Perammos

Perammos is one of the quieter stretches of coastline on Ios, tucked away on the island's southeastern side where the crowds that fill Mylopotas and Magganari tend not to reach. Getting there requires either a short hike over rocky terrain or a ride by boat — a threshold that keeps the beach genuinely calm even in peak July and August.

The water at Perammos is the draw. The Aegean along this part of Ios runs shallow and clear over a sandy and pebbled floor, with the kind of visibility that lets you watch fish move through the shallows. The beach itself is small — this is a cove rather than a sweep of coastline — and the surrounding landscape is dry scrubland and pale limestone, typical of Ios's wilder southern reaches.

Ios is a small island, roughly 18 kilometers long, and its southern and southeastern coastline hides a string of coves like Perammos that rarely appear on the main tourist maps. If you've spent a day or two on the main beaches and want to trade the sunbed rows for something stripped back, Perammos is worth the effort to reach.

What to Expect

Perammos is an undeveloped beach. There are no beach bars, no sunbed rentals, no showers, and no facilities of any kind. You arrive, you find a patch of shore, and you're largely on your own. The beach is composed of a mix of sand and fine pebble, and the entry into the water is gentle enough for straightforward swimming.

The water clarity here is a genuine feature. Ios sits in the central Cyclades, where Aegean currents keep the sea clean and the visibility high. At Perammos the water is sheltered enough from the prevailing northerly winds — the meltemi — that it stays calmer than the island's more exposed northern and western beaches during summer. The cove's orientation means it catches morning light well and sits in shade earlier in the afternoon.

The surrounding land is undeveloped and quiet. Dry-stone walls, low scrub, and the occasional goat track are the dominant features. There is no shade at the beach itself, so bringing your own cover — a beach umbrella or at least a hat — is practical rather than optional in summer.

The scale of the beach means it doesn't take many visitors before it feels occupied. On a weekday outside of August, you may have it to yourself or nearly so. On a busy summer Saturday when boat tours are running from Ios Town port, expect more company, though it will never approach the density of Mylopotas.

Activities and Facilities

Swimming and snorkeling are the main reasons to come. The clear, shallow water over mixed sand and rock is well suited to snorkeling, and a mask and fins are worth packing. Bring your own equipment — there is nowhere nearby to rent gear.

Boat access makes Perammos part of the circuit for some of the daily boat excursions that depart from Ios Town's small port (Ormos). These tours typically cover several southern and southeastern beaches in a single day trip, which is a practical way to reach Perammos without hiking. Check the excursion boards at the port for current options and departure times.

Hiking to Perammos is possible from roads in the southeastern part of the island, though the path involves uneven ground and direct sun exposure. Suitable footwear and water are necessary. The hike gives you the freedom to arrive and leave on your own schedule, which the boat tours do not.

No facilities means you need to be self-sufficient: food, water, sun protection, and a bag for your waste. The beach has no rubbish collection, and keeping it clean is a shared responsibility among the few visitors who make the effort to reach it.

How to Get There

Perammos sits on the southeastern coast of Ios at approximately 36.726°N, 25.272°E. There is no direct road to the beach.

By boat: The most straightforward approach is a day-trip excursion departing from Ios Town port (Ormos). Several operators run multi-beach tours of the southern coastline daily during summer, and Perammos is sometimes included on these routes. Confirm the itinerary before booking, as routes vary between operators and seasons.

On foot / by vehicle then on foot: You can drive or take a taxi toward the southeastern interior of Ios, closer to the Kalamos or Psathi areas, and then follow footpaths down toward the coast. The terrain is rocky and exposed, with no waymarked trail. GPS navigation using the coordinates above is useful. Allow at least 20–40 minutes of walking each way from the nearest point where a vehicle can park, though the exact time depends on which path you take and where you start.

Parking: There is no formal parking near Perammos. If driving, you will need to leave your vehicle on the nearest paved or gravel road and continue on foot. A scooter or quad, common rental options in Ios Town, can get you closer to the starting point of the walk than a car.

