Lavrio: My favorite beach, the Temple of Poseidon and the most delicious ice cream in the area.🌊

Georgia Polychronidi
May 31, 2021
4 min read

A breath away from Athens, the municipality of Lavreotiki is an area rich in beautiful beaches, history and cute shops, able to satisfy all tastes. Combining all these features it has managed to become a favorite destination for the Athenians, who enjoy their one-day summer excursions at the beaches of the area. So let's see how I like to spend my time in the area!

Limanaki Passa Beach

Of all the beaches I have visited in Lavrio my favorite is the Limanaki Passa Beach, a small, unorganized cove protected by the waves, with clear blue waters, located just a few kilometers outside the center of Lavrio and the archeological site of the area. I will not try to explain to you how to get there, because you will not understand what I will say to you, since the beach is hidden between dirt roads and I am not good at guiding... Like at all! Google Maps, however, provides a good view of the area, so it is best to look there for more information on how to access the beach. It is best not to visit i on the weekends, as you may not find a place to sit since it is quite small in size but also popular in recent years. It will be even better to arrive early in order to choose the spot you like best.

How I discovered it

In fact I didn't find this beach on my own, but I got to know it from my parents, who explored the area without caring if they would get lost along the way - adventurous spirits, aren't they?

However, I have to admit that I would probably prefer the situation in which it was when I was little, meaning it was known only by the locals, as I do not prefer the crowds that flock to it on weekends and often, in the afternoons. But it remains a beach worth visiting!

What to watch out for

⛱ As I mentioned earlier to approach the beach you have to go through a dirt road, which is quite narrow and steep in many places. Therefore, if you are unsure about the capabilities of your car or your ability to drive and park, it is best to leave the car before entering the dirt road and continue on foot.

⛱ Near the beach there is a bakery and an Italian restaurant (you will notice them as you enter the turn to the dirt road that leads to the beach) where you can get everything you need, but keep in mind that beyond these two shops you will not find something else in the surrounding area without having to leave the beach.

⛱ In the water there are rocks that host many sea urchins. So you need to be careful in order not to step on them, but also not to hit the rocks since they are in the shallows. The safest side of the bay is the left, where there are not many rocks in the sea, so I would advise you to enter from there.

⛱ There are trash cans in the area, but they are usually always full, so it would be good to take a bag with you for this purpose and deposit it in a bin aside of those located on the beach, in order to keep it clean.

What else can you do besides swimming?

⛱ Apart from swimming, the area is suitable for stralls on the rocks from where you can enjoy the wonderful view and take pictures of the sea, with caution of course, because the ground is steep and slippery.

⛱ Also, I have noticed that the visitors of this or a nearby beach paddle board along the beaches of the area, so if you have a board like this you could explore the surrounding beaches through the sea.

The Temple of Poseidon

Just 5.7 km away from the Port Passa Beach is the Temple of Poseidon, which you could visit in the afternoon after your swim, to admire the beautiful sunset overlooking the Saronic Gulf.

Information about the Temple of Poseidon

Built between 444-440 BC. (at the same time as the Parthenon, during the Golden Age of Pericles) the temple of Poseidon was part of the sacred triangle (along with the temple of Aphaia in Aegina and the Parthenon in Athens). Apart from being a place of worship for the god of the sea, it was also a sign for the sailors, as it indicated to them that they were arriving in Piraeus. It replaced a temple of the archaic period, which had been destroyed a few decades earlier by the Persians during the invasion of Xerxes in Greece.

When the horizon is clear, Kea, Kythnos, Serifos to the southeast and Aegina to the west can be seen from the temple of Poseidon.

(Source: Discover Greece)

The Most Delicious Ice Cream in Lavrio

On your way back to Athens, if you stop in the center of Lavrio, you will meet Gelateria d'Italia, a small ice cream parlor that prepares ice creams in various flavors, everyday. It is able to satisfy all tastes, as it offers both ordinary and more special flavors, with my favorites being lila pause, tiramisu, mango, pistachio and strawberry. You can either sit in the shop and enjoy your ice cream with waffles, or even eat it while walking around the area (my personal preference), where you will discover other beautiful shops that can pique your interest and make you come back sometime in the future.

I personally visit this particular gelateria every time I pass by the area, since the age of 8 and there has never been a time when I was not satisfied, since I have loved almost all the flavors I have tried over the years, with the exception of the mint chocolate chip flavor, which just did not suit my taste, since I don't like mint in general (this experiment didn't go that well). My favorite features of Gelateria d'Italia is the authenticity and intensity of the flavors of the ice creams they make, meaning that if for example you choose the pistachio you will feel that you are really eating pistachios and not some other industrialized flavor.

I highly recommend Gelateria d'Italia!