Galissas beach and its tamarisks

Galissas is on the west coast, twenty minutes by road from Ermoupoli, and it is where Syros keeps its proper beach. The bay is wide, shallow and protected from the meltemi by hills on both sides, with a long line of tamarisk trees behind the sand — the reason it stays usable at midday when the town is glaring.

For a session it gives what Ermoupoli cannot: barefoot sand, low dunes and dappled shade under the trees, plus the small chapel of Agia Pakou on the rocky headland to the north for a stronger, more graphic frame. There is a footpath around the point to the smaller cove beyond, which is quieter if the main beach is busy.

It faces west, so it is the sunset side of the island — the sea takes colour and the tamarisks turn to silhouettes against it. That also means midday is harsh on the open sand; use the tree line until the sun drops. Parking is behind the beach and free, and there is a taverna row for the end of the session. In July and August come after five, when the day's swimmers start to leave.