If your holiday destination is Athens, then in addition to the sights, you will surely want to enjoy the sea. Stony lagoons or golden sands – Attica is famous for its very diverse coastline with a wide choice of beaches in relative proximity to Athens.
According to the old Greek tradition, the best beaches are located along the southeast coast of Glyfada and in the northeast of the city in Marathon. Also, you can find several spots to soak up the sun along the east coast of Rafina – a small port near the capital. Well, let’s check out all of them right now…
Lagonisi Beach
(photo by Thodoris Alexandropoulos)
Located between Athens and Sounio, the beach was opened in 2002 and it immediately became famous and popular. A wonderful bay with clean water, beach umbrellas, wooden walkways and a wooden pier with a swimming pool built in the sea – there is everything for a relaxing weekend. You can order food without taking a break from the rest, because the menu is always at hand, and orders are brought immediately.
Lagonisi is famous for its comfortable conditions, first-class service and reasonable prices. The entrance and parking are paid. In addition, there is SPA, bar counters, indoor pool, and rental of water motorcycles. You can also enjoy water skiing or parachuting there.
GPS Location: 37.780748, 23.888682
Astir Beach
When planning a beach holiday in Athens, Astir Beach shouldn’t be ignored. The beach is fully focused on bringing maximum pleasure to visitors: amazing coastal waters, clean sand and a swimming platform will be to the liking of the fans of diving. Astir is popular among tourists, even despite the not cheap admission. The parking space can be taken for an additional fee.
The beach can be quite crowded on weekend, so it’d be better to check out the availability of seats before entering the beach in order to avoid wandering along the beach in search of a free sunbed or umbrella. Also, you can ride a banana, or enjoy jet skiing and water skiing on Astir.
GPS Location: 37.810277, 23.773567
Asteras Beach
(photo by Travelsnippets)
Asteras is one of the most equipped and elite beaches of Attica. On its territory you’ll find umbrellas, sun loungers and prestigious hotels. Thanks to these features, the beach is popular even outside of Greece. Asteras differs from other beaches of Athens and offers a large water park, which is situated right in the sea. For this reason, the beach is also a great spot for families with children.
On a separate territory of Asteras there’s a bar and a swimming pool, where you can enjoy refreshing drinks without leaving the water. In addition to the amusement park, beach volleyball and mini football are also available.
GPS Location: 37.857179, 23.750550
Voula Beach
Voula is a charming public beach in the suburbs of Athens, which is ideal for resting couples with kids, although the water is slightly turbid. However, this small disadvantage is fully compensated by the beauty of the surrounding nature, including stony islands located right in the sea.
Voula Beach provides everything for a comfortable and relaxing weekend: sun loungers, shower cabins, umbrellas and beach locker rooms. Also, there’s a center of mini football for those who like activities.
GPS Location: 37.849868, 23.750325
Yabanaki Beach
(photo by Travelsnippets)
Yabanaki in Varkiza is an ideal example of a multifunctional beach. On the territory of 10 hectares you’ll find grounds for beach volleyball, children’s playground, various water attractions (tubes, fly fish and banana), restaurants and bars. The beach offers equipment for water sports as well as windsurfing and water skiing experience lessons.
Generally, the choice of entertainments and recreation options available on Yabanaki Beach is great. So, it will be a great destination for full relaxation regardless of the age.
GPS Location: 37.820135, 23.804266
Akti Vouliagmentis Beach
Akti Vouliagmentis is a spacious beach with deep and clean sea. Due to a long beach strip, it’s popular among young people. There are beach umbrellas, sun loungers, and different sports grounds, as well as a medical center, a restaurant and several cafes. Very valuable is the fact that the beach is equipped with special devices and offers smooth descent into the sea that helps people with disabilities.
GPS Location: 37.813242, 23.778400
Alimos Beach
Located 11 km south of Athens, Alimos is a free and well-equipped pebble beach with a sandy bottom. The beach provides showers, chaise lounges, beach umbrellas, and a minimarket. Alimos Beach is a great choice for the fans of extreme water sports – water skiing, windsurfing are among them.
Especially, this Greek beach is excellent for visitors with children – it offers various entertainments including children’s playground and water slides. Not far from the beach there are several cafes with democratic prices and excellent views.
GPS Location: 37.909207, 23.712924
How to get to the beaches of Athens?
All Athens’ beaches are situated not far from the city and are on the same coastline. So, it won’t be very difficult to reach them by tram, which departs from Syntagma Square. However, public transport is not always the best choice, especially in the afternoon when it’s very hot.
If you want to get to your favorite beach easy, comfortably and quickly, just rent a car in Athens. Moreover, using a car rental vehicle with GPS device you can find much more amazing beaches around Athens.