Schinias: A Day At The Beach in Athens
The writing was on the wall as soon as Punxsutawney Phil came out to deliver the news: spring is coming soon this year. And boy was the old groundhog right. Athens is currently at 17 degrees Celsius. Which is neither here nor there in this part of the world. The last few seasons have seen weird weather patterns that turn June in Greece into something resembling tropical. Who knew climate change had silver linings (pun definitely intended)? So, for visitors to Athens a trip to the beach seems almost inevitable, especially for the northern Europeans. The options are either go south to the suburbs or go north to Nea Makri where Schinias beach awaits. All 3 kilometers of it. On a curvy stretch of sand flanked by pine trees just off the town of Marathonas (yes, that one) lies glorious, golden flaky sand.
Distance: A Day At The Beach in Athens
Now, at 45 minutes distance from the city center it’s no cake walk, what with the curvy mountain roads one must navigate to get there, but the feeling of ecstasy one gets when setting one’s eyes upon it is pretty damn visceral. And that’s because you’ll most probably be chuffed by the lack of masses. Not that many people can be bothered to drive that long to get to this beach. Even one as spectacular as this. This ought to tell you more about how spoilt Athenians are than anything else, and of course to illustrate the sheer size and quantity of beaches in the Attica region in general. And out of all those beaches, Schinias stands out.
Amenities: A Day At The Beach in Athens
It provides fun for everyone. Case in point the organized beach bars and adjacent beach volley set ups that’ll keep you on your toes for hours. The water sport opportunities that exist for those who love getting dunked on water at breakneck speeds. And naturally the endless pine tree canopy that creates free shade (never underestimate the free shade, people) for bathers. I mean, Glyfada and the southern suburbs are nice, but I’ll be damned if I have to spend 10 bucks for a lounger and a brolly.
Size: A Day At The Beach in Athens
Schinias beach is vast in terms of length as well as girth. You get a full 30 to 40 meters of sweet glorious sand separating shore from the pine trees, which means more room to mess around. In addition, the depth of the water is no more than 70 centimeters for the first 20 meters or so, so toddlers and kids are easily managed. The majority of the beach is pretty much laissez fair freedom. One can bring out a grill and start barbecuing as easily as one can set up a 5 a side footie match. It’s that big.
Schinias: A Day At The Beach in Athens
That’s where you get more bang for your buck, though. You may have to drive slightly more to get there but if it were easy everyone would do it.
