Alimos is a coastal suburb on the Athens Riviera, home to one of the Mediterranean’s largest marinas, the sandy Kalamaki beach and a lively seaside promenade. Explore it alongside skip-the-line sightseeing tickets and tours from My Greece Tours.
This breezy suburb is an accessible seaside corner of the Athens travel guide. The sections below cover what Alimos is, the great marina, Kalamaki beach, the dining and things to do, and how to get there from the city.
What is Alimos?
Alimos is a coastal suburb on the Athens Riviera, about 15 kilometres south of the city centre and 30 kilometres from the airport, near the start of the Riviera coast. It is best known for Alimos Marina, among the biggest marinas in the Mediterranean, and the sandy Kalamaki beach. A relaxed seaside district with a long promenade, beach bars, seafood tavernas and easy access to the city, Alimos is a popular and convenient escape to the sea for Athenians and a handy base for island cruises.
Alimos is a charming coastal suburb of the Athenian Riviera, set about fifteen kilometres south of the city centre and roughly thirty kilometres from Athens International Airport, occupying a prime stretch near the start of the Riviera coast as it runs south from the city toward Cape Sounion.
The suburb is best known for two things: its enormous marina, among the biggest in the whole Mediterranean, and its accessible sandy beach at Kalamaki. Together these give Alimos a relaxed, maritime, holiday character despite its closeness to the city. A long seafront promenade runs along the coast, lined with beach bars, cafés and seafood tavernas, and the marina buzzes with yachts and sailing activity. Because it is so easy to reach from central Athens yet sits right on the Aegean, Alimos is a favourite quick escape to the sea for Athenians wanting a swim, a coastal walk or a fish lunch, and it doubles as a convenient departure point for sailing trips and one-day cruises to the nearby Saronic islands. The questions below cover what visitors ask most.
What is Alimos Marina like?
Alimos Marina ranks among the biggest marinas in the Mediterranean and a key hub of Greek maritime tourism, with around 979 berths for yachts and recreational boats. It is a major centre for yacht charters, sailing schools and cruises to the Saronic islands, so it bustles with boating activity. The marina has a promenade ideal for walks and cycling with Aegean views, plus cafés and facilities. For visitors, it is the place to admire the yachts, start a sailing trip or stroll the waterfront.
The centrepiece of Alimos is its marina, and it is no ordinary harbour: Alimos Marina counts among the biggest marinas in the entire Mediterranean and a key pillar of Attica’s maritime tourism, with around nine hundred and seventy-nine berths accommodating everything from small recreational boats to large yachts, so the waterfront is a forest of masts and a constant scene of comings and goings.
This makes it the beating heart of sailing in Athens, a major centre for yacht charters and rentals, sailing schools, and the departure point for cruises to the nearby islands, so whether you want to learn to sail, charter a boat, or join a one-day cruise around the Saronic Gulf, this is where it begins. For those staying ashore, the marina is a pleasure in its own right: a long promenade runs alongside it, perfect for an evening walk or a bicycle ride with beautiful views over the Aegean, and it is dotted with cafés, bars and facilities. Simply strolling among the yachts as the sun sets, watching the boats and pausing for a coffee or a drink by the water, is one of the relaxed pleasures of a visit to Alimos, and underlines its identity as a true seafaring suburb of Athens. The questions below cover what visitors ask most.
What are the beaches like?
Alimos’s main beach is Kalamaki, an organised beach on the Riviera coast with light-blue water and a deep seabed, well set up with sunbeds, straw umbrellas, beach bars, a lifeguard, showers and changing facilities, plus free public sections. Nearby, the Akti tou Iliou beach complex offers a lively scene with watersports, music events and lounge areas. Clean, accessible and close to the city, the Alimos beaches are among the easiest places to swim near central Athens, popular with locals all summer.
For swimming, Alimos offers some of the most accessible beaches near central Athens, chief among them Kalamaki. This is an organised beach running along the main Riviera coast road, with light-blue waters and a deep seabed that make it a fine swimming spot close to the city, and it is well equipped with rows of sunbeds and straw umbrellas, beach bars serving quick meals and refreshments, a lifeguard tower, toilets and changing booths, alongside free public stretches for those who simply want to lay out a towel.
Just along the coast, the Akti tou Iliou beach complex provides a livelier, more upbeat experience, a large organised beach with watersports, music events and lounge spaces for relaxing, popular with a younger crowd looking for a beach-club atmosphere. Between the easygoing Kalamaki and the buzzy Akti tou Iliou, Alimos covers both ends of the beach-day spectrum, from a relaxed family swim to a music-filled afternoon by the sea. Clean, well-organised and remarkably close to the centre, these beaches are among the simplest places for visitors to cool off in the Aegean without travelling far down the coast, which is why Athenians flock here throughout the summer. The questions below cover what visitors ask most.
