If you feel like getting away from the big city life of Athens just for a couple of hours there is no need for you to jump on the first best boat and go to an island. Just rent a car and drive to the small sea-side town of Porto Rafti which is situated about 35 km from Athens. The way to Porto Rafti passes over the close-by mountains and it takes about an hour to get there. Porto Rafti has about 10.000 inhabitants but during the summer this little town is completely tranformed when thousands of greeks, first and foremost athenians, have their summer-houses here. Then you can see how it feels to vacation alongside greeks and not tourists in the center of Athens or at some over-crowded by tourists island.

Here, in calm Porto Rafti, you get a feeling as if you are far away from Athens and all the people and noises. From here you can see islands, gulfs and coves and this certainly gives you the “island feel”. Along the coast-line there are many taverns, coffee-shops and bars. Many of them are built right by the sea and have leafy trees around them that provide a pleasant shade much needed during the hot months.

If you are interested in history there are also a few archeological sites here for you to visit. This area has been inhabited since 2600 BC. Above all, one should take the opportunity to visit the Temple of Artemis Vravronia and the associated museum. But there are also wineries and monasteries to visit here.

A must in any case is to take a walk up to “Kastro“, a castle-like bar located about 700 m above the small town. There is a cafe located on the mountain side and from here you get a view over the whole of Porto Rafti and the sea.

Of course there are also beautiful beaches in the area. Aulaki beach is the beach where the common man will thrive the best. It is a sandy beach with shallow waters and you can find plenty of sunbeds and showers here. The beach is owned by the state and you only pay a small fee for the sun loungers. Another beach in the area, just at the end of the town, is Erototspilia and this is where the younger crowd hangs. This is a fantastic pebble beach hidden in the pine-trees. In order to get a good seat (or place at all) you should get here in time because this place quickly fills up!