In autumn 2019, I was contacted by a Swedish traveler and was tasked to plan for her a day trip out of Athens. She wanted to visit Vouliagmeni Lake, and asked whether it could be combined with a little a bit of hiking, as well as some hours at the beach. Sure it could. I came up with this really nice plan, featuring three destinations.
Vari Cave
For some hiking, the natural choice was the southern slope of Mount Hymettus, right above Vouliagmeni. For a specific destination, we chose Vari Cave (also Nympholyptos or Archedimos Cave), which is there situated. The cave was used as a shrine during the antiquity, dedicated to Apollo, Pan, and the Nymphs. Due to that, it hosts an impressive collection of ancient sculptures and engravings. An absolutely great place to visit for the lovers of the occult and spiritual.
To get there, we took the small road leading up the slope of the mountain from Panorama district of southern Athens. The trailhead for Vari Cavi is to be found along the road at 37.8598, 23.7970. From there, it’s a mere half-kilometer walk to reach the cave. Vari Cave coordinates are: 37.8581, 23.8018.
There is a sign prohibiting entry to the cave, though, no fence or anything actually obstructing it. We climbed down and followed the steps to the murky interiors of the cave, where we spent some time marveling its mysterious contents and reveling in its enchanting atmosphere.
We then took a further short hike to another, unknown cave located nearby (37.8593, 23.8037). We enjoyed the beautiful views a bit and set off for our next destination.
Vouliagmeni Lake
The Lake of Vouliagmeni is a brackish-water lake formed by the southern foot of Mount Hymettus after an earthquake some 2000 years ago. It is a very popular destination among travelers to Athens, owing to its year-round warm temperature and the arguably therapeutic contents of its waters. The lake’s exact location is 37.8077, 23.7854. It is reachable by public transport from Athens’ center within an hour, by metro red like to Elliniko, and bus 122 thereafter. It remains open to the public from 8:00 until 19:00.
The bad thing is that a hefty entrance fee applies to enter the site and swim in the lake (view pricing here), which, if it was me being the traveler, I would be rather reluctant to pay. Since my guest, in this case, was of the same opinion, we did not, in the end, go in. We only had a look at it from the outside the fence, and headed to the beach, instead, to swim for free.
Megalo Kavouri Beach
For our trip-closing dip, we went to Megalo Kavouri Beach, whose names translates to Big Crab. This is a particularly beautiful and uncrowded beach for its vicinity to the city. It is located at the southernmost end of the metropolitan area of Athens, just north from Vouliagmeni Bay. Its coordinates are: 37.817, 23.7680. A bus stop, named Diastavrosi Kavouriou, is situated on the main road some 500 meters from the beach.
Since it was also already autumn, we found it pretty much empty. The weather, however, was just perfect for a refreshing dip and some mild sun-bathing before heading back to Athens.
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