Known for its pleasant weather, Athens is a great city to go outside for a walk or run. Discover some of our favorite coastal routes to explore stunning waterfront locations by foot!

Faliro To Voula

The Flisvos Marina is located 8 km south of Athens, offers a beautiful seaside path. Head north to the Peace and Friendship Stadium, about 5 km, where you will find shops, cafes, restaurants, and an open-air cinema. If you head south, you will reach Glyfada and Voula. There is a path along the road for part of the route, and an off-road path in sections. The distance from Flisvos Marina to Glyfada and Voula is 9 km and 11.7 km, respectively. Along the way, you will pass by numerous beaches and beach clubs, while if you get off the path, you will be able to explore the local marinas and piers.

This route is one of the most pleasant on the coast of Athens; however, you will need to be cautious of the traffic and tram lines in a couple of sections. An added bonus is that you an run one way and take the tram back to Flisvos.

Terrain: Flat
Maps: Flisvos Marina to Peace & Friendship Stadium Route & Flisvos Marina to Voula Route

Piraeus, Zea Marina and Kastella

Located just 8km southwest of Athens, Piraeus is a popular day-trip destination and one of the world's largest passenger ports. There are a handful of excellent running routes in Piraeus, primarily located along the Saronic Gulf coast.

1.Piraeus Port

Take in the bustling energy of Europe's largest passenger port with this route around Piraeus's docks and ships; there are red painted pedestrian lanes along the whole port. A popular starting point is the port's western peninsula, near the "Hellas Liberty" Floating Museum.

If you head north along the water, you'll catch glimpses of the Eetionian Gate of the Piraeus Ancient Walls on your left. As you continue right and bend around the port; between Port Gates E8 and E9, you'll see Themistokleous Square and the Church of Saint Spyridon across the street. The path continues southwest to the Church of Saint Nicholas. Here, runners can turn around for another 7.5 km run back.

Terrain: Hilly
Map: Piraeus Port Route

2. Akti Themistokleous to Zea Marina

This scenic route follows a lamplit promenade along a stretch of rocky coastline. Near the Hellenic Maritime Museum, the path briefly bends inland, then follows along the waterfront of the Zea Marina. Pick up the waterfront trail at the corner of Akti Themistokleous and Alexandrou Zaimi street, and turn around at the Monument to the Pontic Greek Genocide for a 9 km out and back run.

Terrain: Hilly
Map: Akti Themistokleous to Zea Marina Route

3. Kastella

The neighborhood Kastella is perched high above the Athens basin and offers stunning views of the coast below and the Athens Acropolis above. This affluent part of Piraeus is famous for its neoclassical buildings and landmarks and the Church of Profitis Ilias. Runners will find this is a great area to see the sights and a killer hill workout. This route is a quick, hilly 2.5 km loop, starting near the Faros Marina.

Terrain: Very Hilly
Map: Kastella Route

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Made up of the Tinos, Syros and Andros runs, the ‘Cyclades Trail Cup’ — also known as the Cyclades Mountain Running Championship — is ready yet again with the support of the South Aegean Region, local associations, municipal authorities and media including the Greek Travel Pages (Grand Media Sponsor and tourism advisor to the event), to get down to business and prepare for an active year ahead with the aim to promote both wellness and travel and at the same time highlight the unique offerings of the Greek Cyclades via special routes and treks.

The organizers of the Cyclades Trail Cup once again are inviting athletes from all over the world to participate in the event.

2017 Schedule

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Please click HERE for more information about the Cyclades Trail Cup.

The first professional blogger network in Greece, Travel Bloggers Greece (TBG), traveled to Pelion to celebrate its two-year anniversary and blog about the region. Spyrou Philoxenia, a top hotel management company with headquarters in Athens, invited TBG members to experience the sights, nature and gastronomy of the up-and-coming destination.

The three-day itinerary included hiking in Tsagarada with Trekking Hellas to photograph the region’s mountain and sea views. A tour of several villages included Vyzitsa, Millies, Afissos, Zagora and Makrinitsa. The bloggers also experienced local gastronomy including at O Patis taverna in Zagora and a tsipouro tasting at Lepi in Volos. For a coffee with a view, the Greece based bloggers enjoyed the hospitality at Hotel Maistrali in Afissos. Members also gathered at Manthos Hotel in Chania to cut the organization’s vasilopita, a traditional New Year’s cake. The coin prize was a gift certificate sponsored by Manas Kouzina-Kouzina, a traditional Greek restaurant in Athens. To end the blogger trip, TBG sat down for a traditional dinner warmly hosted by the staff at the award-winning Kritsa restaurant in Portaria, a member of the Guest Inn Network.

