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The harbour entrance at Thassos town, a wooden boat on flat water inside the mole

Thassos: pine forest, white marble and a short ferry

A round, pine-covered island off the coast of northern Greece, reached by a short car ferry, with white marble quarries, sandy beaches and no need to fly.

An at a glance card for Thassos. What it is: A round, forested island. Getting there: A short car ferry. The shape: One ring road, 100km. The stone: White marble, still quarried. Inland: Cooler mountain villages. One row is marked out as the thing that decides the visit. The conclusion reads: The green island, half an hour off the mainland. No prices appear.
The green island, half an hour off the mainland.

Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.

That short crossing is why it fills with cars from the mainland and the Balkans in summer, and why it is one of the easiest Greek islands to reach with your own vehicle.

The shape of it

A single ring road runs around the island, roughly 100 kilometres, and almost everything sits on it. The interior is mountain and pine.

Limenas, the main town on the north coast, is built on top of the ancient city: there is an agora, a theatre cut into the hillside above the harbour, and an archaeological museum holding the finds. The acropolis walk above the theatre is the best hour on the island.

Limenaria on the south coast is the second town, with the old Speidel mining company building above it.

Marble, which is everywhere

Thassos has been quarried for white marble since antiquity and still is. You see it in the road cuttings, in the dust on the leaves near the workings, and in the water: some of the island’s beaches are white because the sand is ground marble.

Saliara, usually called Marble Beach, is the extreme version, a small cove of brilliant white against clear water, reached down a rough track.

Beaches and villages

  • Golden Beach and Paradise on the east coast are the long sandy ones.
  • Aliki, on the south-east, is the good one: a double bay on a headland with an ancient marble quarry running into the sea and columns still lying where they were cut.
  • The mountain villages, Panagia, Potamia and Theologos, sit inland with slate roofs and plane trees, and are noticeably cooler than the coast.

Getting there and how long

Ferries run from Keramoti, near Kavala airport, in about 35 minutes, and from Kavala itself in rather longer. A car is worth having, since the point of Thassos is the ring road.

Four or five nights if you want the coast and the interior. It also works as a week for people who want a beach holiday with somewhere to drive.

Last checked August 2026. Ferry frequencies change by season - see our editorial policy.

Common questions

How do you get to Thassos?

By car ferry from Keramoti, near Kavala airport, in about 35 minutes, or from Kavala in longer. There is no airport on the island.

What is Thassos known for?

Being the greenest of the north Aegean islands, its white marble quarries, and sandy beaches on an easy ring road.

What is Marble Beach on Thassos?

Saliara, a small cove on the north-east coast where the shore is ground white marble rather than sand, reached down a rough track.

Do you need a car on Thassos?

It helps a great deal. Almost everything sits on a 100km ring road, and the mountain villages are inland from it.

Is there anything ancient on Thassos?

Yes. Limenas is built on the ancient city, with an agora, a hillside theatre, an acropolis walk and an archaeological museum.

Plan by category

The Thassos guides

3 guides, each scoped to a decision you actually have to make.

  • Ancient marble temple columns against a blue Greek skyAttractions

    Things to do

    What is worth your time here, and what to skip.

    See the attractions →
  • Whitewashed Cycladic hotel buildings with a pool overlooking the seaHotels

    Where to stay

    Which area suits your trip, what it costs, and who it suits.

    Compare the areas →
  • A turquoise Greek bay with a beach below dry hillsBeaches

    The beaches

    Which shore, which sand, and how you actually get there.

    See the beaches →

Next

Read Samothraki, Limnos, or Thessaloniki.