When looking for island vacation opportunities in Northern Greece, near Bulgaria, most often our eyes are directed towards Thassos and Samothrace. But locked between two of the arms of Halkidiki, Ammouliani (you will also encounter it as Ammouliani) is a great option to experience this invigorating solitude of the pieces of land detached from the water. The easy access and shallow sandy beaches make it a perfect destination for families with children!
Where is located and how to get there
The small island of Ammouliani, with an area of only 4.5 km², is positioned in the calm waters between Sithonia and Mount Athos. It can be reached by ferry from the port of Tripiti, which is more of a deserted pier in the middle of nowhere. For reference – Thessaloniki is 123 km away (2 hours by car), Asprovalta is 65 km away (1 hour), and the nearest border crossing with Bulgaria (Kulata) is 167 km away (2 hours and 30 minutes).
The ferries run on a schedule, which varies depending on the time of year and the days of the week – you can find it on the website HERE. The price in the summer of 2025 was 10 euro per car and 3.50 euro per passenger (free for children under 5 years old). The ships aren’t very large and boarding is relatively quick, with the car entering in reverse and with passengers disembarking beforehand. Tickets are paid for only on site, advance purchase is not possible, and the box office is located on the upper deck. The journey is literally unnoticeable, in 15-20 minutes you are already on the opposite shore!
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Where to stay
Almost every home in the only village of Ammouliani turns into a “hotel” during the summer months! Of course, accommodation options are far from limited to the village. You can find accommodation options all over the island, and even the most remote corners are a 10-15 minute drive from the ferry terminal.
One of the main reasons we had a fantastic time on Ammouliani was our hotel – Trinity The Hotel! A wonderful boutique hotel with extremely friendly staff! From the warm welcome until our last day, they were always very responsive and smiling. Its location is perfect, close to the center of the village, but at the same time away from the narrow streets where parking is difficult during the season. There are still several vacant meadows around it where you can safely leave your car.
The rooms are spacious and stylishly furnished. Our terrace was very comfortable and overlooked the quiet courtyard filled with greenery. They also provided us with a crib for the child, but the most important thing is the impeccable cleanliness. It was cleaned daily! In the morning, a varied and freshly prepared breakfast was served on the shared terrace, which was, to say the least, hearty. It felt like it was made with quality products and everything was very tasty. I rarely save breakfast on our trips, because it’s often nothing special and I prefer to visit local bakeries, but this one is definitely worth it…
See more places to stay in Ammouliani
The beaches of Ammouliani
Undoubtedly, the greatest asset of Ammouliani is its wonderful beaches! Although much of the coast is rugged with inaccessible cliffs, for the small territory of the island there are enough options with soft golden sand and crystal clear waters. The beaches are shallow, and because of its location, between two of the arms of the Halkidiki peninsula, you will almost never see waves. That’s exactly what makes it perfect for kids! We’re not the kind of people who sit on the beach all day. We rather prefer to go in the morning for a few hours and then again in the afternoon. This way we succeeded to be in a different place each time and visit most of the beaches on the island!
💡All prices listed are current for the summer of 2025!
Karagatsia
Surrounded by high green hills that naturally protect it from the wind, Karagatsia is perhaps the most picturesque beach on the island! It gets its name from the elm trees growing around it and is located on the northwestern coast, only about 3 km from the village. The road there is completely asphalted, with a small free parking lot at the end. But even if there is no space on it, the road itself is wide enough to leave your car.
The umbrellas are centrally located at the only establishment, with those on the front line costing 15 euro per set (umbrella and two sun loungers), and the rest are free with consumption – with no minimum required. On each set has a menu with prices – frappe 4.50 euro, beer 3-5 euro, cocktails 10 euro, etc. There is also a fairly spacious free area around them!
At one end is a small “water park” with inflatable attractions in the water, and the other is full of picturesque rocks, perfect for snorkeling. Above them is a narrow path leading to private villas, which I used for a few shots of the entire bay. Karagatsia also boasts fine sand and crystal clear water! Fish were swimming everywhere, and the small pier in the middle served as additional entertainment for the children, who took turns jumping off it.
Agios Georgios
One of the wonderful beaches on the east coast, with a long sandy strip and crystal turquoise waters, is Agios Georgios! The distance from the ferry terminal is again around 3 km, and the last 500 meters are on a dusty dirt road. There are several establishments around the coast that have separate parking lots, but you can also park around the road.
There are plenty of open areas between the umbrellas, but our goal was to visit the beach bar Thalassa Beach House. It turned out that until the last weekend of June, the sets of two sun loungers, an umbrella, a pouf and a chair are completely free! We were able to take advantage of the offer, arriving a day before the prices went up to 30 euro per set. Thursday morning was calm and we settled in on the front line without having to make a reservation in advance.
