Glyfada

Glyfada is the beating heart of the Athens Riviera, a prosperous coastal suburb that feels part resort and part upmarket town centre. Set about fifteen kilometres south of the capital, it grew up around a bay on the Saronic Gulf and today draws Athenians and visitors alike with its shops, cafes and beach clubs.

The centre is built for strolling. The pedestrianised streets around Metaxa Avenue are lined with international boutiques, jewellers and coffee bars, and the squares fill in the evening with a well-dressed crowd. It is one of the best places near Athens for a day of shopping that ends with dinner by the sea, and the dining runs from casual souvlaki to polished seafood restaurants.

The waterfront is the other draw. A run of organised beaches and beach bars stretches along the shore, with loungers, watersports and music through the summer, while the marina adds moored yachts and a scattering of fish tavernas. Just inland lies the Glyfada Golf Club, the oldest golf course in Greece, an unexpected swathe of green laid out on land beside the former Athens airport at Elliniko, a site now being transformed into one of Europe's largest coastal parks.

Glyfada is also one of the easiest coastal spots to reach. The city's coastal tram runs down from Syntagma to terminals in and around the suburb, and frequent buses link it to central Athens and onward along the Riviera, making it a practical base for anyone who wants beach and city in a single trip.

The town is liveliest from late spring to early autumn, when the beach bars are in full swing and the streets stay busy well past midnight. Weekends see the biggest crowds; a weekday visit is calmer, and even outside the swimming season the shopping and cafe life keep Glyfada worth the short trip from the centre.