Vourvourou and Diaporos Island: Turquoise Bays and Boat Trips

Vourvourou is where Sithonia's east coast starts to look like the postcard: pine trees leaning over small bays, a scatter of low islands offshore, and water that changes from pale green to deep blue within a few strokes. The village itself is modest. The attraction is what lies in front of it, above all Diaporos Island, which you can only reach by sea.

This guide explains what Vourvourou is, which beaches sit on the mainland and which on the island, how people reach Diaporos, and how far it all is from Sarti.

Vourvourou in one paragraph

Vourvourou (Βουρβουρού) is a village on the east coast of Sithonia, between Ormos Panagias and Sarti, in the municipality of Sithonia. It is essentially a strip of shops, tavernas and rooms to rent, almost entirely seasonal, with few year-round residents. By road it is about 28 km, around 29 minutes in free-flowing traffic, from Sarti, about 11 km (11 minutes) from Ormos Panagias, and about 33 km (34 minutes) from Neos Marmaras.

A little history: in the 10th century the land was granted to the Xenophontos monastery on Mount Athos, and in 1615 people of Agios Nikolaos acquired it. In the 1960s teaching staff of the University of Thessaloniki developed a holiday settlement designed by Professor Thales Argyropoulos. That settlement is a local sight in its own right, alongside the Byzantine-era church ruins of Agios Andreas on Diaporos and the chapel of Panagia in Vourvourou.

Mainland beaches: Karydi, Livari, Koutloumousiou and Talgo

The Vourvourou-area beaches include Koutloumousiou (LaCara), Talgo, Karydi and Livari Coast. Kavourotripes is often listed with them, but it is near Sarti, about 7 km away by road with a dirt-road stretch, not at Vourvourou, and we cover it in the Kavourotrypes (Orange Beach) guide.

Karydi

Karydi (Καρυδι, also spelled Karidi) is the best known. It has soft white to golden sand in a crescent-shaped bay between two rocky capes, with pine trees at the shoreline for shade. The water is shallow and calm, in a lagoon-like cove sheltered from wind and waves. The beach is unorganised: there are canteens but no sunbeds. Parking is free, shaded and unsecured, and you should arrive early in high season. Cantinas and a restaurant stand near the entrance.

Our Karydi beach article describes it in more detail. For the other beaches on this coast, see our best beaches of Sithonia.

Livari

Livari (Livari Coast, or Livari Lagoon) is essentially a lagoon, with narrow sand ledges, clear, warm, shallow water you can walk across, small sand islets, white sand and green conifers, with a view of Mount Athos. It is unorganised.

Livari is the mainland shore at Vourvourou facing Diaporos, though you will sometimes see it described as part of the island. Blue Lagoon Boat Rental operates from the beach.

Koutloumousiou and Talgo

These two are also Vourvourou-area beaches, handy alternatives if Karydi is busy.

Diaporos: the island in front of the bay

Diaporos (Διάπορος) is the largest of the nine islets in Vourvourou bay, in the Singitic Gulf off Sithonia's east coast. Its neighbours include Kalogria, Ambelitsi (or Aibelitsi), Kalamonisia, Prassonisi, Elia, Peristera (or Peristeri), which has some holiday homes and small beaches, and Agios Isidoros, east of Diaporos, known for its clear water. Spellings of these names vary.

Some facts:

• Size: about 3 to 4 square kilometres.
• Distance: about 300 m from the mainland at its narrowest point. From Vourvourou village to the island is about 3.9 km in a straight line.
• People: no permanent population in the 2021 census, and only a couple of residents in 2011. Most buildings are private holiday homes.
• Landscape: pine forest, rocky shores and many small coves, with dozens of small beaches. None are organised: no sunbeds and no facilities.
• Visitors: the island is popular with boat excursions, especially in summer, and development is limited.

Nearby, a large Natura 2000 site called "Oros Itamos - Sithonia" (code GR1270002, about 18,032 hectares, of which about 17,099 are on land) covers much of the north-east of Sithonia. Whatever the status of the islands, treat them gently: take your rubbish home and leave the coves as you found them.

Beaches and bays on Diaporos

• Myrsini is nicknamed "the Hawaii of Sithonia" for its shallow turquoise water.
• Galana Nera is another favourite cove.
• Kryfto is the largest bay on Diaporos, stretching roughly 700 m.
• The Blue Lagoon is a shallow passage with a white sandy bottom between Diaporos and the smaller island of Agios Isidoros.
• Pissines is the sea area between Agios Issidoros and Diaporos, known for clear water and reachable only by boat.

How to get to Diaporos

Access is by sea only. You can rent a boat or kayak in Vourvourou and be on the island in a few minutes. There are three broad ways to do it.

Self-drive boats without a licence

Many agencies in Vourvourou rent motorboats, and boats of about 15 to 25 hp need no driver's licence. Book ahead in high season, when waits can run to several days. A typical hire day runs from about 10:00 to 18:00, and a small boat uses roughly 8 litres of fuel an hour, which you pay on top of the hire. Prices change from year to year, so ask for a quote when you book.

Two operators, as examples rather than recommendations: Diaporos Boat Rentals, based in Vourvourou, offers boats for 4 to 8 people with no licence needed, plus guided itineraries and a beach taxi. Blue Lagoon Boat Rental, based on Livari Beach, also needs no licence; each boat has a GPS tracker, there is an inflatable support boat, and staff brief you on operating the boat.

Guided trips by boat

If you prefer not to skipper, boat trips around the peninsula are the easy alternative, and some rental operators also run guided itineraries. Our guides to Sithonia boat trips and day cruises and to beach-hopping by boat in Sithonia cover the idea more widely.

Kayak

You can rent a kayak in Vourvourou to reach Diaporos. For a guided option, Explorers Halkidiki is one example: the meeting point is Mikro Karydi beach ("Small Karydi"), the tour lasts 4.5 hours including 4 hours of paddling, the minimum age is 5, you must be able to swim and be fit, and there are morning and sunset departures, weather permitting. Prices and season dates change, so confirm both with the operator. If you are staying on the Sarti side, things to do in Sarti lists what else is within reach.

Wind and safety

The summer meltemi can affect boating. Etesian winds blow periodically from about mid-May to mid-September and are usually strongest in the afternoon, so plan to be back early on windy days. Follow the operator's briefing on where to go and where to anchor. Our guide to beaches for windy days and our sea safety guide may also help. Boat hire and kayaking are summer activities; check season dates with the operator.

Practical info

• From Sarti: about 28 km, about 29 minutes by car.
• Parking at Karydi: free, shaded, unsecured. Arrive early in high season.
• Food and water: Karydi has nearby cantinas and a restaurant. Diaporos beaches have none, so bring water and food.
• On the island: no sunbeds or facilities.
• Before you go: check boat-hire prices and season dates with the operator.

When to go

The summer meltemi and the crowds both shape the answer, and we go through the numbers in our best time to visit Sithonia article. For swimming, the sea averages 23 C in June and 24.3 C in September in Sarti, and those are the months we would lean towards for a boat day.

Make a day of it

A day with the boat in the morning and a quiet beach in the afternoon sounds simple, and it is. From Sarti, you can combine Vourvourou with the coves at Kavourotrypes, about 7 km from Sarti, which you pass first on the main road towards Vourvourou. Our complete Sithonia guide shows how the pieces fit together.

If you would like a base on this side of the peninsula, Sarti Thea Boutique Rooms is in Achlada, on the hill above Sarti harbour, about half an hour from Vourvourou by road, with free parking on site. Have a look at our rooms.