The staff is very friendly, they act quickly and don’t disturb your peace unnecessarily, and the distance between the individual umbrellas is enough so that you do not invade the personal space of other people. The prices are like most places on the island – the Aperol was 9 euro and they served it with a complimentary piece of nuts.
The beach is shallow enough at the beginning for small children to play safely! Almost in the middle of the strip there are round stones protruding into the sea, which the larger ones climbed. The child quickly found friends and we felt great! We definitely didn’t want to leave…
Banana Beach (Tsaska)
This is the most difficult beach to access by car that we visited! Tsaska, also known as Banana Beach (because of the establishment of the same name located there), is a small bay among dense reeds and olive groves. It is reached by a very narrow and steep sandy road. I usually have no concerns about such routes in Greece, but climbing this one was tough…
Perhaps this is the reason why the main flow of visitors arrives by water. Between 12:00 and 16:00, tourist boats dock, which creates a bit of a commotion and the beach becomes noisy and crowded… So we came in the late afternoon, just as the last ship sailed away, leaving almost the entire beach at our disposal! But the imprint of the large influx was visible in the dirt on the beach. Despite the bar’s efforts to keep it clean, there were quite a few cigarette butts and trash…
Half of the strip is equipped with restaurant umbrellas, for which there is no fee or minimum consumption. The bar is self-service, and the menu is uploaded to Google Maps and you can safely browse it. A frappe costs 3.50 euro, and a small Mythos costs 4 euro. Those from the ships had drunk all the draft Alfa…
The sand is a bit coarser, and there is a lot of underwater vegetation on the seabed, which may not be to everyone’s taste. Seagulls are everywhere, apparently the bay was once theirs alone, but today they have to share it with the vacationers… My overall impression is that the beach is not bad, but there are definitely much better places on Ammouliani!
Megali Ammos
Here is my favorite – Megali Ammos! This is the farthest beach from the village (4.3 km or 12 minutes by car), located in the southernmost part of the island. The coastal road ends next to it and you can park in the meadow between the trees. There are two restaurants, a tavern and a beach bar, which have umbrellas.
We positioned ourselves at the bar – Punto Loco. On Friday morning, we were among the first visitors (at 10 am) and many of the front-line umbrellas around us were never occupied until noon! There is no fee or minimum consumption, and the price for a frappe was 4.60 euro.
The beach is one of the best in northern Greece that we have visited! The sand is a little coarser, but it doesn’t stick to the body easily. The bottom is shallow at first, and shortly after it becomes perfect for swimming. The water is crystal clear and has wonderful turquoise hues!
You can climb the rocks at the end of the strip to enjoy a wonderful view of the nearby Drenia Islands. There is also a small chapel there, adding a colorful touch to the picturesque landscape. Maybe because of its remoteness, but there is a unique sense of tranquility on this beach…
Alykes
Undoubtedly the most popular and crowded beach on Ammouliani is Alykes! There is also a campsite around it, which further increases the number of regular visitors. Several roads lead to it, and I advise you to use the one that runs south of the lake – 2 km or 5 minutes by car from the port.
The sandy strip is widest around Salt Beach Bar – you can park in the large parking lot behind the bar. And now for the beach… there’s definitely a reason why the attendance is so high! Well-groomed, with soft golden sand and shallow azure sea, Alykes is the pearl of the island and is deservedly awarded a blue flag.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and successfully found a free spot on the umbrella area at Salt Beach Bar without having to pay 30 euro – the price of a set during the day (the price varies depending on the summer period, reaching up to 80 euro for the front row). The umbrellas are placed relatively close together and if we weren’t with our friends, we wouldn’t have sat down. And in this case, we met another friendly family and we barely stayed under the umbrella, chasing the kids through the water. Drinks are at standard prices for the island – Aperol 9 euro, draft Mythos 5 euro. They brought us a compliment to both, nuts for the cocktail and chips for the beer.
The area in front of the campsite is quite densely populated with tents and I don’t think they thin out throughout the summer. This was definitely the busiest beach of all the ones we visited on the island, but despite that, the water was spacious and it didn’t feel crowded. If you are a water sports enthusiast, you can rent a kayak, windsurfing board, pedal boat, boat and more. It’s worth visiting, but I recommend coming on a weekday when it might be a bit quieter!
