Travel Guide Glyfada

With its wide palm-lined avenue that runs along the entire coast, its white buildings, its beaches and the intense blue of the sea that stretches to infinity, the southern coast of Athens is a small paradise, half an hour from the city center. In magazines, the area around Glyfada is often referred to as the "Riviera", in memory of the celebrities it attracted in the 1960s, such as Aristotle Onassis or Maria Callas. Today, many tourists stay here rather than on an island, probably because it is only 40 minutes from the airport. The Athenians call it the paralia ("the beach") and migrate every summer to this new center of entertainment. Clubs, restaurants, cafes and beaches are literally taken over by the locals from May to September. In winter, the coast becomes a charming suburb, quiet and peaceful. But underneath its quiet surroundings, a fierce battle is waged between private (€8) and public beaches. One year, the mayor of a neighboring municipality even threatened to go on a hunger strike so that the barriers of a beach would be lifted, and its free access returned to the citizens. On the free beaches, the atmosphere is family and good-natured, a little more popular. The choice is yours.. Getting there. Thanks to the streetcar, you can easily and very comfortably, although slowly, reach the south coast and its beaches from the city center (Syntagma). The bus is also an option.