What else is there to do and eat?
Beyond the beach and marina, Alimos offers a seafront promenade for walking and cycling, a municipal swimming pool, the historic Kalamaki nautical club, and a summer open-air cinema near the marina. Dining is a highlight, with seaside tavernas near the marina famous for fresh seafood and traditional Greek dishes, plus cafés and the nearby Thucydidou market for more options. Alimos also makes a base for cruises to the Saronic islands and trips down the Riviera to Cape Sounion. There is plenty to fill a relaxed seaside day.
Alimos has more to offer than sand and yachts, rounding out a seaside day with sport, culture and especially food. Active visitors can enjoy the long seafront promenade, ideal for walking, jogging or cycling with Aegean views, swim laps at the modern municipal swimming pool, or take in the historic Kalamaki nautical club, while in summer a beloved open-air cinema operates within a short walk of the marina, offering films under the stars by the sea.
Dining, though, is a particular pleasure here. The seaside tavernas clustered near the marina are famous for their fresh seafood, serving the day’s catch alongside classic Greek dishes with a view of the boats and the water, and beyond them the suburb has plenty of cafés, casual eateries and the nearby central market, known as Thucydidou market, a few minutes from the marina, offering a wider range of places to eat. Alimos also works well as a launch pad for wider adventures: it is a departure point for one-day cruises around the Saronic islands and sits on the road south down the Riviera toward Vouliagmeni’s thermal lake and the sunset temple at Cape Sounion. Between its sports facilities, open-air cinema, excellent seafood and onward connections, there is more than enough to fill a relaxed and varied day by the sea at Alimos. The questions below cover what visitors ask most.
How do you get to Alimos from Athens?
You reach Alimos easily from central Athens by the coastal tram, which runs along the Riviera shoreline to the suburb in around 30 to 40 minutes, or by bus. By car, the coastal Poseidonos Avenue gets there in a short drive. Alimos is about 15 kilometres from the centre and 30 from the airport. The tram is the scenic, stress-free choice for the beaches and marina. Combine Alimos with the Stavros Niarchos centre nearby or a longer Riviera trip down to Vouliagmeni and Cape Sounion.
Getting to Alimos from the centre of Athens is straightforward, and the most pleasant option is the coastal tram, which glides along the Riviera shoreline and reaches the suburb in roughly thirty to forty minutes, a scenic and relaxing ride that drops you near the beaches and marina without the stress of driving or parking. Local buses also serve the area for those who prefer them.
If you are driving, the coastal Poseidonos Avenue runs straight down the Riviera and reaches Alimos in a short drive from the centre, traffic permitting, and the suburb lies about fifteen kilometres from the heart of the city and thirty from Athens International Airport, making it convenient from either. Once there, the marina, the promenade and the Kalamaki beach are all close together and easily explored on foot. Because of its position at the near end of the Riviera, Alimos combines beautifully with other coastal attractions: you can pair it with the great Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre just back toward the city, or use it as the first stop on a longer drive south down the coast to the warm lake at Vouliagmeni and the clifftop Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Easy to reach, right on the sea and full of things to do, Alimos makes one of the most convenient seaside escapes from central Athens. The questions below cover what visitors ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Alimos known for?
Alimos is known as a coastal suburb on the Athens Riviera, home to Alimos Marina, among the biggest marinas in the Mediterranean with around 979 berths, and the sandy Kalamaki beach. It is a hub for yacht charters, sailing and cruises to the Saronic islands, with a long seafront promenade, beach bars and seafood tavernas. Close to central Athens, it is a popular and convenient seaside escape for swimming, walking and boating.
How do you get to Alimos from Athens?
You get to Alimos from central Athens most easily by the coastal tram, which runs along the Riviera shoreline to the suburb in around 30 to 40 minutes, dropping you near the beaches and marina. Local buses also serve the area, and by car the coastal Poseidonos Avenue reaches it in a short drive. Alimos lies about 15 kilometres south of the centre and 30 kilometres from the airport on the Athens Riviera.
Is Kalamaki beach in Alimos good for swimming?
Yes, Kalamaki beach in Alimos is a good and very accessible place to swim near central Athens. It is an organised Riviera beach with light-blue water and a deep seabed, equipped with sunbeds, straw umbrellas, beach bars, a lifeguard, showers and changing facilities, plus free public sections. The nearby Akti tou Iliou complex offers a livelier scene with watersports and music. Both are clean, well-organised and popular with locals throughout the summer.