Agali Beach Folegandros

Spectacular Agali Beach Folegandros is one of the island’s largest beaches and its most popular one. It’s well connected to transportation, the island’s walking trails, sailing routes, and has bars and tavernas. Here’s an in-depth guide to Agali Beach Folegandros to help you plan your Folegandros vacation and your days (or days) at beautiful Agali Beach.

In a hurry? the best place to stay on Agali Beach is hands-down the Blue Sand Boutique Hotel & Suites Agali Beach.

Why Choose Agali Beach?

🏖️ There are many stunning and secluded Folegandros Beaches, but Agali is a proper beach hub, where many of the island’s trekking trails converge.

🏖️ It’s a departure point for boat excursions and a starting point for hiking to nearby beaches.

🏖️ It is also one of the very few beaches with taverns and cafés, (some) natural shade, direct road access, local bus links to Chora and proper parking area, boat trips, beachfront accommodation, and a church with its feast day.

🏖️ But at least as important as all that is its aqua-green clear waters and fine sand.

How to get to Folegandros Island

Folegandros is the perfect Cycladic island to visit during the very busiest months of the European summer.

It’s a welcome escape from the craziness of Mykonos, the crush of tourists in Santorini, Corfu, Paros, and Rhodes, and is even more laid back than their Cycladic neighbors, Naxos, Milos, and Tinos.

Most visitors to Folegandros take the ferry from Athens or a nearby island where there is an airport.

⛴️ I always use Ferryhopper to book my ferry tickets as their customer service is terrific, I like their management team, and their prices are as low as you can get.

Always book ferries as early as you can because, like airlines, the prices go up as the time between booking and departure shortens.

🚁 There’s no airport but there are many helicopter transfers from Athens to Folegandros and from popular Cyclades islands including Paros to Folegandros, Santorini to Folegandros, Naxos to Folegandros, Milos to Folegandros, and Mykonos to Folegandros.

Location

Agali comes from the Greek word for a hug or embrace, indicating a bay protected by encircling hills that shield this beach from the winds. You may also find the alternative spellings of the beach under Angali or Agkali.  

Agali is located on the southwest coast of the island, 3.1 miles away from the Folegandros Chora. You can reach the Agali beach from Chora by foot, local bus, car, or scooter.

How to get to Agali Beach

🚗 By Car

🚗 Folegandros is a very easy island to drive around; there is only one 11-mile-long asphalt road that connects its three villages – Karavostasis (port), Chora (Folegandros town), and Ano Meria.

🚗 Limited traffic and no sharp turns make the island suitable even for novice drivers, while rental cars and scooters are new and well-maintained.

🚗 For Agali Beach, just follow the main road westbound, leaving Chora behind you. After 5 minutes, a well-indicated sharp left will take you on a steep concrete road leading you directly to Agali Beach.

🚗 Free parking is to your right-hand side, on a small field offering limited natural shade. Scooters could be taken all the way to the beach.

🚌 By Bus

🚌 Local comfortable air-conditioned buses connect Chora and Agali Beach around 10 times a day, starting from mid-morning until 11 pm.

🚌 The bus takes no more than 15 minutes and a one-way ticket is €3. Schedule and tickets are available online, although you can buy the ticket from the driver too.

🚶🏾‍♀️ Walking

Folegandros is famous for its rugged terrain and spectacular Aegean vistas. These views are best enjoyed while trekking its 5 hiking trails, three of which 3 pass through Agali Beach.

From Chora, it takes about an hour’s hike to Agali Beach.

Along the way you’ll see a small path leading southeast that will bring you to Fira Beach, a small secluded cove with unique sunset views during the autumn months.

Route No. 2 (Ano Meria – Livadaki – Agali – Chora), No. 3 (Chora-Agali-Chora) and No. 5 (Chora – Stavros – Agia Paraskevi – Ano Meria (Theologos) pass through Agali Beach.

Access to Agali Beach

Once you’ve arrived via the steep downhill road, you’ll find that Agali Beach is a wonderful flat cove with fine white sand, and big enough to welcome even the high-season crowds (although during August it can indeed get busy, so it’s best to arrive early to secure a nice spot).

The access is a wide and flat surface, making it comfortable even for people with additional mobility requirements. There are no ramps or sea access facilities, however, for those with limited mobility.   

Facilities around Agali Beach

Agali Beach is a sandy natural retreat, so no facilities (sunbeds, umbrellas, beachside bar service) are provided along its length.

The super calm turquoise waters of Agali are crystal clear, with great visibility and smooth fine sand, so you won’t need protective reef shoes.

The whole bay is sheltered from the fierce Cycladic winds by the surrounding cliffs, making Agali Beach perfect for sunbathing and swimming all day long. This is not common on Cycladic islands!

