Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens - a guide for visitors

Close the sea just south of Athens is Lake Vouliagmeni, surrounded by limestone cliffs and fed by thermal springs. With premium sun-beds, waiter service and fine dining restaurant, Lake Vouliagmeni is branded as a luxury experience, similar to nearby beach clubs on the Athenian Riviera. Read on to discover what you need to know before visiting, in our guide to Lake Vouliagmeni.

Lake Vouliagmeni on the Athenian Riviera © Heatheronhertravels.com

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What to expect at Lake Vouliagmeni

Lake Vouliagmeni is an all day swim and relaxation venue, set around a natural lake, in the coastal resort of Vouliagmeni on the Athenian Riviera. The setting of milky blue-green water, surrounded by limestone cliffs and green pines is gorgeous, but this is not really a back to nature ‘wild swimming’ experience.

Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

These days the lake, which was once just a local secret, operates like an Athenian Riviera beach club, with luxurious sun-beds, waiter service and premium prices.

Since April 2025, the lake has been run in partnership with Zeus + Dione, a high end Athens based fashion house, and has been rebranded as a luxury experience. This fashion influence shows itself in the specially designed sun loungers, fine dining restaurant and the generally stylish ambiance of the Lake Vouliagmeni experience.

For swimming, the lake temperature is normally a steady 22 degrees C throughout the year, although it may rise as high as 29 degrees C in summer due to the heat of the sun. So it’s a good place to come in low season for a sheltered place to swim and catch some early or late season sunshine.

But in high season and at weekends, expect to find a younger crowd, looking to take the perfect social media photos, and posing for the best shots by the lake. In high season (we were there in September) Lake Vouliagmeni feels very much a place that visitors flock to, while locals take their cars and head to the quieter beaches further down the coast.

Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

Geology of Lake Vouliagmeni

We were interested to discover that the lake has been known since ancient times, when it was a huge cave filled with hot springs. Over the centuries water eroded the cavern until the roof fell in, creating the lake we see today.

Underwater tunnels still exist below the limestone cliffs and the name Vouliagmeni means ‘sunken’ in Greek. The lake has been valued for the mineral content of the water which is considered therapeutic, and the constant temperature of at least 22 degrees celsius, which makes it suitable for swimming year round.

Where is Lake Vouliagmeni?

Lake Vouliagmeni is in the coastal suburb of Vouliagmeni on the Athenian Riviera coastline, around 20km south of central Athens, 24km from Athens airport and 23km from Piraeus. The suburbs of Glyfada, Voula and Vari are also nearby.

Vouliagmeni is the most luxury oriented of the suburbs on this coastal strip, due to the proximity of the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel, with its super-yacht marina and luxury boutiques. The Vouliagmeni Lake is just behind the main coast road and a short walk from the nearest beach.

Lake Vouliagmeni Location map

Note: It’s worth mentioning that there is another body of water named Limni Vouliagmeni west of Athens. It’s a lagoon fed by seawater that’s close to Loutraki and the Corinth canal.

How to get to Lake Vouliagmeni

Lake Vouliagmeni can be reached from central Athens using the metro and bus. Both metro and buses can be paid for by tapping a debit card, as every journey is a flat fee. If you are making multiple journeys around Athens, you’ll get best value by buying a 1 day or 5 day Ath.ena transport ticket, available at any train station from the ticket machines.

Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

Getting to Lake Vouliagmeni from Central Athens

Take Metro Line 2 (red) from central Athens, where you can get on at stops such as Omonia, Syntagma or Akropolis. Alight at either Argyroupoli or Elleniko stations at the end of the line.

From outside either Argyroupoli or Elleniko station, take Bus 122 which drops you outside Lake Vouliagmeni, with just a few minutes walk to the entrance.

My recommendation is to get off the train at Argroupoli metro, since Bus 122 starts at this station, so you have a best chance of getting a seat. Don’t worry, if you don’t see Bus 122 showing on the illuminated sign at the bus stop. This is because the bus starts here, so it does not show on the sign until it actually arrives. The bus 122 runs around every 15 minutes.

How to get from Athens to Lake Vouliagmeni -Location map

This whole journey by train and bus takes around an hour from Syntagma in central Athens to Lake Vouliagmeni.

You could alternatively take a taxi from central Athens and the driving time is likely to be 30-50 minutes, depending on the traffic.

Getting to Lake Vouliagmeni from Piraeus

If coming from Piraeus, you can take the T7 tram line from Piraeus to Glyfada, alighting at tram stop: Platia Vaso Katraki. Then walk a few minutes to the bus stop on the main coast road and take the Bus 122 from there to Lake Vouliagmeni.

Our experience on arrival

We hopped off the bus with a small crowd of people, crossed the road and walked down the drive to the ticket kiosk for Lake Vouliagmeni.

