Riviera feature
The Athens Riviera: seventy kilometres of sea, history and summer nights
Athens is a seaside city, and the coast south of the centre is where Athenians come to swim, stroll, eat fish by the water and watch the sun go down. From the ancient harbours of Piraeus to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, every bay along the way has its own character and its own story.
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Piraeus: the port that made Athens
The story of the Riviera begins at Piraeus. In the 5th century BC, the statesman Themistocles turned its rocky peninsula into the fortified port of Athens, and the Long Walls were built to join it to the city, so that Athens could never be cut off from the sea. Piraeus had three natural harbours, and you can still trace them today: the great main port, where the ferries leave for the islands; Zea, now the yacht marina of Pasalimani; and little Mounichia, known today as Mikrolimano.
Mikrolimano is the place to begin. Its horseshoe of fish tavernas sits right on the water, with fishing boats and yachts bobbing a few metres from your table, and above it rises the hill of Kastella, with its steep lanes and wide views over the Saronic Gulf. The Archaeological Museum of Piraeus is worth a visit for its bronzes, including a magnificent Apollo found by chance during roadworks in 1959.
Palaio Faliro: the old harbour and a battleship
Before Piraeus, the Athenians kept their ships on the open beach of Faliro Bay, the nearest stretch of coast to the city. Today Palaio Faliro, or Old Faliro, is a relaxed seaside suburb with a long promenade, popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists from early morning to late at night.
At Flisvos Marina you can step aboard the Georgios Averof, a battleship launched in 1910 that led the Greek fleet in the Balkan Wars and is now a floating museum. Just inland, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, designed by Renzo Piano and home to the National Library and the Greek National Opera, rises from a park of olive trees and Mediterranean plants. Climb to its roof terrace at sunset for one of the finest views in Athens, from the Acropolis to the sea.
Alimos: a historian’s birthplace and a great marina
Alimos stands on the site of the ancient deme of Halimous, remembered as the home of Thucydides, the great historian of the Peloponnesian War. Today it is best known for its marina, one of the largest in Greece, where hundreds of yachts and sailing boats wait for the summer winds, and for the beach bars and seafront cafés along its shore. If you want to charter a boat for the islands, this is very likely where your trip will begin.
Elliniko: from runway to new city
Next comes Elliniko, where the old Athens airport sat right beside the sea from 1938 until 2001, when the new airport opened at Spata. Its runways and terminals are now being transformed into The Ellinikon, a new coastal district with a vast seaside park, homes, offices and a striking tower, one of the largest urban regeneration projects in Europe. You can read the full story in our article on the Ellinikon.
Glyfada: the glamorous heart of the coast
Glyfada grew in the second half of the 20th century from a seaside resort of summer villas into the smartest suburb on the coast, and today it is the beating heart of the Riviera. Its streets are lined with designer boutiques and busy cafés, its marinas are full of yachts, and in summer its beach clubs and seafront bars stay lively until the early hours. There is even an 18-hole golf course, unusual this close to a capital city.
Glyfada is at its best in the evening, when families stroll along the seafront, the cafés fill up and the restaurants put their tables out under the trees. For everything we love in Glyfada, from hotels and cafés to beach clubs and shops, see our Glyfada guide.
Voula: beaches for everyone
Voula, where the coastal tram ends its journey from the centre, is the place for an easy day at the beach. Its long, well-organised public beaches have sunbeds, showers, cafés and shallow water that is ideal for children, and they are very popular with Athenian families on summer weekends. Above the town, quiet residential streets climb the slopes of Mount Hymettus.
Vouliagmeni: a lake, a temple and the bluest water
Vouliagmeni is the most exclusive corner of the Riviera, a pine-covered peninsula of luxury hotels, private beaches and clear water that is perfect for swimming. On Astir beach you can still see the foundations of the ancient Temple of Apollo Zoster, which once stood beside the sea.
Just inland lies one of the natural wonders of Attica. Lake Vouliagmeni is a brackish lake beneath a limestone cliff, fed by warm underground springs that flow through a flooded cave system, so its water stays pleasantly mild all year round. People come to swim here even in winter, and to float in the deep blue water while tiny fish nibble at their feet.
Vari and Varkiza: caves, cliffs and coves
Beyond Vouliagmeni, the coast road begins to wind along the cliffs. Inland from Vari, on the slopes of Hymettus, the Vari Cave was a sanctuary of Pan and the Nymphs in antiquity, and its ancient carvings and inscriptions were left by a devoted worshipper named Archedamos. Down by the sea, the rocky coves of Limanakia are a favourite with swimmers and cliff-jumpers, and the long sandy bay of Varkiza has beach clubs, tavernas and watersports.
Sounion: the end of the road
South of Varkiza, the road becomes one of the most beautiful drives in Greece, past the beaches of Lagonisi, Saronida and Anavyssos, until it reaches Cape Sounion. There, on a headland high above the Aegean, stand the white marble columns of the Temple of Poseidon, built in the 5th century BC. For sailors returning to Athens, it was the first sign of home, and Lord Byron is said to have carved his name on one of its columns. Watching the sun set into the sea from here is a moment you will not forget.
Our advice: the coastal tram runs from Syntagma along the sea to Glyfada and Voula, and buses continue to Vouliagmeni and Varkiza; for Sounion, take a KTEL bus from Pedion tou Areos, join a sunset tour, or hire a car so that you can stop at the coves along the way. Allow about an hour and a half by car from the centre to Sounion. Beaches and beach clubs are busiest at summer weekends, so arrive early for a sunbed or book ahead, and remember that many seaside venues open only from May to October.
