Nature
Cape Greco National Forest Park
Wind-carved sea caves, blue holes and a network of clifftop and coastal trails on the island’s south-east horn, with a tiny white chapel above the water.
SunriseDirections
All free spots
East Cyprus · Ayia Napa & Protaras
Sandy Bay (Vathia Gonia) Beach
Beach · Ayia Napa · off Nissi Avenue
A small horseshoe of soft sand between two rocky headlands, about 1 km east of Nissi Beach. Its sheltered, shallow water is popular for snorkelling and water sports, with sunbeds, umbrellas and beach bars on the sand.
Plan your visit
Visiting Sandy Bay (Vathia Gonia) Beach
Sandy Bay is the name most visitors still use for Vathia Gonia, a small, sheltered horseshoe of sand between two rocky headlands on the western side of Ayia Napa. Google Maps describes it as a small beach in a bay with shallow water, popular for water sports, snorkelling and seafront food — and with a 4.5-star rating from nearly 2,000 reviews, it's one of the best-loved beaches in town. It is much smaller than Nissi Beach next door, which is exactly why people like it: the bay is enclosed, so the water is usually calmer.
Getting there
Off Nissi Avenue, about 1 km east of Nissi Beach and roughly 2 km west of Ayia Napa's monastery square — walkable from the hotels along Nissi Avenue.
Parking
Google Maps shows a small car park just above the beach and a public parking area about 130 m to the west. Both are small, so arrive early in July and August.
Best time to go
May–October for swimming. Mornings are calmest and before the beds fill; it is a small beach, so high-season afternoons get busy.
More around Ayia Napa & Protaras
Beach
Konnos Bay
A sheltered horseshoe of fine sand and glass-clear turquoise between two pine-topped headlands — the prettiest swim on the east coast, reached on foot from the cape.
MorningDirections
Beach
Fig Tree Bay
The icon of Protaras: powder sand, shallow warm water and a little islet you can swim out to, named for the lone fig tree that has stood here for centuries.
SummerDirections