TIP: Agali Beach is not the best sunset-watching spot as the sun disappears behind the hills long before dusk. Best leave around 19:30 pm for a cold beer in the Sunset Tavern in Ano Meria for special sundown vistas. Alternatively, hike to Fira Beach for equally nice sunset views.  

Where to have Breakfast on Agali Beach?

Agali Beach and its surrounding coves are usually a full beach day, so you might want to skip breakfast and leave early to get the most of the day, and also find a good spot before the crowds show up.

In that case, I recommend grabbing a beautiful fresh beachside breakfast option at either Perigiali or Amoudaki bars.

Fresh juices, Greek yogurt bowls, and various omelet options are always coupled with unsurpassed Greek cold coffees – freddo espresso or cappuccino.  

You will find them both to your left-hand side, just meters from the sandy beach.

Where to go for Lunch on Agali Beach?

One of the best parts of the Greek beach experience is the midday taverna lunch, where you get away from the scorching sun and into the welcoming shade of tavern balconies.

It is a long lunch, best enjoyed after a long swim with a bunch of friends and before an obligatory beach nap afterward.

Agali Beach has plenty of lunch options to choose from, but these are my favorites:

Psaromiligkas tavern – a family-run tavern tethered to the edges of the right-hand side cliff, with amazing Greek home-style food including fresh fish, seafood, and mousakas or pastitsio too.

It has the best view of the Aegean Sea stretching uninterrupted from Agali all the way to the Crete.

Taverna Agkali – a beautiful taverna where some of the tables are on the sand, so you feel like you’ve never left the beach.

Tip: if you’re worried about tipping in Greece – where, when, and how much – here’s a complete guide to all you need to know to be an expert on tipping in Greece: Tipping in Greece – the Complete Guide [2023]

Despite being one of the most popular beaches on Folegandros, Agali does not have a mini market. Nevertheless, it has just enough amenities to keep you happy for the whole day.

Where to Stay at Agali Beach

Although many of the best hotels are in Chora, some lovely beachside guest houses and rooms to rent are available in Agali. You won’t find 4 and 5-star resorts, but these 3-star stays are good quality and value.

Getting to other Folegandros Beaches from Agali Beach

🏖️ Agios Nikolaos Beach and Livadaki Beach

Agali is a departing point for scheduled boat trips dropping you off on many other beaches of Folegandros, mainly Agios Nikolaos Beach (€3 one-way, 5 minutes) and Livadaki Beach (€6 one-way, 15 minutes).

Both beaches are a proper seaside paradise with fewer people than Agali Beach and with amazingly clear waters.

TIP: These relaxing boat rides function like ferries and don’t stop along the way for swimming. You can book a half-day boat trip with some of the Chora travel agents for a proper island cruise with snacks and swimming breaks.  

Some of the nearby beaches (Galifos Beach and Fira Beach) are accessible only via the hiking trail.

🏖️ Galifos Beach

North of Agali Beach and a 10-minute hike away is a magical small pebbly cove with rocks for jumping and concrete platforms for sunbathing.

There are no facilities here, just some abandoned fishing huts, and a laid-back clothes-optional vibe, so bring whatever you’ll need with you.

🏖️ Fira Beach

A 15-minute hike south of Agali Beach will bring you to a tiny, peaceful, and isolated pebbly/sandy cove, ideal for getting away from the crowd.

🏖️ Varela Beach

Varela Beach is actually an adjoining section to the left-hand side of Agali Beach, located a few steps behind the cliff (just follow the footpaths leading southeast).

It’s good if you don’t want to leave the site, but still want a bit of privacy.

Hiking trails to and from Agali Beach

Agali is a convergence point for many of the island’s hiking trails. Everywhere you go from Agali Beach will be uphill, so make sure you have proper shoes and water for hiking. Spectacular views are guaranteed.

I trekked the Chora-Agali trail (no.3 of Folegandros hiking paths) and liked better the outward walk as it ends in a downhill path to Agali, avoiding thus the steep uphill return from the beach.

TIP: You can also hike to Agios Nikolaos beach (20 minutes). The path starts next to the pier and the footsteps (with a blue signpost) indicate the direction westwards. The first beach is Galifos Beach, after which a steep path follows all the way to Agios Nikolaos Beach.  

What to bring for your Agali Beach day?

Since there’s no mini market available nearby, make sure to bring enough cold water and some snacks with you.

Also, an umbrella is a must since the very limited vegetation on the beach doesn’t provide enough shade for the whole day.

TIP: Don’t forget to bring the snorkeling equipment, as the coastline is quite peaceful and the dive over the rocky sea bottom is just perfect.