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 Loutraki’s location on the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Corinth is outlined on this map from Google. The city’s central position provides convenient access to Vouliagmeni Lake and the Sanctuary of Hera (top left), and to such major historic attractions as the Corinth Canal, the Ancient Corinth museum and archaeological site, and the Acrocorinth castle (all marked on the lower half of the map). The attractions are short drives from Loutraki, while the vast Peloponnese region sits right at its doorstep.

 

 

Some Loutraki highlights

 

♦ The coastal walk

With its inspiring gulf and mountain vistas, the Loutraki  waterfront promenade is a walker’s delight. The pathway passes numerous cafes, bars and restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets, so there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the view with a coffee or meal at any time of day.

 

 

 

 

♦ The central beach

The Loutraki waterfront extends more than 3.5 miles, all the way to the Corinth Canal. A large stretch of that coast consists of a greyish pebble, stone and sand beach, which has sections organized with lounge chairs and umbrellas. There are a couple of smaller beaches to the north of the Loutraki marina.

 

 

The two photos above show a small, unorganized pebble beach which is quieter and much less busy than the central beach. It’s located on the north side of Loutraki, opposite the Petit Palais Hotel. Another small beach is situated next to the Loutraki marina.

 

♦ the marina

The coast promenade leads north to a small harbour where we saw a few fishing boats and pleasure craft.

 

 

 

 

♦  Public parks and squares

Positioned next to the marina is a large park, called Loutraki Beach Park on some websites. It has tree-shaded lawns, gardens, sitting areas, monuments and sculptures, as well as patios for adjacent restaurants.  There’s an open-air summer cinema on the north side of the park. Numerus small squares and parkettes can be found along the coast promenade and along the main street.

 

The large Loutraki Beach Park is an oasis of trees, lawns, gardens, sculptures, monuments and cafe patios, as shown in the five photos above. The park also is home to an outdoor cinema and a live performance stage.

 

This is a monument to the thermal springs at Loutraki. It’s located at a waterfront square, just steps from the intersection of Venizelou Avenue and Botsari Street 

 

Walkways and pine tree-shaded parkettes on the north side of Loutraki are seen in the four photos above. They’re located across from the Loutraki waterfalls, which unfortunately were fenced off and closed during our visit (the cafe beside the waterfall pools would have been a lovely spot to relax with a drink had it been open).

 

♦ Sights and scenes along the Loutraki streets:

We shot the following photos during our walkabouts. They will give you an idea of things to see while exploring the city center.

 

Agios Andrea church (Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Ανδρέα Λουτρακίου) is a Byzantine temple built in 1345 and heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1981. The church appears to have been largely rebuilt and restored, but during our May visit was surrounded by construction materials and fenced off from visitors, so we couldn’t get inside for a closer look The church is located close to the municipal thermal spring on G. Lekka Street.

 

The municipal Thermal Spring of Loutraki at 70 G. Lekka Street.  The circular building was designed by architect Dimitris Pikionis, and constructed between 1921 and 1934.  The interior decor features beautiful, colourful mosaics created by Stefanos Xenopoulos. Photos of the interior can be seen on the facility’s website as well as in the Visit Loutraki YouTube video we shared on page 1 of this post. 

 

 This contemporary building at 24 G. Lekka Street houses the Loutraki Thermal Spa, which offers a vast range of spa services and treatments at its indoor and outdoor facilities.

 

The colourful Mitzithras Hotel on Venizelou Avenue

 

Sculptures on a dilapidated veranda behind the Loutraki Palace Hotel

 

Karellion Hotel on Georgiou Lakka Street

 

Looking down Koudourioti Street, from Venizelou Avenue, toward the waterfront promenade

 

A peek at Profitis Elias Monastery (Ιερά Μονή Προφήτου Ηλιού), a convent perched high up the mountain behind Loutraki. This view is from a spot next to the fountain at 25 Martiou Square. Views from the convent are outstanding.

 

The fountain at 25 Martiou Square

 

Gulf of Corinth view from a vantage point along G. Lekka Street

 

An apartment building and restaurant near the waterfront promenade

 

 

 

The three photos above show a wide section of sidewalk along the coast, just opposite the Petit Palais Hotel. A small beach is situated just below this spot.

 

Cafe tables with a view of the beach and promenade across the bay

 

It needs massive repair work now, but the building that formerly housed the Palladion Hotel probably looked quite elegant in its prime

 

Limanaki Ouzeri near the marina at the north end of the waterside promenade

 

The former Hotel Elpis on Epar.Od. Loutrakiou-Perachora Street is undergoing a full renovation and is expected to open soon, possibly as a new location of the hip chain of Brown Hotels, which opened the boutique Dave by the Beach in Loutraki this year. Google maps was showing the Elpis Hotel address — directly across the street from the beach park — as the location of Brown Seaside Loutraki. We couldn’t find any information about an official opening date. for the new hotel.

 

Foliage almost hides an eccentric little house along G. Lekka Street

 

Balconies at the Loutraki Palace Hotel

 

♦ Gulf of Corinth views:

You’re never far from the coast in Loutraki, so sweeping panoramic views of the Gulf of Corinth can be enjoyed within short strolls from the city’s hotels and apartments (many of which have windows and balconies offering unimpeded sightlines of mountains in the Peloponnese region across the bay).

 

 

 

♦ What we didn’t get to see

There are myriad historic and natural attractions at and near Loutraki, but we only had enough time to see a few places. The Visit Loutraki portal, and other travel websites, provide information about dozens of scenic spots that can be visited on short excursions or full daytrips from Loutraki. Below are just a few:

 

Strava beach, seen in an image from the Visit Loutraki website

 

The Cave of the Seal coastal rock formation, seen in an image from the Natural Monuments page of the website allovergreece.com

 

Profitis Ilias monastery and its stunning views of Loutraki are shown in an aerial photo from the Visit Loutraki tourism site

 

Club Hotel Casino Loutraki seen in a photo from its social media pages

 

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