Athens Riviera

The Athens Riviera is the long coastal strip that runs south from the city along the Saronic Gulf, taking in a chain of seaside suburbs before reaching the dramatic headland of Cape Sounion. It gives the capital an unusual asset: a genuine beach coast within easy reach of the ancient centre, threaded by the seafront Poseidonos Avenue and served by tram and bus.

Each stretch has its own flavour. Glyfada is the lively hub, with designer shops, beach bars and a golf course; Voula and Vouliagmeni are greener and more exclusive, wrapped around pine-backed bays and the thermal Lake Vouliagmeni; and Varkiza marks the quieter, more family-minded southern end. Beyond them the road narrows and climbs past rocky coves towards Sounion.

The beaches range from free public shingle to polished pay-to-enter beach clubs with loungers, pools and restaurants. Astir Beach at Vouliagmeni is the most famous of the organised bays, while headlands like Kavouri offer sheltered swimming and sunset views. Marinas at Flisvos and Alimos add moorings, waterfront cafes and a steady parade of yachts along the shore. In the evening the coast becomes one of the city's playgrounds, its bars and tavernas busy with Athenians escaping the summer heat.

The crowning sight lies at the far end. The fifth-century-BC Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about seventy kilometres from the city, stands on a cliff above the sea and is famous for its sunsets, its white columns turning gold as the sun drops into the Aegean. Many visitors time a late-afternoon drive down the coast to arrive for the spectacle.

The Riviera comes into its own from late spring to early autumn, when the sea is warm and the beach clubs are open. Weekends and July and August are busiest; a weekday visit, or the calmer shoulder months of May and September, brings the same clear water with more room to breathe.