There is a free car park, which is by the road on the high ground above the lake, and you can get a nice photo from there down the whole length of the lake.

Lake Vouliagmeni on the Athenian Riviera © Heatheronhertravels.com

At the ticket desk a queue was developing, and we realised that as we had arrived around midday, the lake was already quite full. For a standard entry ticket, we were asked to wait for a short time, while the lady checked that there was some seating for us.

She explained that they couldn’t let us through unless there was some seating or sun lounger for us. Once she had established that there was a free table in the bar area, we paid for our entrance and went through the ticket barrier.

In the shaded area to the left of the entrance there was a free table, where we seated ourselves, and used this as a base for the couple of hours we were at the lake. There are also some sun beds and deckchairs on the main deck included in the standard entry, but they all seemed to be full when we arrived.

What’s included in standard entry?

When we visited the standard entry price for Lake Vouliagmeni was €17 weekdays and €19 weekends. Everyone needs to pay the standard entry to enter the lake area, even if you planning to pay the additional fee for one of the premium sun bed options.

Standard sun-bed area at Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

So what does the general admission to Lake Vouliagmeni cover?

Entry to the lakeside area and access to swim in the lake.
A seat at a table in the bar area or a sun bed or deckchair in the non-premium area of the main deck in front of the lake.
Access to showers, toilets, lockers, bar and waiter service at your table or sunbed.

The biggest limitation of the general admission ticket is that there are many more sun-beds, cabanas and deckchairs available in the premium areas (for an extra fee) than there are in the general area. At weekends and in high season, the general admission areas may be crowded and busy. But in low season or at quieter times, this may not be an issue.

The general admission seating and sunbeds are available on a first come first served basis. So if you are allocated a bar table initially, you can move into a sun bed if one becomes free as someone leaves.

The costs of premium sun-beds

Many of the sun-beds are designated ‘premium’ and you have to pay an extra fee to use them. You can either book these premium sun-beds online before you come, or request one (subject to availability) at the ticket desk.

There’s a good overview of the different options on price-list section of the Lake Vouliagmeni website – I won’t list all the prices as you can check them online, but at the time of our visit they ranged from €40-€140. Main options are:

Premium sun beds at Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

Comfort set – a pair of more plush sun loungers on the main deck – in a section alongside the general admission sunbeds

Lounge Chair sets – a pair of deckchairs on the narrow deck that runs along one side of the lake

Sunbed sets – a pair of standard sunbeds on the narrow deck that runs along one side of the lake

Cabana – for 2 guests – on the narrow deck that runs along one side of the lake

Cabana – for 4 guests – a cabana + 2 deckchairs – on the narrow deck that runs along one side of the lake

Pines Prive area – the most expensive area, set a little above the lake on a lawned area shaded by pines, with more space between the sun beds. This area is sometimes used for weddings and other events.

Cabanas at Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

If you are spending a full day at Lake Vouliagmeni and looking for a luxurious and relaxing experience, I would recommend booking the Pines prive area or a cabana in advance.

However, if you only plan to spend a couple of hours and want to do lots of swimming in the lake, I would just personally just stick to the general admission and take whatever comes in terms of seating.

Sunbed areas at Lake Vouliagmeni © Heatheronhertravels.com

The experience of lake swimming

We really enjoyed our swim in the lake, which is a milky blue-green colour, with weed in some places. The water was cool but not too cold and felt silky on the skin. Most of the swimmers stayed at the end with the sun-beds, so as we swam further up the lake, we were able to appreciate the calm atmosphere and natural surroundings.

While the water was shallow enough to stand by the entry point, it seemed to get deeper as we swam towards the far end. Limestone cliffs rose above us to one side but the caves and inlets under the cliff were roped off for safety from falling rocks.

Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

At the furthest end of the lake, it felt like a much calmer experience, where we could float and relax away from busy entrance area, and get a good view of the other sun-beds and cabanas along the side of the lake.

The fishes in Lake Vouliagmeni

Lake Vouliagmeni is known for the small Gara Rufa fishes, just a few centimetres long, that nibble your feet if you dangle them in. If you find the idea of this a bit unpleasant, don’t worry, since the fishes only arrive if you stay still and won’t bother you while you are swimming.

Fishes at Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

They nibble dead skin from your feet and legs, but I didn’t find the sensation unpleasant, just a bit unusual. If you sit on the steps at the side of the lake, or dangle your feet in from the edge, the fishes gather in larger numbers.

To see hundreds of fishes gathering around my feet was a little weird, but more of a tickling sensation than anything painful.

Food and drink at Lake Vouliagmeni

There are a couple of options for food and drink at Lake Vouliagmeni, both of which are prepared by the on site restaurant AbraOvata. You may not bring your own food and drinks into the lake area.

