Glyfada & the Riviera · Athens, Greece
Glyfada & the Athens Riviera
Glyfada is the heart of the Athens Riviera, 30 minutes from the centre by tram: shopping on Metaxa and Kyprou streets, cafés on Laodikis, seafood tavernas, cocktail bars, marinas, beaches and the city's only 18-hole golf course. It is also the perfect base for Voula's beaches, the warm waters of Lake Vouliagmeni and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounio.
Neighbourhood guideGlyfada: The Complete GuideHotels · Cafés · Restaurants · Bars · Beach clubs · Marinas · AttractionsOpen the guide
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Big organised beach
A' Plaz Voulas (Voula Beach)
Voula's main organised beach: a long stretch of sand with lifeguards, showers, rows of sunbeds and umbrellas and beach bars. Entry in 2026 is €8.50 on weekdays and €10 at weekends (children 6–12 €4.50, under-6s free); sunbeds at the beach bars cost extra.
Posidonos AvenueDetails View on map
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Pool & swim club
Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens
The American design brand's first Greek hotel, close to Glyfada's best beaches and a short ride from the city. A big pool and swim club, yoga and events give it a younger, livelier mood than the traditional Riviera resorts.
1 Artemisiou StreetDetails View on map
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Seafood & oysters
Akrovoli
A seafood restaurant and oyster bar in Voula, with dishes such as tuna Wellington, sea bass with Peruvian mash and fish served four ways, plus a large wine list.
14 Posidonos AvenueDetails View on map
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Salsa Thursdays
Amigos
A long-running Mexican bar and restaurant with margaritas, tacos and a big following. Thursday is live salsa night, starting at 10pm.
65 Kyprou StreetDetails View on map
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For families
Archelon Sea Turtle Rescue Centre
Run by Archelon, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, the centre nurses injured loggerhead turtles back to health before returning them to the sea. Families can visit and meet the volunteers and their patients.
3rd Marina, GlyfadaDetails View on map
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Sunset cocktails
Ark
A chic café-restaurant on the waterfront at Asteras Beach with a relaxed country-club feel: coffee and brunch by day, then sunset drinks on the terrace. The cocktails give the classics a Greek twist, such as a Mai Tai with Corfu kumquat and Peloponnese bergamot.
2 Grigoriou Lambraki, Asteras BeachDetails View on map
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Organised beach
Asteria Glyfadas
A large, well-run organised beach at Asteras with lifeguards, a playground, water sports and a beach bar. Entry includes a sunbed.
Posidonos AvenueDetails View on map
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Small & relaxed
Athines by the Sea
A small beach with a laid-back restaurant, showers and good-value sunbeds, ideal for a quieter day by the sea.
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All day on the sand
Caretta Riviera
Often called Caretta Athens: an all-day beachfront spot where you can eat with your feet in the sand. Coffee, fresh juices and brunch in the morning, then modern Greek and Mediterranean dishes such as seafood, sea bass ceviche, pasta and pizza, and cocktails and weekend parties by the sea. Open daily from 9am to midnight.
46 Diadochou Pavlou StreetDetails View on map
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Coffee & chocolate
Carpo
The Glyfada branch of the Athens favourite for freshly roasted and ground coffee, handmade chocolates and roasted nuts, open here since 2016. Grab a coffee to go and a bag of treats for the beach.
20 Grigoriou Lambraki StreetDetails View on map
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Athens' only 18 holes
Glyfada Golf Course
The only 18-hole golf course in Athens, laid out among pines and rolling fairways just inland from the Glyfada seafront. Designed in 1962 and remodelled by Robert Trent Jones Sr, it is run by the Municipality of Glyfada and home to the Glyfada Golf Club of Athens. Visitors should book tee times in advance and bring a handicap certificate.
Terma Pronois, GlyfadaDetails View on map
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Seaside stroll
Glyfada Marina & Seafront
Glyfada's string of marinas, lined with yachts, cafés and a fish market, runs along the seafront next to its public beaches. Locals say the third beach has the best sand and the cleanest water. Perfect for an evening walk before dinner.
