Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
At weekends, half of Athens seems to decamp down here. The epicentre is around
the crescent of Leofóros Angélou Metáxa, lined with shops and malls, with the
tram running down the centre and streets of cafés and restaurants heading of on
either side.
Vouliagméni
Glyfádha merges almost indistinguishably into its neighbour
Voúla
, and then into
quieter, more upmarket
Kavoúri
and
Vouliagméni
. The latter is one of the city's posher
suburbs, and its beautiful cove beaches are a traditional hangout of Athens' rich and
famous. Last stop for the local buses is
Várkiza
, more of a seaside resort pure and simple.
If you are prepared to walk a bit, or are driving and happy to battle the locals for
parking space, then some of the best beaches can be found around the
Vouliagméni
peninsula
, off the main road. Immediately after Voúla B pay beach, a road turns off to
Kavoúri, past the
Divani Palace Hotel
and some packed free beaches with excellent
tavernas. Further along on this Kavoúri side of the peninsula are some still better, less
crowded, free beaches: the #114 bus runs a little way inland, not far from these. Carrying
on round, you get to Vouliagméni itself, with beautiful little coves, a few of which remain
free, and eventually rejoin the main road by Vouliagméni A Beach. Beyond Vouliagméni
the road runs high above the coast en route to Várkiza; the rocky shore a steep climb
below, known as
Limanákia
, is largely nudist and has a large gay attendance.
GETTING AROUND
THE APOLLO COAST
By bus and tram
Trams run as far as Glyfádha, as do city
buses #A2, #B2, #A3, #B3, #E22 from the centre of Athens,
#A1 or #G1 from Pireás; the #A3 and #B3 continue to
Vouliagméni, the #E22 all the way to Saronídha. Local
services #114 (Glyfádha-Kavoúri-Vouliagméni) and
#115/6 (Glyfádha-Vouliagméni-Várkiza) are also useful.
EATING AND DRINKING
GLYFÁDHA
Chic
Zissimopoúlo 12, Glyfádha.
One of a host of packed,
glam, upmarket café-bars on this street just off the main
shopping drag in the heart of Glyfádha; occasional live
music.
Open all day, till late.
George's
Steak House
Konstantinoupoléos 4,
Glyfádha
T
210 894 6020.
Despite the name this is a
fairly traditional Greek grill-house, large, reasonably priced
and very popular. Located on a side street crowded with
restaurants close to the main Platía Katráki tram stop.
Excellent lamb chops (€9) and meatballs (€6.50).
Lunch &
dinner daily.
Molly Malone's
Yiannitsopoúlou 8, Glyfádha
T
210
894 4247.
Irish-run pub offering a warm welcome, cold
PAY BEACHES
Almost all of the really good beaches within easy reach of Athens demand
payment
for entry.
For your money you'll get clean sand, lifeguards, somewhere to buy food and drink, a lounger
(usually at extra cost) and a variety of other facilities including beach volleyball, massage, fun
parks and all sorts of watersports. Some of the fanciest, in Glyfádha and Vouliagméni, charge
upwards of €10 per person at weekends (the
Astir Palace
hotel charges an exorbitant €45);
more basic places cost €4-7. There are plenty of places to
swim for free
, but this may mean
from the rocks, or a long hike from the road. The best sandy beach with free access is at
Skhiniás (p.119), but that's a long way out on the northeast Attic coast. On summer weekends,
every beach - and the roads to them - will be packed.
Among the better
pay beaches
are Áyios Kósmas (summer daily 9am-8.30pm; €6,
children €3), a relatively quiet choice at Ag. Kosmas 2 tram stop; Asteria (summer daily
8am-8pm; €5, €10 weekends, children half-price), a slightly glam and busy choice right in
the heart of Glyfádha; Voúla A & B (summer daily 7am-9pm; €5), large twin beaches in Voúla
between Glyfádha and Vouliagméni, cheap and cheerful with decent facilities; and
Vouliagméni A (summer daily 8am-8pm; €6), on the main road in Vouliagméni, with few
facilities but a lovely setting.
If you
drive
, be warned that parking is a nightmare, especially in Glyfádha and Vouliagméni;
the pay beaches all have parking, though some charge extra.
