada.  “Like many stories about women’s experiences abroad, place takes on a major role. Greece is a strong character in itself. Expat life inspired me and changed my life.”

Chasing Athens sells for $4.99 on the Musa Publishing Web site. It can also be purchased and downloaded from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, all Apple devices and from any vendor that sells e-books. 

About Marissa Tejada

Tejada is also an award-winning journalist who has worked across the United States as a television reporter and anchor in Florida, Washington State and Upstate New York. She has also worked in newsrooms in Los Angeles and London and managed high tech PR in San Francisco. Tejada graduated cum laude from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.

Currently, Tejada is a full-time freelance writer specializing in food and wine, technology and travel writing.  She enjoys blogging for her travel photography blog, my Greece, my travels (www.mygreecetravels.wordpress.com).  She currently lives in Athens, Greece.

You can join her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, Google +, Pinterest, or visit her website at  www.chasingathens.com.

CHASING ATHENS
Musa Publishing  

Release date: April, 25, 2014
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61937-768-4

Price E-Book: $4.99

“The Odyssey” by Homer: In this sequel to “The Iliad,” Odysseus takes the long way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. His ensuing adventures have inspired artists and writers ever since.

“The Alexiad” by Anna Komnene: The Byzantine Empire was renowned for its high level of literacy. So it should surprise no one that the emperor’s daughter wrote this detailed, if not exactly unbiased history of her father’s reign.

“The Greek War of Independence” by Peter H. Paroulakis: This illustrated history is a good and enlightening starting point for anyone interested in learning how the Greeks won their independence from the Ottomans in 1821.

“Collected Poems” by George Seferis: The poet captures the essence of Greece and Greek identity in skillfully-rendered, beautifully-wrought verse. Deceptively simple lines are charged with timeless, powerful emotion.

“Complete Poems” by Constantine P. Cavafy: A complete edition of the Alexandrian Greek poet’s lush, sensual verse appeared in print only after his death.

“Zorba the Greek” by Nikos Kazantzakis: Read the book which inspired the classic film by director Michael Cacoyannis. You’ll be stunned by the violence, lyrical descriptions and the differences between the film and the original text.

“To Lathos” by Antonis Samarakis: This politically-charged novel is perhaps Samarakis’ best-known book about a wrongfully-accused man in a police state. Published in 1965, it was translated into English in 1969 as “The Flaw.”

“Little Infamies” by Panos Karnezis: The author paints vivid, darkly comic portraits of Greek life in his short story collection. Karnezis, who writes in English, has subsequently written two novels with Greek themes, “The Maze” and “The Birthday Party.”

“Eleni” by Nicholas Gage: The book captures the biography of Gage’s mother, a victim of the brutal Greek Civil War. Many Greek villages were consumed by silence after the war, where survivors of torture often lived side by side with their torturers who were never prosecuted for their crimes. Gage’s story is extraordinary, powerful and true.

By Konstantinos Menzel

Greek Reporter