Limanakia coves

Between Vouliagmeni and Varkiza the coast road runs high above a string of rocky inlets the locals just call Limanakia — the little harbours. No sand, no umbrellas: smooth slabs stepping down to deep clear water, a few welded ladders, junipers in the cracks. The rock faces south-west, so the whole afternoon is side-lit and the sun sets into open sea.

This is the Riviera's honest counterweight to the beach clubs, and it photographs that way — couple on a slab with the water black-blue beneath, swimmers mid-dive, the last light hitting wet stone. On summer evenings the coves fill with young Athenians and the canteen above plays music until late; that energy is either your subject or your cue to walk one cove further, where it is suddenly quiet.

Access is a scramble down informal paths from the roadside parking — real shoes for everyone, and a hard no for heels until the shooting position is reached. Swell matters more than wind here: on a south blow the lower slabs take spray, so keep gear and any second outfit well above the waterline.