We are going to Athens soon. We wish to stay outside the city – on the coast but near enough to enable us to visit Hydra for a day – and also near enough to the city to visit all the sites and museums. Perhaps you could suggest a venue not far from Piraeus, where the ferries depart from for the islands - FK, Dublin
I can suggest two seaside towns that would fit the bill. They are Glyfada and Vouliagmeni in the municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni. Both towns are connected to the city centre by tram and the journey costs little more than a euro.
If you base yourself here you can pop into town to see the sites or take the bus to Piraeus for the hydro to Hydra. There is a good selection of hotels and apartments to rent on
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[ hotels.com ]
and booking.com and prices are reasonable.
Glyfada, on the Saronic Gulf, is a former US army base and has a slight American feel to it. It is sometimes described as the Athenian Riviera. A nice sandy beach and a variety of restaurants, cafes make it an ideal seaside town.
Vouliagmeni, though by the sea, also has a spa lake which is good for swimming year round. It is fed by mountain streams and is a constant 22-29 degrees
. The lake has been developed as an attractive addition to the town. See also
[ visitgreece.gr ]
for tourism information about Athens and other places you may wish to visit.
We are hoping to travel from Cork to Efteling in the Netherlands in June for three nights with our eight-year-old daughter. Any tips for travel, accommodation or planning the three days? – AOS, Cork
Efteling is one of the oldest theme parks in Europe and is all about fairies and trolls. From Cork Airport you can take the Aer Lingus service to Amsterdam airport and there is a train service to Hertogenbosch (one hour, 20 minutes), from where you can take the shuttle bus to Efteling. At Efteling there is a choice of hotel or self-catering accommodation. Three nights in the hotel will cost from €220 per night including park tickets. Self-catering accommodation will cost from €542 for three nights with park tickets. This summer the new rollercoaster Baron 1898 opens,
[ efteling.com ]
.
My husband, 16-year-old daughter and I are considering travelling to the south of England, in late June/early July by boat for a week to 10 days. They like pitch and putt or public golf courses and I would love to be able to have some sand on my feet. We had thought about Bournemouth or the general area; can you suggest any websites that would be useful? – AR, Limerick
You would certainly get sand in your feet in Bournemouth: the beach is seven miles long. It is one of the most popular seaside locations and late June/early July will be just before the school holidays. Find accommodation and things to do on Bournemouth.co.uk. There is golf available at
. You can see a list and map of golf courses in Dorset on
.
The coastal area from Dorset to East Devon is known as the Jurassic coast and is a Unesco heritage site. It would be worth exploring and fossil hunting, Jurassiccoast.org. Other seaside towns in the area with lovely beaches are Lyme Regis, Weymouth and Swanage, see visit-dorset.com. There is also a great selection of things to do in England on the
[ visitengland.com ]
site.