Vouliagmeni

Vouliagmeni is the smart heart of the Athens Riviera, a green and affluent suburb about twenty kilometres south of the city where pine-covered headlands reach into a deeply indented coast. Its sheltered bays and clear water have made it the most sought-after seaside address near Athens, home to luxury hotels, private villas and some of the coast's best-known beaches.

The great natural curiosity here is Lake Vouliagmeni, a warm brackish lake set beneath towering limestone cliffs at the edge of the sea. Fed by underground thermal springs, it holds a constant temperature well above the open sea and is popular year-round for its mineral-rich water, said to be good for the skin, and for the small fish that give bathers a natural pedicure.

The swimming is superb. Astir Beach, on the wooded Laimos peninsula, is the most famous of the organised bays, backed by the grand Astir Palace resort, while nearby Kavouri offers quieter coves and open sunset views across the gulf. The whole area is laced with pine and low hills, giving it a resort feel quite unlike the denser suburbs closer to town.

Dining and nightlife are geared to the coast's upmarket mood, from beachside cocktail bars to seafood restaurants on the marina at neighbouring Vouliagmeni bay, where sleek yachts moor below the pines. Yet the setting stays the main event: this is a place to swim in glassy water, laze on a lounger and watch the light change slowly over the gulf as the day fades.

Vouliagmeni is reached by bus from central Athens, or by the coastal tram to Voula and a short hop on. It shines from late spring to early autumn, when the beach clubs are open and the sea is warmest, though the thermal lake makes it a rare Riviera spot worth visiting even in the cooler months.