The one-hour drive from Glyfada to Sounio is an attraction all on it’s own.  

Sounio (or more properly Sounion) is home to the very popular ancient archaeological site of the  Temple of Poseidon.

Because it is located 60km from the center of Athens, many people will take a tour bus to visit the site.  Sunset tours are especially popular as the sunset here is amazing!

If you have a car rented, go for it, you will love the drive!  Once you are on the Athens Coast, you just head south and stay on the same road the entire time (Poseidonos Ave).

Don’t want to rent a car in Athens (I don’t blame you!)… hire a taxi.  Our favorite taxi driver George took a group of friends out to Sounio a few years back and they just loved it.  No need to worry about the hair-pin turns along the coastal road or the possibility of getting lost once you are back in Athens.  Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

You will go through many little seaside communities and past dozens of beaches, both organised and not.  On this route you will come across 7 Blue Flag Beaches.

On the drive to Sounio, there are many roadside ‘view point’ areas where you can pull over and take a look around and even climb down to the sea if you are feeling adventurous.  It’s Greece, anything goes!  Find a secluded cove and spend the day.

Once you pass Anavysos and the famous row of fish tavernas, you’ll notice the buildings getting more scarce and the landscape more rugged.  Just keep going and enjoying the ‘big blue’ to your right. After awhile, you’ll suddenly see Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon resting atop.

On this particular trip, we spent the day at the beach at the Aegeon Hotel and dined at one of two seaside tavernas located right next door to the beach.

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I spent the day at S Beach two days before their official opening on May 10th and it was pretty fun watching them set up and run around with power tools.

S Beach  is located at the terminal station of the tram in Voula (station Asklipiio Voulas / Ασκληπιείο Βούλας).  There is a big parking lot that fills up early on weekends, so if you are driving, get there early.  Because we were there before the official opening, we didn’t have to pay the usual 4€ entrance fee only 2.50€ per lounge chair.  

S Beach has wooden loungers lined with a thin mat set up in pairs with an umbrella and table between them.

There is a self-service snack bar located near the entrance or you can just flag down a waiter who will take your order right at your chair.   We had excellent service on this occasion, but when the summer is in full swing, it can be difficult to get service at your chair (I’ll get back to you in a month or so with a summer update on S Beach).

We’ve been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Athens, so the beaches have been busier than usual at this time of year.   The water isn’t quite warm enough for me to go all the way in, but nice enough to wade around and take in the coast line.

As I mentioned earlier, there were people running around getting ready for the official opening day.  I am a people watcher, so this was my entertainment for the afternoon.  Guys setting up chairs, testing the sound sound system, a man who just paced around with a clipboard was my focus for quite some time.  What was he doing!?  It was driving me crazy.

The people at South Coast think of everything!  Forgot your towel?  Get one here!  The people from Bed & Bath were there setting up a summer towel shop.

I’m glad I got to enjoy S Beach on a quiet spring day.  Things can get pretty crazy here during peak season (go-go dancers and all!).  Check out their events on the S Beach Facebook page.

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The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to more than 4000 beaches and marinas in 49 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean.

This year Greece has 360 Blue Flag beaches and the region of Attiki  is home to 12 Blue Flag beaches and 2 Blue Flag marinas.  Seven of those beaches are along the Athens Coast.

Athens Coast Blue Flag Beaches

• Voula A
• Astir Beach
• Varkiza Beach
• Lagonisi 1/Grand Beach
• Lagonisi 2/Mediterraneo-Anatoliki Akti
• Lagonisi 3/Kochylia-Dytiki Akti
• Mavro Lithari/Eden Beach

Beaches are awarded the Blue Flag based on compliance with 33 criteria covering the following:

1) Environmental Education and Information

2) Water Quality

3) Environmental Management

4) Safety and Services

All Blue Flags are awarded for one season at a time. If the criteria are not fulfilled during the season or the conditions change, the Blue Flag may be withdrawn.  Full FEE Blue Flag Beaches Criteria 

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