Paralia Glastri
Driving along the east coast, I was impressed by the narrow sandy strip around the road – Paralia Glastri. This beach wasn’t in our plans, but we stopped for a short time. At one end of it is the small bar Tsarki, where you can find comfortable beds with umbrellas – free of charge. The sand is a little rocky, but the water is great! The bottom is again very shallow and perfect for children.
Its main advantage is that it isn’t overcrowded and is very peaceful! Only the cars passing by on the road may at times disturb this tranquility, but the pleasant background music from the bar successfully manages to drown them out. In the immediate vicinity there is a beautiful pier with boats moored there.
Kalopigado
Another beach we stumbled upon unplanned is Kalopigado. It’s located between Karagatsia and Alykes, and is accessible by a convenient dirt road from the village – 1.5 km. I can’t give a specific opinion about the road because we arrived by water! Sailing along the bay, we saw a quiet beach with several boats anchored around it and quickly decided to stop by.
It’s surrounded by green hills with villas perched on them, the number of which is rapidly increasing. Its most distinctive feature is the black sand. It contains clay, which leads some visitors to consider it medicinal and apply it to their skin…
There is one establishment where umbrellas on the front line are charged, and maybe that’s why they were sitting empty. The bay is very shallow, and the sand is fine and soft. If you are looking for a more secluded beach that is not among the most visited, this would be a good choice. The children ran and played in the shallows around the boat without bothering anyone! They also collected sea shells in bizarre shapes from the abundance scattered throughout the beach.
Boat for rent
If you have never tried to drive a boat on your own in Greece, the calm waters around Ammouliani are the perfect place to do so! The experience is truly great and worth it, especially because of the unique feeling of freedom from racing through the waves. This way you will be able to explore the rocky shores of the island and find a deserted beach where you can be alone.
We started the tour west and shortly after Banana Beach we saw several almost deserted sandbars. Because they are difficult to access by land, there are rarely many people on them. But a small beach, with three private umbrellas on it, caught our attention and we immediately headed there. It’s located right HERE, and the umbrellas belong to a vacation property on the hill that has locked them up and is providing them to its guests. However, there were none at the moment and the paradise cove surrounded by rocks was just for us. The feeling is unique… as if you have your own private island! The children run, splash, play… We don’t bother anyone, and no one bothers us! The water has incredible blue hues, and we lie in it and enjoy every minute…
Since our scheduled boat day was Saturday, we wanted to be on the safe side and made a pre-booking with Luxury Boats Ammouliani (you can find other companies on the island that provide this service). They are very responsive, and communication with them is easy and fast! Their office is opposite the ferry terminal and if you are coming from the interior of the island, you can easily park nearby. Before we left, we were given a detailed briefing and given a map with the dangerous rocky areas. The boats are in perfect technical condition, new and clean! They can easily accommodate four adults with two children, and the full-day rental cost us 150 euro. Fuel is paid extra – for the entire tour of Ammouliani and the small islands of Drenia it cost us 28 euro.
Drenia
Located southeast of Ammouliani, the archipelago of six small uninhabited islets of Gaidouronisia (translated as “Donkey Islands”) has become a must-see attraction for tourists! In addition to impressing with their sculpted rock formations and the abundance of colorful shades of the natural lagoon formed between their shores, two of them (Drenia and Penia) also have wonderful sandy beaches where you can comfortably spend an entire day. If you don’t have a boat, you can reach Drenia by daily shuttle or by one of the tourist boats. Both options depart from the port in the village.
We docked first at the smaller of the two, Penia. A completely wild place, with a few trees, a herd of goats and lots of seagulls! I couldn’t figure out whose umbrellas were placed, but I assume they belonged to one of the companies offering tours. Fortunately, they sat neatly locked! Most visitors had pitched tents around their boats and almost the entire strip was free. An absolute paradise for children who ran around freely and chased the birds! Only curiosity to see the other island made us leave this oasis of tranquility…
You have to be very careful when navigating the waters between the islets, as the rich underwater world makes many people drop anchor in the deep and indulge in exploring the seabed. With two 3-year-old children, this was difficult for us to do and we continued on to Drenia. I can’t say it was overcrowded in the afternoon, but there were definitely people. And yet… the atmosphere is relaxing! It has a beach bar, a tavern and inflatable children’s attractions.
The village
Due to its proximity to Mount Athos, the island was originally inhabited by the monks of the Vatopedi Monastery, whose main activity was agriculture. It was not until the 1920s, during the great exodus of Greeks from Asia Minor, that Ammouliani was populated by refugees from the Anatolian coast – Pasalimani, Galimi and Skupia. In the following years, settlement continued with families from Marmara, Izmir, Istanbul and other places. The current permanent population is around 500 people. For a long time, their main livelihood was fishing, and today we can safely add tourism to it! However, due to strict regulations regarding building height and the size of built-up plots, construction on the island isn’t large-scale and there are no large hotel complexes.
