Gavdos Island is a small island located about 35 kilometers south of Crete. It is administratively part of Crete. Gavdos is the southernmost island of Greece and is also disputably the southernmost Mediterranean island that is part of Europe (depending of whether Cyprus is considered part of Europe or Asia). Gavdos covers about 27 square kilometers, spanning at most 10 kilometers from one extreme point to the other.

There is very little on Gavdos, and the island has just a few dozen permanent residents. Gavdos has cultivated a following of people who come to escape, attracting a good many counterculture types and people who don't mind roughing it. A relaxed attitude toward nudity is an intrinsic part of the general culture of the type of people that choose to visit.

The two major beaches of the north coast of Gavdos are Sarakiniko Beach and Agios Ioannis Beach. Sarakiniko has a taverna, a mini-market and a few small room rental establishments directly on the beach. Due to this development (limited though it is), Sarankiniko is all textile. A few kilometers to the west, Agios Ioannis Beach is isolated and has the strongest nudity culture of any beach on Gavdos. This beach is thick with sand and backed by extensive dunes. For the quality of the sand, this is one of the nicest beaches to be found in Greece. Nudity is always acceptable here, and usually a majority of visitors choose to enjoy the beach without swimwear.

Agios Ioannis is the only beach on Gavdos where you are likely to find a crowd of nudists. However, there are other beaches where you can be naked. The best choices are the beautiful and often deserted beaches on the west side of the island. Note that there are no beaches on the south shore, which is one long cliff.

Because this is such a remote island with very limited transportation connections, accommodations and amenities, you'll need to spend a little time planning the logistics of your trip.

The first thing to know is that there is passenger ferry service to Gavdos from Chora Sfakion and from Paleochora (both of which are toward the western end of the south coast of Crete). However, service is infrequent, and day tripping is out of the question. The lag between the only ferry that arrives and the only ferry that departs for the day is just a few hours, and that simply does not leave enough time to get from the ferry port to Agios Ioannis Beach. You have to stay overnight, and, depending on the day of the week, you may have to stay two nights. The Paleochora ferry operates only two days a week, and the Chora Sfakion ferry operates five days a week. Most visitors come to spend at least a few days. See the ferry operator website for the schedule and prices.

Secondly, there is the matter of where you will stay. There are no large hotels on Gavdos. In fact, there aren't many rooms at all. The handful of tavernas on the island have a few rooms to rent, and there are a few other small-scale rooming establishments, but that it is. The number of visitors far exceeds the number of available beds. Most visitors come to camp, bringing small tents and bedding with them. If you don't plan to camp, make sure you reserve a room in advance. This can be done through the website Gavdos-Online.com, which is also full of other practical information and advice.

Camping on Gavdos is free but primitive. There is neither a campground nor facilities. You can pitch a tent just about anywhere, but most campers set up at Agios Ioannis Beach (the best choice for nude camping), Sarakiniko Beach or Korfos Beach (on the east side of the island, south of the ferry port). Basic food and supplies are available at a couple of small stores, and meals are available at the handful of tavernas. The "advIce" section of Gavdos-Online.com has a checklist of things to bring and information on where to go for drinking water and basin water for showering.

From the ferry port, it takes about an hour to walk to Agios Ioannis Beach, but there is also a small bus that runs regularly. The bus takes passengers to a taverna a bit east of Agios Ioannis. From there, it's about 10 more minutes west on foot. You can also rent a moped or even a car if you want your own set of wheels for exploring the island.

In addition to the two previously mentioned websites, this personal website is also a good source of infomation.

info from Cap'n Barefoot

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 34.8678, 24.0846

island, country  Gavdos (Crete), Greece

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