The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
Organized
beaches
Things
started changing for the Attica beaches in 2001
when the organized beaches were privatized and
the first signs of their new status appeared very
soon after. The Asteria Sea Side in Glyfada and
the Grand Resort Lagonissi launched a new summer
fashion for Athenians. A day at the beach took
the form of multifaceted all-day fun.
Today
you can have a massage while enjoying the sea
view, have finger food delivered to your recliner,
play (extreme) games and water sports etc. Of
course, it didn’t take long for people to
start grumbling about the cost of this kind of
summer fun. A trip to the beach has become an
expensive pleasure for the average Athenian family
who will often prefer the alternative of the free
beaches.
Grand
Beach Lagonissi
It
immediately became the talk of the town when it
opened in 2002. A picturesque bay with crystal
clear waters, colorful umbrellas all over the
beach, wooden pathways, two wooden piers of which
one has a swimming pool in the sea.
From
the menus attached to the beach umbrellas so that
you can order from your recliner without having
to interrupt your sunbathing, to the services
provided by the organized spa on the beach, everything
suggests a resort rather than a simple organized
beach. The prices are high but these productions
have to be paid for somehow. Besides the admission
charge you also have to pay for the parking.
Facilities:
spa, swimming pool, beach bars, coffee and snack
stands, newsstands and a beach supplies shop.
Water and beach sports: there is a water sports
center with parasailing, water-skiing, windsurfing,
banana tubes and jet-skis. Beach volleyball, mini
soccer, basketball and mini golf.
Km
40 on the Athens-Sounio road – Lagonissi.
– 229 1076 000
Open: daily from 08:00 – 21:00
Asteria Sea Side
The
Asteria Sea Side is the classiest organized beach
in Attica. White recliners and umbrellas, elegant
low buildings, changing rooms… This well
known Glyfada beach had been deserted since the
mid ‘80s until in 2001 it was decided to
turn it into the new summer hot spot.
Right
in the middle of this elegant tranquility, there
is a super water park in the sea with inflatable
constructions. Children are very welcome here.
There also is a private area with its own entrance
on the beach near the Balux all-day beach bar.
The action here centers around the bar’s
swimming pool.
Facilities:
amusement and water park with inflatable structures
water trampoline, seesaws, catapults and water
volleyball. Parking (paid)
Beach sports: volley and mini soccer.
Glyfada
– 210 8945 676
Open: 08:00-20:00
Asteras Vouliagmenis Beach
Asteras
has always been one of the best organized beaches with a strong
cosmopolitan flavor. The beautiful water, fine sand and floating
diving platform have always made it a favorite even when the admission
fee is three times that of other beaches.
The
beach is always busy. On weekends it actually
is too crowded for comfort. Fortunately, there’s
a notice board outside the entrance informing
you if there are any umbrellas free. All of the
beach was radically renovated in 2004.
Facilities:
beach bars, two floating platforms, first aid
station, kiosk with newspapers, magazines and
beach supplies.
Beach sports: water-skiing, parasailing, banana
tubes, fly fish, windsurfing, jet-skis, sail boats
and volley-ball.
This
big beach, with its deep and clear waters, is a favorite with
20somethings. It is complementary to the Asteras beach on the
opposite side of the promontory. When it is windy on one side,
it is dead calm on the other. There is a special area for sports
behind the umbrellas.
Overall
the beach creates a positive picture with its
tasteful wooden recliners and umbrellas, bamboo
rubbish bins, slay ashtrays etc.
Facilities:
3 cafeterias, self-service restaurant, automatic
vending machines with soft drinks and coffee,
first aid station and facilities for people with
special needs (toilet and a wooden path leading
to the sea.
Beach sports: 2 volleyball courts
Poseidonos
Avenue, Vouliagmeni – Beach A’ bus
stop. – 210 9673 184
Open: 08:00-20:00
Lake
Vouliagmeni
Even
though you can swim here 12 months a year, it
might be less attractive during sommer because
the water can become warm (25-30°C - 77-86°F).
With the first autumn rains, the lake becomes
an ideal place to swim as the water never falls
below 22°C (72,6°F). The light salty water
is warmer near the shores of the lake across from
the pier.
If
you go beyond the designated swimming area, you
will find a small passage through the rocks leading
to a small pool where the water is even warmer.
This pool is famous for its therapeutic properties.
Ropes bolted to the rocks allow you to exercise
if you wish to do so. If you are afraid of harmless
little fishes, called Black Mollys (Poecilia Sphenops),
checking out your legs and feet while you are
standing still in the water, you don't want to
swim in the lake as you will be swimming with
thousands of them.
The
lake is a perfect place, not only for swimming
all year round, but also because the rocky shore
around the calm water is one of the finest backdrops
for a quiet cup of coffee to end a trip to the
seaside. You may want to bring your own drinks
and a few sandwiches as the prices at the bar
are pretty high.
Facilities:
A hydrotherapy unit and a cafeteria serving mezedes
and snacks.
Poseidonos
Avenue, Vouliagmeni – Beach A’ bus
stop. – 210 8962 237
Open: 07:00-19:30
Voula Beach A’
This
is a cheerful, busy and a young crowded beach.
The broad sands make it more like a fun park than
a beach. Although families do go there, it mostly
is a beach for teenagers. The sea here is not
at its best. The water is shallow and becomes
murky with the slightest wave but the landscape
is pretty with a picturesque little rocky island
in the background.
The
facilities are really excellent. There are plenty
of recliners and beach umbrellas and the showers
and beach cabanas are clean. This beach has a
real good beach shop. “Attica” is
one of the best-organized mine-soccer centers
in the region while the Palmie beach bar on the
far left has sun decks that offer a feeling of
privacy.
Facilities:
waterslides (pay), beach shop, snack bar, beach
bar. There are happenings, frequent parties and
other events, especially on Sundays.
Beach sports: waterskiing, parasailing, canoe,
beach volley, beach and mini-soccer.
This
is the second organized beach in Voula. The waters
are calm and clear. The most impressive feature
of the beach are the concrete breakwaters that
rise out of the sea. They are the best place for
sunbathing. The seabed around them though are
muddy. You can of course also swim at the other
end of the beach.
Facilities:
recliners, umbrellas, snack bar, beach shop and
beach bar.
Beach sports: tennis and mini-soccer.
18,
Alkyonidon Street – Voula
Open: 07:00-21:00
Free
Beaches
Attica’s hundreds of kilometers of coastline
conceal bays and beaches for every taste. To the
south the beaches are rocky with sandy shores.
They also are the hottest. To the east, the beaches
are inseparably associated with the resort centers.
Farther north, the area around Oropos and Kalamos
has beaches for family. The beaches to the west
at Psatha and Porto Germeno with their clear water
and virgin landscapes are becoming increasingly
popular with the Athenians.