Bar Menu at Lake Vouliagmeni

Most people coming to relax for the day will order from the bar menu, which includes hot and cold drinks and a range of bar style food – such as a club sandwich, Greek salad, or meatballs with potato wedges.

Bar snacks at Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens © Heatheronhertravels.com

Drinks and bar food can be ordered from the bar area, or from one of the passing waiters, who walk up and down taking orders. We found the waiters to be friendly and efficient.

Restaurant AbraOvata at Lake Vouliagmeni

The AbraOvata restaurant is set back a little from the lake, with a private enclosed dining area that can be accessed without going into the lake area. This is a fine dining restaurant, run by Chef John Skotidas, and the menu draws inspiration from Latin American and Asian flavours, intertwined with Greek traditions.

While there is a lunch and evening service, this restaurant offers a gourmet dining experience, so I personally would recommend going there in the evening, when the food can be fully appreciated.

We ordered from the bar menu and found the food to be well prepared and tasty. It’s good to see that they are using eco-friendly containers for their bar food, although it didn’t add to the visual appeal of the food.

Prices are on a level with other beach club or local restaurants, which tend to be on the higher end throughout the Athenian Riviera.

Overall, we were happy with the lunchtime dishes that we ordered as a snack to keep us going. After we left Lake Vouliagmeni, we had a late lunch at the nearby Sardelaki me Thea restaurant, overlooking the sea.

Other facilities at Lake Vouliagmeni

Other facilities at Lake Vouliagmeni include

Toilets – there were 2 ladies and 2 mens toilets, which were modern, clean and well maintained.

Lockers – I saw a bank of lockers by the toilets, although we did not use them. I think most people would leave their things on their sun-bed or chair, as there seemed to be plenty of staff around to keep an eye on things.

Showers – it is required to shower before entering the lake, and suncream is not permitted as it pollutes the water. There were quite a few open air showers on the way to the toilets, and more immediately behind the main sun-bed area.

Spa – We noticed there was a small spa area behind the lake, but did not try any treatments. My impression is that this is a limited service, that needed to be arranged in advance. There is more information on the Lake Vouliagmeni website.

Families at Lake Vouliagmeni

We visited Lake Vouligmeni as a couple, and found it to be an experience that is best suited to adults and older children. We did see a few families with young children and babies, but if thinking of visiting with the family you might consider the following.

Entrance to the lake is via metal and wood steps, straight into water that is chest deep for adults. There is no shallow ‘beach’ area and no place for children to play.
The decks and lakeside areas are covered with chairs, sun beds and cabanas, with little space to run around.
The cost of the entrance, premium sunbeds and food would make this a high cost family experience.
As there are a number of beach clubs nearby with more space to play and swim, such as Voulagmeni beach, you might consider whether this would give your family a better experience.

Things to watch out for at Lake Vouliagmeni

On windy days, the sun umbrellas remain closed for safety. As there is little natural shade, I’d personally avoid visiting on a day that is both hot and windy, since it would be too hot for sunbathing.

We visited in September around midday and found that the lakeside loungers and most seating were already taken. The policy is not to allow entrance unless there is a seat or sun-bed available, so we had to wait a short time. So if visiting in busy summer months or at weekends, I’d arrive before 11am or after 3pm, or otherwise be prepared for a wait to enter.

The Lake Vouliagmeni website and social media images give the impression that the lake surroundings are uncrowded and open, but the reality is that sunbeds are close to each other and the main deck feels crowded at busy times. The whole lake and lakeside area felt smaller and more contained than I had expected.

Since there is a charge for the most desirable sun beds and cabanas, on top of the entrance charge, the cost for a day by the lake can easily top €100. The prices of food and drinks are similar to other places in the Athenian Riviera, which is to say on the higher end. So you should consider this as comparable to a luxury beach club style experience, rather than a wild swimming venue.

Where to stay in Vouliagmeni

It’s worth knowing that Vouliagmeni is one of the most luxury oriented parts of the Athenian Riviera, due to its proximity to the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel, with its marina and designer boutiques. Even if your budget won’t stretch to staying here, it’s worth dipping into the luxury experience, by booking dinner at one of the Four Season’s high end restaurants.

For a hotel in Vouliagmeni that’s a little more affordable, we recommend the Amarilia Hotel, which is a short bus or taxi ride from Lake Vouliagmeni. This stylish 4 star hotel overlooks the sea and is located on a charming stretch of the coastline, with the beach and some excellent restaurants nearby.

Plan your visit to Lake Vouliagmeni

Check the Lake Vouliagmeni website for prices and other information, since opening hours vary with the season and sometimes there are weddings or planned events.

Opening hours: typically 8.30am – 6pm but may vary with the season

Parking: There is a free car park just off the main road, by the entrance