
We spent the afternoon down on the “Athens Riviera” coast, down by Glyfada/Γλυφάδα.
From Syntagma Sq. we took the tram #5 towards Voula. A nice bit of beach I found 2 years ago lies just beyond Glyfada’s main beach, a short walk from the tram stop “Palio Dimarcheo/Παλαίο Δημαρχείο”. It takes just under an hour from Syntagma Sq
Of course, there are plenty of beaches which aren’t quite so far away – if you really want you can be on the beach within 20 minutes of leaving the city centre. All the beaches can be busy in the Summer; if you’re not sure where would be best to go take the tram to the end of the line while you decide, then get off at your chosen stop when the tram makes its way back!
There is a taverna next to the little beach we picked; the ΖΕΡΒΑΣ Restaurant, which is a little expensive but not bad if you only want a light lunch.
After lunch we went on to the beach; and considering that Glyfada is still in the Athens Metropolitan Area (or in British terms, inside the M25), the beach was surprisingly empty.
Keep in mind that today is 15th August – in Greece it is a big bank holiday. Yet, the beach was (relatively) empty. It was busier than when I was here last time – in July 2014 I had the beach to myself. But it could so easily have been much, much busier given the number of tourists in the city, even if all the locals had left Athens to go to their home islands for the Summer.
We spent most of the afternoon at the beach; swimming (well…I tend to just float rather than swim properly when I’m in the sea), sunbathing, then going for a quick dip in the sea to cool off again.
As 5pm approached we decided we’d make a move and we headed back to the tram stop to head back in to the city. For our last night in Athens, we wanted to visit just one more sight before the end of the day…
FH.