Beaches in Salamis

Let us be straightforward: the beaches are not the reason to come to Salamis, and anyone choosing this island for a swimming holiday has made a mistake. The eastern side, where the ferry lands, is industrial. Paloukia is a naval base and ferry terminal, the coast around it carries shipyards, dry docks and hulls under repair, and it is not water you get into. The west coast is a genuinely different island: low pine hills and a shore facing the open Saronic instead of the industrial gulf. Kanakia in the southwest is the best of it, sand backed by pine, and Peristeria further north is quieter. Neither would draw a second glance in the Cyclades. Both are fine for a swim on a weekday in June, and both fill with Athenian families at weekends. You will want a car or scooter to reach either.