June 25, 2025, 4:32 am | Read time: 5 minutes
The lagoon beach of Port Glarokavos on the Chalkidiki peninsula in Greece has been named the best beach in Europe. TRAVELBOOK author Katharina Regenthal visited it to see if it truly deserves this title.
The best beach in Europe? I couldn’t miss that! At the end of May, I vacationed in Chalkidiki. As luck would have it, our accommodation was just a few kilometers from the supposedly best beach in Europe. In the current ranking by “European Best Destinations” (EBD), the lagoon beach of Port Glarokavos in northern Greece’s Chalkidiki takes the top spot (TRAVELBOOK reported) – an experience I wanted to have firsthand. The beach is located on the first of the so-called three “fingers” of Chalkidiki, on the Kassandra peninsula. And I can already say this much: Personally, it’s not the best beach for me–but I can understand why others love it!
Overview
Better not rely on the GPS when driving there
The road to the lagoon beach is a bit bumpy. It had rained a few days before, and the “road” to the beach had deep potholes and was muddy. Not exactly ideal with a small rental car. The GPS also seemed a bit confused in this area–it actually wanted to lead us straight through the bushes. So, it’s best not to trust it too much.
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Fortunately, there are several routes that eventually lead to the destination–and after a few U-turns, we managed to reach the beach without any pothole incidents. And for the passenger, it’s definitely worth looking outside beforehand. Before reaching the lagoon beach of Port Glarokavos, you pass by a sort of harbor that seems to lie in a “lake.” Aerial photos show this well–you can also see that the “lake” is directly connected to the sea.
At the end of May, the season apparently hadn’t quite started yet, so we found a spot for our car under a shade-giving pine tree. During the high season, that would certainly not have been so easy.
My expectations were unfortunately not met
Just before we reached the beach, my excitement was high. After all, according to the EBD ranking, the lagoon beach of Port Glarokavos is the best beach in Europe. And I admit: My expectations were high. Too high, as it turned out. But maybe they were just wrong. For me, the perfect beach looks like this: turquoise, clear water, fine, powdery sand–and ideally no other people.
The lagoon beach is described exactly like that–but it doesn’t quite match. However, I can already say this much: That doesn’t make it any less good or beautiful; it was just my expectations that weren’t met.
Because I can certainly understand why some would crown this beach as the best in Europe. It’s a small natural paradise with numerous pines that provide shade on hot summer days. So, you don’t have to set up an umbrella or rely on the umbrella-lounger combo in one of the beach clubs there.
At the edge of the beach, grasses and other plants grow, making the beach appear wild and untouched. The sand itself is not quite as fine, in some parts also covered with plants, stones, and other dry wood. If you prefer it a bit “cleaner,” you should opt for one of the beach clubs, where the sand is free of weeds and the like.
The sea, however, is beautiful, shallow, and thanks to the partly rocky beach, also particularly clear, and the entire beach stretches over a long distance, only interrupted by the connection of the “lake” with the sea.
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Who the lagoon beach is suitable for
Another advantage of the lagoon beach of Port Glarokavos, in my experience, is the variety. For children, there is a large water park, while parents can cool off with a drink in one of the bars. If that’s too bustling and too much, you can also retreat to the quieter zones.
These are natural and unsupervised. During my visit, I noticed that many campers settle in these areas. Some RVs were parked among the pines–so if you’re traveling with a camper, you might consider making a stop there.
Understandable why some love the beach!
The best beach in Europe? For me, the lagoon beach of Port Glarokavos on Chalkidiki is not quite that–and yet I’m glad for the experience. I went there twice because the first visit was overcast and slightly rainy. And we all know: With sun and blue skies, everything is much nicer. And that’s exactly how it was on the second visit.
The beach is definitely worth a visit! And if you’re a nature lover, you’ll feel particularly at home there. However, to lie in a beach club under an umbrella, I probably wouldn’t go there again–there are just too many other beautiful sections throughout Kassandra.