Votsalakia Beach, Piraeus: Old Locals Still Call the Islet Opposite “Paraskevas,” After a Nightclub That Closed Decades Before I Was Born

Greece | Kastella | Piraeus, Attica

I asked someone at the kiosk why the small island sitting just offshore had two different names depending on who I talked to, and got a better story than I expected. Officially it’s called Koumoundourou, after Alexandros Koumoundouros, the Greek prime minister whose mansion stood on the peninsula closing off the western side of Mikrolimano until it was demolished in 1935 — the Hellenic Sailing Club sits there now. But older Piraeus residents, the kiosk owner told me, still call it the island of Paraskevas, after a tavern and nightclub called “The Cave of Paraskevas” that operated right here on what’s now Votsalakia beach through the 1950s and into the 1960s. Before the war, people used to row out to the islet from Freattida and Pasalimani, and the nightclub’s name simply outlasted the building itself in everyday speech, the way local nicknames sometimes do long after the thing they’re named for has closed.

The beach itself takes its name from votsalakia — small pebbles — and that’s exactly what’s underfoot, mixed with coarser sand toward one side. I came expecting a quick, slightly grubby city dip and was surprised by how clear the water actually was, helped along, I assume, by the fact that the beach faces the open gulf rather than sitting tucked inside a harbour. I spotted small fish moving around my ankles within the first few minutes, which isn’t something I’d anticipated a kilometre from one of the busiest ports in Europe.

Getting There: 1km From the Port, Walkable From Kastella or Mikrolimano, Trolley 20 From Neo Faliro

I walked it from Mikrolimano, where I’d been having lunch — the promenade connects the two in about ten minutes, an easy, flat walk past the fish tavernas and up along the base of Kastella hill. From central Piraeus, it’s roughly a kilometre, an easy walk if you don’t mind the slight climb partway, or a short ride on Trolley 20, which runs from Neo Faliro station through Kastella and stops close to the beach entrance.

By car from central Athens, the drive down Syngrou Avenue and onto the coastal road took me about 15 to 20 minutes, though I’ll admit I circled longer than I wanted looking for street parking before giving up and using one of the dedicated lots near the sports complex.

The Beach: Pebble and Coarse Sand, Deepens Quickly, Free Entry, Sunbeds Extra

Entry to the beach itself is free — nobody asked me for money to walk onto the sand. The sunbeds are a separate matter: I paid €10 for a single lounger, though I noticed signs advertising two for €20 at the beachside restaurant further along, with food that, when I eventually ordered some, turned out better than I expected for a beachfront kiosk price point.

The water deepens at a noticeably steady pace rather than staying shallow for long, and the spot where the depth changes and the larger rocks start shifts depending on exactly where you walk in — worth taking a minute to find a comfortable entry point rather than just wading in at the first patch of pebbles you reach. Water shoes would have helped; I went without and picked my steps carefully instead.

Sports, the Winter Swimmers, and the View of Kastella

What struck me as genuinely unusual for a beach this central was how much sporting infrastructure surrounds it — beach volleyball nets, tennis and basketball courts, five-a-side football pitches, and the city’s municipal open-air pool sitting right alongside. A SeaTrac ramp gives independent sea access to visitors with mobility difficulties, which I hadn’t expected to find on a free municipal beach rather than a private resort.

I was told the beach is also used through the colder months by Piraeus’s Winter Swimmers Club — the kind of dedicated cold-water swimming culture that exists in plenty of Greek port towns, where a small but committed group keeps swimming long after the summer crowds have gone home. Above it all, Kastella hill rises with its neoclassical mansions, several of them abandoned and quietly atmospheric, and at the top, the open-air Veakeio Theatre hosts concerts through the summer.

Votsalakia Beach in Piraeus is the pebble-and-coarse-sand stretch between Mikrolimano and Marina Zeas — the islet opposite still called Paraskevas by older locals after a long-closed 1950s nightclub, even though the official name Koumoundourou comes from a demolished prime minister’s mansion. Free entry, sunbeds around €10–20 depending on the arrangement, water that deepens quickly underfoot (water shoes recommended), a SeaTrac ramp for accessible entry, sports courts and the municipal pool right alongside, used by the Winter Swimmers Club off-season, Kastella hill with its neoclassical mansions rising above. 1km from the port, an easy walk from Mikrolimano, Trolley 20 from Neo Faliro.

Walk it from Mikrolimano along the promenade. Pick your entry point carefully. Ask a local what they actually call the island.