Beaches & the Riviera

This is about swimming and coastal scenery rather than sightseeing: the organised beaches along the Athens Riviera between Glyfada and Sounion, the thermal waters of Lake Vouliagmeni, and a smaller set of beaches and one gorge hike on Crete that are among the most photographed in the country. It splits naturally into two groups by distance. The Riviera and Vouliagmeni are close enough for an afternoon out of the city with no real planning. Balos, Elafonissi and the Samaria Gorge are on Crete, hours from Athens by air, and only make sense as part of a stay on the island rather than a trip from the capital.

The mistake worth avoiding is treating Balos or Elafonissi as an extension of an Athens holiday; they are not reachable in a day from the city, whatever a search engine might suggest, and belong in the planning for a separate Crete trip. Closer to home, most Athens Riviera beaches charge for a sunbed and umbrella, so decide in advance whether you want a paid, organised stretch of coast or would rather hunt for a free public patch, since the two are not evenly distributed along the coastline. Vouliagmeni Lake is worth doing on a weekday morning if you can manage it, since both the water and the setting get busy fast once the sun is properly out.

For a first outing from the city, look at the best beaches near Athens and along the Riviera between Glyfada and Sounion. Vouliagmeni Lake is worth treating separately, since the mineral water and the setting make it a different kind of stop from an ordinary beach. Balos and Gramvousa, Elafonissi, and the Samaria Gorge hike belong to a Crete stay rather than a day out of Athens, and are worth planning for only once Crete itself is on the itinerary.

The famous pink sand at Elafonissi is real but easy to overstate in photographs, and both it and Balos draw heavy crowds in July and August despite being some distance from the nearest town. The Athens Riviera, meanwhile, is a pleasant stretch of coast rather than a dramatic one; it is convenient, not spectacular, and is best judged on those terms.