Posidonos AvenueDetails View on map
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Local life
Glyfada Thursday Market
Every Thursday the laiki, the neighbourhood street market, fills Lazaraki Street with fresh fruit and vegetables, olives, herbs and clothing. Go early for the best choice, or around 1pm for bargains as stallholders pack up.
Lazaraki StreetDetails View on map
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Where locals drink
Holy Spirit
A playful, Caribbean-styled cocktail bar known for large-format drinks, popular with a young local crowd on Glyfada's busiest bar street.
41 Laodikis StreetDetails View on map
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Swim all year
Lake Vouliagmeni
About ten minutes south of Glyfada, past Voula: a natural lake under a limestone cliff, fed by underground mineral springs mixing with sea water. The water stays warm all year, roughly 22–29°C, so people swim here even in winter. Sunbeds, a café and a restaurant line the shore.
VouliagmeniDetails View on map
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Shopping hub
Metaxa & Kyprou Streets
The heart of Glyfada. Metaxa Street runs from the Agios Konstantinos cathedral down towards the sea, an open-air strip of Greek and international fashion, shoe shops and cafés served by the tram. Parallel Kyprou Street is the chic side: designer boutiques, concept stores, delis and pavement cafés under the palms.
Metaxa Street and Kyprou StreetDetails View on map
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Neighbourhood taverna
O Proedros
A much-loved neighbourhood taverna with a courtyard under plane trees, for classic Greek dishes away from the bustle of the main streets.
3 Savva Lazaridi StreetDetails View on map
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Coffee to cocktails
Oh Mama
A stylish all-day spot on Kyprou Street, good for coffee and people-watching in the afternoon and drinks as the street fills up at night.
48 Kyprou StreetDetails View on map
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Beachfront resort
One&Only Aesthesis
A beachfront retreat on the Riviera with bungalows and villas among the pines, a private beach and a relaxed, glamorous mood.
Glyfada seafrontDetails View on map
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50 m from the beach
Palmyra Beach Hotel
A friendly four-star hotel just across the road from the beach, and close to Glyfada's shops. Not the most luxurious on the Riviera, but good value for a seaside stay.
70 Posidonos AvenueDetails View on map
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Cretan cooking
Pasiphae
A well-loved Cretan restaurant, one of the best-rated Greek kitchens in Glyfada, with island dishes, cheeses and raki in a relaxed setting.
63 Lazaraki StreetDetails View on map
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Glyfada's headline bar
Pere Ubu
An industrial-style restaurant and bar at the heart of Glyfada's nightlife. Stone-baked pizzas and burgers early on, then DJ sets and dancing inside after about 11pm. Book ahead online.
74 Kyprou StreetDetails View on map
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Seafood meze & DJ
Sea Spice
A fashionable Kyprou Street spot from the team behind Pere Ubu, serving Greek seafood meze with fusion touches in a yacht-inspired room. Lively and loud, with a DJ mixing house and Greek hits and good cocktails; book ahead.
80 Kyprou StreetDetails View on map
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Laodikis favourite
Soleto
A crowd favourite on Laodikis, Glyfada's café and food street. Coffee by day, then Italian-inspired Mediterranean cooking, an Asian room and a bar in the evening.
33–35 Laodikis StreetDetails View on map
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Garden cocktails
Su Casa
A stylish, homely spot with a garden patio and a long cocktail list. Come around 8pm for an aperitif, or stay for dinner.
Nymfeon SquareDetails View on map
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Historic day trip
Temple of Poseidon, Sounio
The marble Temple of Poseidon, built in the 5th century BC, stands on a clifftop at the southern tip of Attica and is one of the most spectacular sunset spots in Greece. From Glyfada it's about an hour's drive down the coast road past Vouliagmeni, Varkiza and Lagonisi.
Cape SounionDetails View on map
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Elegant Italian
Vittoria Gati
An elegant Italian restaurant on Nymfon Square, closer to New York Italian than Neapolitan: lighter, playful dishes with well-balanced flavours, a cosy room and friendly service.
1 Nymfon SquareDetails View on map
Prices: € budget, €€ moderate, €€€ expensive, €€€€ luxury. Beach entry fees are 2026 figures; many seaside venues are seasonal and busiest from May to October, so check opening times and book ahead at weekends. For more beach clubs see our Beach Clubs list.