Getting around Ios generally: Ios Town is the main hub for taxis, bus services, and rental vehicles. The island's public bus connects Ios Town (Chora), the port, and Mylopotas beach. For southern and southeastern beaches like Perammos, the bus is not useful — you will need a rental vehicle, taxi, or boat.

Accessibility: The combination of rough footpath access and an undeveloped pebble-and-sand shore makes Perammos unsuitable for visitors with mobility limitations.

Best Time to Visit

Ios has a typical Cycladic summer climate: hot and dry from June through September, with the meltemi (the strong northerly wind) blowing most reliably in July and August. Perammos's southeastern orientation gives it some shelter from the meltemi, which makes it more swimmable on windy days than beaches facing directly north or west.

June and September are the best months to visit if you want the beach to yourself and the temperature still warm enough for comfortable swimming. The sea temperature peaks in August but remains pleasant through late September.

July and August bring peak-season crowds to Ios overall, but Perammos's remote access naturally limits visitor numbers. The trade-off is heat: midday temperatures regularly exceed 32°C, there is no shade at the beach, and the hike in is more demanding in full sun. If you visit in August, aim to arrive early in the morning or later in the afternoon.

Time of day: Morning visits offer cooler temperatures, calmer water (sea breezes tend to build through the afternoon), and the best light for photography. The beach faces roughly east-to-southeast, so morning light hits it directly.

Off-season: Outside of June–September, boat excursions do not run and the island is very quiet. The beach is accessible on foot year-round in theory, but there is little reason to visit in winter.

Tips for Visiting

• Bring more water than you think you need. There is no fresh water at the beach, the hike is exposed, and dehydration on Ios in summer is a real risk. One liter per person is a minimum; two is better.
• Pack out all waste. Perammos has no bins or cleaning service. Whatever you carry in, carry out — this is especially true for food packaging and single-use plastics.
• Bring a portable sunshade. The beach has no natural shade. A compact beach umbrella is the difference between a comfortable afternoon and a painful one.
• Wear footwear suitable for rocky paths. Flip-flops are not adequate for the hike in. Trail sandals or lightweight hiking shoes will protect your feet on the uneven limestone terrain.
• Snorkeling gear is worth the luggage space. The water clarity makes this one of the better spots for casual snorkeling on Ios. A basic mask and snorkel transforms the visit.
• Confirm boat tour itineraries in advance. If you plan to reach Perammos by excursion boat, check with the operator the day before that Perammos is on the route — itineraries can change based on weather and passenger interest.
• Tell someone your plan if hiking alone. The southeastern coast is isolated, phone signal can be patchy, and the path is not marked. This is basic safety, not alarmism.
• Arrive before 10am or after 4pm in August. Midday sun on a shadeless pebble beach with no facilities and a hike back to the car is genuinely uncomfortable. Early morning or late afternoon visits are more enjoyable in peak summer.

History and Context

Ios is an island with a long and layered past — Homer is traditionally said to be buried here, and the island's interior holds Mycenaean-era tombs near the Chora. But Perammos itself has no documented historical significance. It is simply one of many small coves along a coastline that has been used by local fishermen and goat herders for generations, and more recently discovered by travelers seeking alternatives to the island's better-known beaches.

The southeastern coast of Ios remained largely undeveloped through the twentieth century, bypassed by the road network that connected the port, Chora, and Mylopotas. That isolation is directly responsible for the beach's current character: no infrastructure has been built because no road made it easy to build any. What reads as unspoiled is, in practical terms, simply hard to reach — which amounts to the same thing from the visitor's perspective.

The wider context is worth knowing: Ios gained its reputation in the 1970s and 1980s as a party island, a reputation concentrated almost entirely in Chora and the strip of bars connecting it to the port. The island beyond that corridor — the southern beaches, the hiking tracks, the traditional villages of Kalamos and Psathi — remained quieter, and Perammos sits firmly in that quieter Ios.