Loutraki

Loutraki is Greece's oldest spa town. With its luxurious Thermal spa facilities and the famous casino this seaside resort has lots to offer all year round. It has an important place in history, it’s the perfect base for visiting the sites in the area and the Gerania mountains, and also it still has a charming flavour of the Belle Epoque.

Loutraki is Greece's oldest spa town. With its luxurious Thermal spa facilities and the famous casino this seaside resort has lots to offer all year round. It has an important place in history, it’s the perfect base for visiting the sites in the area and the Gerania mountains, and also it still has a charming flavour of the Belle Epoque.

Images from Loutraki: Palm trees and waterfalls. A state-of-the-art municipal spa. The casino. A large pebble beach where people swim even during winter. A wide promenade with bustling cafes and restaurants along it. Beautiful sunsets. Adults and children cycling along the seashore, couples holding hands, squares with old men playing chess and backgammon. Outdoor events, fishing, every kind of shopping. Benches overlooking the sea, an ice cream to enjoy as you wander around the town, or maybe it’s time to take a rest and have your ice cream in one of the traditional patisseries. 

The oldest spa town in Greece: Loutraki is a modern, popular resort town which combines a healthy climate, the charms of the Greek sea and the Gerania mountains. "Water of life" springs from a deep source in the Geraneia mountains and has been pouring out from the thermal springs of Loutraki for thousands of years. Indeed, it is mentioned by Herodotus and Hippocrates was the first person to note that it had beneficial properties for treating specific diseases. On the way from its mountain source, the water is filtered by the rocks and enriched with rare minerals and trace elements. This means it can give relief from various ailments and can generally increase well-being. Thermal spa therapy and mineral water therapy both have excellent results in many cases. But it was not only the thermal waters which made Loutraki a household name; the first natural mineral water bottling factory in Greece -and one of the first in Europe- was opened here in 1907 by Clearchos Karantanis.

THE LOUTRAKI THERMAL SPA 
The municipal Loutraki Thermal Spa with its luxurious facilities and the emblematic building that houses the old "luxury baths" can hold its own with even the largest and best-equipped spas. It’s the perfect place to enjoy thermal pools, saunas, hammam, mud therapy, massages, hydromassage tubs, volcanic stone therapy, yoga - a wonderful world of well-being!

The old thermal spring and the waterfalls. Make time to visit the semi-circular building which dates back to 1934 and houses the old thermal spring.
THE CASINO. 

1930:1 Loutraki was hit by a devastating earthquake in 1928, but in 1930 the first casino in the city opened. It quickly became the centre of city life, and was a magnet for the high society of the time and for the famous -mainly from Athens but also from all over Greece. An evening’s entertainment on the casino terrace overlooking the sea, and a meal in the cosmopolitan restaurant with its orchestra and dance floor became part of the city’s history. Newspapers called Loutraki the "Greek Monte Carlo". Visitors even arrived by steamer from Piraeus.

1995: From then until today, Loutraki ... has placed its bets on the renovated and modernised casino with its luxurious accommodation and dining facilities. It is one of the largest casinos in Europe, and is open all day, every day. The Club Hotel Casino Loutraki is the perfect partner for the city and enhances its reputation and its footfall.

Gastronomy. Try dredoures, a traditional Perachora sweet made from Greek honey, walnuts and cinnamon. It’s so good it has its own "Dredoura Festival" just before New Year! Olive oil is another local specialty which is produced in Gerania. And of course, fresh fish is the star turn on the menus of restaurants in Loutraki and the surrounding area. The grilled meats are also excellent.

Events for everyone.
Loutraki, Gerania and the nearby villages always have a full and interesting calendar of events, and people come from all over Greece to participate and enjoy themselves in this beautiful city. Take your pick: Loutraki Festival. Sports events, the Acropolis Rally, Loutraki Carnival, the Panagia Yatrissa festival. Τhe Heraia, the Water Festival, the Thodia athletics meeting and the South Greece Scramble Championship. 

Did you know that

Loutraki is 82 km away from Athens via the Athens-Corinth National Road, 6 km from the Isthmus of Corinth and 7.5 km from Corinth. It is also accessible via the Athens suburban train to the Isthmus.

At 16 km from Loutraki you will find the lagoon of Vouliagmeni and the archaeological site of Heraion, at Cape Melagavi, where the lighthouse of the same name stands.

Loutraki- See more

The most ancient spa town in Greece has a great history and mythological tradition. Thanks to the monasteries located on Geraneia Mountain range, it is also an important destination for religious tourism.

Glimpses into history. Myth links the region of Loutraki with goddess Artemis Thermia, the protectress of hot springs. Apollo and Hera were worshipped here, and the Athenian historian Xenophon mentions in “Hellenica” that Agesilaus and his army set camp in Therma, during their campaign against Peraia. 

In 146 BC, under the Roman rule, General Sulla is said to have used the hot springs of the city (like those of Aidipsos). The reputation of the hot springs of Loutraki survived into the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine periods.

The first water analyses were carried out in 1847 by Professor Giovanni Battista Delviniotis, and the first spa installations in 1855.
It was officially recognised as a spa town in 1925, but it was already a spa destination and centre of tourism development in Greece. It has been struck by two great earthquakes (1928 and 1981), and many buildings were rebuilt.

Religious tourism

In the beautiful environment of the Geraneia mountain range, there are monasteries and churches scattered. The monastery of Patapios stands out, with the saint’s relic, which was built in the early 20th century. The monastery of Saint Gerasimos lies nearby, as well as that of Prophet Elias, with an excellent view. In an cave near Pissia lies Saint George, with an iconostasis which is part of an icon of 1400. Moreover, the Church of Saint Athanasios, with wall paintings dating back to 1638.

One of the important church monuments in the town of Loutraki is the Church of Saint Andrew, three-aisled basilica, with a dome, built in 1345. There is also the Church of Panagia Giatrissa, with a miraculous -as it is believed to be- icon of Our Lady. See details here.

Alcyonides islands

Zoodochos Pigi, Daskalio, Glaronisi, Prasonisi. The four islets in the northeast part of the Corinthian Gulf, in the Bay of Domvraini, are also called Kalanisa. The were named after the 7 Nymphs, daughters of giant Alcyoneus. When Hercules killed their father, they fell into the sea, and Amphitrite who pitied them transformed them into sea birds, kingfishers. The islands are the ends of a reef, which nowadays lies at a depth of 190 m, due to geological processes. The region was and still is an earthquake zone.

Location

Find the destination on the interactive map below.