“Our two-year anniversary was a great opportunity to promote beautiful Pelion, a special year-round destination in Greece,” said Elena Sergeeva, co-founder of TBG. “Our members look forward to blogging about their experiences in full, over the next month, on their individual travel blogs.”

“Spyrou Philoxenia showed us the best that Pelion has to offer so we can relay what we learned to our international followers,” said Marissa Tejada, co-founder of TBG. “TBG members love traveling in Greece and are seasoned in effectively sharing those travel experiences through quality digital content and through social media.”

The blogging trip included a stay at Aglaida Apartments in Tsagarada, where members also celebrated their two-year anniversary with a “Greek party” which included a traditional dinner prepared by the hotel.

“In this digital world, we understand the importance and impact travel blogging has on today’s traveler holiday decisions. As Greece destination experts, we knew that Pelion would be an ideal place for TBG to explore for their special anniversary weekend,” said John Grigoras, Deputy Manager, Sales and Marketing of Spyrou Philoxenia. “We look forward to the positive impact, excellent blog coverage and social media exposure the blogger trip will have on the region in coming weeks and in the long term.”

To sponsor the TBG blogger tour, Spyrou Philoxenia successfully managed collaborations between private business and regional tourism organization including Trekking Hellas, Les Hirondelles, the Hotel Owners Association of Magnesia and the Prefectural Units of Magnesia and Sporades Islands.

Established in 2015, TBG is the first professional travel blogger networking group in Greece. Members are Greeks and expats who live in Greece and abide by ethical and professional standards. A membership committee approves candidates based on specific professional criteria. TBG works with businesses in Greece and around the world to help promote authentic travel.

For more information, please visit: Travel Bloggers Greece

Hotel Management company, Spyrou Philoxenia organizes special tour packages through authentic experiences coupled with professional services and select accommodations at Spyrou Philoxenia Affiliate Member Hotels.

For more information, please visit: Spyrou Philoxenia

Just a few hours away from Athens, Greece offers some of the best ski resorts for both adults and children. Ski runs range in all levels of difficulty while giving its guests the opportunity to enjoy mesmerizing views of Greece! Here are our top 3 ski resorts close to Athens.

Parnassos Ski Resort


@parnassos.gr

This resort is probably Greece’s most popular ski center because it is very easy to access, located only about two hours from Athens. It is also close to the popular ancient archaeological site of Delphi. There you will find 17 lifts, 13 main modern lifts and 4 baby lifts, 23 slopes, and 7 ski trails with a total length of 34 km.

The Kalavrita Ski Center is located in the Peloponnese, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Athens, and is the second-largest ski resort in Greece sporting 13 diverse ski tracks for you to enjoy, with a total length of 25 km. If you are a beginner, you should consider trying out the newly-added and longest run "Harmony", a very scenic ski route through the pine forest of Helmos.

This ski resort is one of the oldest in the country and is located on Mount Velouchi, 10 km from Karpenisi, the capital of Evritania, and around 4 hours away from Athens. It boasts a total of 6 ski lifts with 18 different slopes of varying difficulty to check out.

 

If you’re in the neighborhood of Kolonaki, you may want to try Philippou, a restaurant known for its delicious home cooked meals. Culinary Backstreets takes us on a tour and offers great suggestions on the food and drinks to try!

Founded in 1923 by Kostas Philippou, it began as a humble taverna with earthen floors and big barrels filled with home-made wine. In 1968 the building where the taverna stood was converted, like thousands of others in the 60s, into a modern block of flats, and the taverna reopened on the ground floor in the same spot it occupies today, a few steps below street level.

Still run by the same family, Kostas Philippou, the grandson of the original owner, and his Greek-Australian wife, Patricia, are now in charge. They are chic and soft-spoken, with the big friendly smiles of good hosts, and soon we understand why: most of their clientele are regulars, who either eat here or have their food to go every day.

'We try to keep things light and easy on the stomach, so we don’t use many spices or a lot of oil in our cooking,' Kostas Philippou said.

To read this article in full, please visit: Culinary Backstreets

This documentary short film, ‘4.1 Miles’ by Daphne Matziaraki, was nominated for a 2017 Academy Award! The film is about a coast guard captain on a small Greek island who is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea.