Actually… it’s quite difficult for me to describe to you this rural idyll, mixed with island laziness, that exudes the village… Instead of sidewalks, you will see olive trees, purple bougainvillea, colorful oleanders (zokumi) and many other unknown to me, but very colorful plants, typical of the Aegean islands. Almost every winding street leads to the central square! You shouldn’t have high expectations there… just a small village square, with a folklore museum, an old olive tree, and the beautiful church of St. Nicholas.
But it is precisely in this simplicity that the true charm of Ammouliani lies! The network of narrow streets with pretty houses continues in several directions. To the south you will reach a bench overlooking a small pier with a cove and a beach, and to the east to the steps to the rocky shore of Skalakia beach. Both are ideal places for several shot with the orange hues of the sun setting on the other side of the island. And in the distance you can clearly see the outlines of the 2033 m high Mount Athos!
Everything more interesting in the summer happens around the coast! Don’t imagine noisy alleys with nightclubs, but rather a pleasant place for relaxing evening walks. You may find several charming corners, ready to be the backdrop for your photos. And there is always a line around Mr. Sugar’s ice cream, but the wait is worth it!
Places to eat
Here you will not find popular, sophisticated restaurants with impressive views, like on Lefkada, for example… The overall vision of the island doesn’t predispose him. There are several more popular tavernas and family restaurants offering simple but delicious food! On our first day we visited the most famous place on the island – Tzanis, whose owners also own the hotel we stayed at – Trinity The Hotel. The restaurant is located on a terrace above a small bay and focuses on more innovative versions of traditional Greek cuisine. Everything we tried was delicious, and the prices are a bit higher than other places.
If you are looking for the authentic Greek spirit, then head to the central square and the few wooden tables at Lefteris. A casual atmosphere conducive to pleasant conversations over a glass of wine! The portions are small, more like appetizers – tapas-style. The menu is made up of several simple, traditional dishes, but cooked from the heart and, of course, by the skillful hands of Aunt Maria. We chose fried meatballs (divine), fava beans, octopus salad and Greek salad. For all of this, adding ½ liter of house wine, we paid 32 euro!
If you stay until sunset on Alykes beach, there is a very good option for dinner right next to it – Metohi. We received great service, with some of the staff speaking perfect Bulgarian (our language). The seafood was delicious and fresh, the portions were large and fairly priced, and there was a small playground right next to the restaurant.
On our last day and tired from sailing on the boat, we wanted something for a quick bite and more specifically – delicious gyros! Opposite the harbor is ELLINARAS GRILL HOUSE, with a spacious terrace where you can sit and eat with a pleasant view. They are quick to prepare orders, and their gyros are great! And they have cold draft beer…
For a final
It’s certainly not the most impressive Greek island, nor does it have a rich history and sights, but it managed to captivate us… With its casualness, dusty roads, sandy beaches with crystal clear waters and complete isolation. This is exactly what we needed – a family vacation away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Mass tourism is increasingly entering Ammouliani, but it has not yet lost its peaceful island feel…
Useful tips
Is a car necessary
In my opinion – yes. Although the beaches are close to the village, walking to them isn’t convenient. A car gives you the flexibility to visit different places, which is definitely worth it! But there is an alternative – between June 10th and September 15th, a minibus travels between the more popular beaches. The price of a one-way trip is 2 euro, and the exact timetable can be found HERE.
When to visit it
There are several reasons why I consider June to be the best time to visit, but the main one is the tranquility! While Ammouliani used to be a well-kept secret, today the Balkan mix of Bulgarians, Serbs, Romanians, and Macedonians literally floods it during peak season and it becomes very difficult to find something free. And prices are skyrocketing… In June, the water is warm enough, there are still no crowds of tourists and you can have a full vacation!
Prices and payment
Prices are not much different from other places in northern Greece. There are several large supermarkets in the village that sell basic items. Personally, I didn’t expect it, but you can pay by card absolutely everywhere.
Additional equipment
You don’t need water shoes for the beaches of Ammouliani! The sand is fine and very soft. There is no need for any additional equipment, except for everything standard that is taken to the beach. You might want to consider good snorkeling spots if that’s of interest to you.
Is it suitable for children
This is an absolute paradise for families with children, especially younger ones (between 2 and 10 years old)! The beaches are perfect for them, and the village has a large amusement park, a playground, and a bunch of other interesting activities. Mostly families meet on the streets, children quickly make friends and the evenings are spent in peaceful games.
