The best beaches on the Athens Riviera: Astir, Kavouri, Varkiza and Lagonisi

The beaches of the Athens Riviera are a sequence, not a single bay. Some are clubs. Some are municipal. One of them is a hotel beach with a famous name. Picking the wrong one is how a good villa week goes sour by Wednesday.

Astir Beach, Vouliagmeni

Astir is the beach of the Four Seasons Astir Palace, on the pine headland. It is the most polished sand on this coast and the one people mean when they search the name. Day access is limited and priced as a day at the hotel, not as a municipal beach. Sunbeds go. In August they go early. You do not turn up and hope.

Stay in Vouliagmeni or Kavouri if Astir is on more than one day of the trip. The hotel-versus-house question is in villa or hotel.

Kavouri

Kavouri beach is smaller, closer to the tavernas, and easier to walk to from a seafront house. It does not feel like Astir and it should not be sold as Astir. Late morning in August it is full. It is a good default swim if you are sleeping in Kavouri.

Glyfada: Asteras and Balux

These are organised clubs more than wild beaches. You pay for the sunbed and the service. They suit a day when you want lunch at the beach and you are staying in Glyfada or Voula. Parking is the annoying part. A transfer from the villa is often better than taking the hire car.

Voula A and Voula B

The family beaches. Sand, umbrellas, a simpler mood than the Glyfada clubs. This is why Voula villas work for children. Entry is modest compared with Astir and still not free in season. Check the current municipal price when you travel. It moves.

Varkiza

Varkiza beach is the wide one. People come to swim rather than to be seen. The marina is at the end. It is a better all-day beach than Kavouri if you have teenagers who actually swim. Parking exists and fills on Sundays.

Lagonisi

Further south, the shore is quieter and the houses are the reason you are here, not a club. Use it as the beach at the bottom of the garden day, and go north to Varkiza or Astir when you want a scene. The villas are on the Lagonisi page. Larger pools, for the days the wind is up, are in the private-pool collection.

FAQ

Which beach should I choose for a week?

One near the house, plus one outing. Astir as the outing, Voula or Kavouri as the daily swim, is a week that works. Trying to do Astir every day from Lagonisi is a week in the car.

Are there free beaches?

Some stretches are open, and the organised ones charge in season. Budget for sunbeds the way you budget for lunch. We confirm the current entry when you book.

Where do I leave the car?

At the villa, if you can. Beach car parks on this coast are small relative to the demand in July. Ask us which beaches are a transfer and which are a short drive.