 

‘When I returned home to Greece last fall to make a film about the refugee crisis, I discovered a situation I had never imagined possible. The turquoise sea that surrounds the beautiful Greek island of Lesbos, just 4.1 miles from the Turkish coast, is these days a deadly gantlet, choked with terrified adults and small children on flimsy, dangerous boats. I had never seen people escaping war before, and neither had the island’s residents. I couldn’t believe there was no support for these families to safely escape whatever conflict had caused them to flee. The scene was haunting.’

To read this article in full, please visit: The New York Times

Attorney Effie Spilioti was born and raised in Chicago. Her parents were first generation Greek immigrants who arrived in Chicago in search of a better future for their family. Like most immigrants, they left Greece with almost no resources, but with hope for the future and with a dream of returning to Greece someday.

“I followed my family to Greece after they decided to relocate there, for their retirement. When I arrived in Greece, I initially studied at the American College of Greece, but I had my mind set on studying law. After studying intensively for a year, I took the exams and was admitted to the Law School of the University of Athens.”

“I always believed that my upbringing in an immigrant family, watching them succeed through hardships and limited resources, has guided me and even assists me today in adapting to the insecurity of the current situation in Greece. If there is one thing that I learned from my parents as immigrants, that is importance of perseverance, hard work and “ethos” in all aspects of life. These are the traditional values that are common in all Greek immigrants, whether they are in the United States, Australia or other countries.”

Being exposed to two cultures has not been easy. When you are exposed to two cultures it is inevitable that you compare them to each other. As a woman living in Greece, I cannot say that I faced discrimination based on my gender in the workplace. It should be noted that Greece has laws that significantly protect the rights of mothers in the workplace.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek TV

Castle Cover, insurance specialists for people who are over fifty, researched retirement prospects in 23 countries to determine the Top 10 places to retire! Factors taken into account included house prices, health care costs, average temperature, rainfall and hours of sunshine – as well as grocery bills, crime rates and taxation.

 

According to Castle Cover, ‘While the economic crisis remains dire, this country continues to offer a relaxed lifestyle for many who have already made their pile. As the birthplace of democracy, Greece has evolved into a visually spectacular nation that offers great weather, readily available health care and – believe it or not – a low crime rate. Just make sure the locals don't mistake you for a German.’

Other countries also included on the list of Best Places To Retire are Spain, Portugal, Australia, the US, and Morocco.

To read this article in full, please visit: The Telegraph

The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most famous and influential landmarks in history. The naturally fortified site houses the greatest architectural influence of modern civilisation and symbolises the birthplace of democracy. While there is evidence that the Acropolis was inhabited as far back as 3,500 BC, it was Pericles, the democratic leader of Athens in the 4th century BC, who oversaw an ambitious construction program of the buildings and monuments that exist on the Acropolis today. And now, Why Athens shares the secrets of the Acropolis you may not have known until now!

The Temple of Athena Nike overlooks the entrance to the Acropolis and was constructed during Pericles’ building program in 426BC. The temple was a replacement for a 6th century BC dedication to Athena Nike which was constructed of wood but destroyed by the Persians. It survived virtually intact for 2,000 years, until 1686 when the Ottomans demolished the temple to use the marble as a fortification wall on the Propylaea. The wall was removed and the temple reconstructed to its former glory in 1834 after the Greeks regained their independence.

When the ancients first saw the rocky land mass which we know as the Acropolis, they must have been amazed by the perfection of its oval top. Measuring 350 metres long and 150 metres wide (52,500 square metres), it must be visited and walked to understand the true scale and uniqueness of the ancient site. Each year over 2 million people climb the Acropolis.

To read this article in full, please visit: Why Athens

Jessica from Athens Coast explores Glyfada and shares a favorite new bar in the area called Brewklyn. It was ‘just what Glyfada needed!’

Brewklyn has the feel of a neighborhood hang-out. It’s very easy to visit this place once and declare it ‘my new spot’.

Outside seating on the busy Giannitsopoulou Street is perfect for people watching, especially in the summer months when twilight extends past 9pm.

Once the sun goes down, the inside has an inviting, cosy feeling with dim lighting and simple decor.

They offer over 80 varieties of beer at Brewklyn. The beer lovers behind the bar are constantly bringing in new beers to try and keep things up-to-date. They pay special attention to new and up-and-coming Greek breweries and are always rooting for the ‘home team’. Brewklyn also offers a delicious selection of pizza.

Address: Giannitsopoulou 3

Telephone: 210 894 3400

Hours: Daily from 18:00 to 02:00.

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To read this article in full, please visit: Athens Coast