The best places to stay at Marmari are Hotel Thea and Eyboia Suites Hotel. Hotel Thea is on top of a hill and offers a nice view of the sea, especially if you book a room on the first floor. Hotel Thea is more of a family hotel, it has less than 10 rooms. Euboia Suites Hotel is much bigger, with more than 50 rooms. The rooms at Hotel Thea cost around 65 euros per evening in June/early July and around 80 euros in August. If you want breakfast, it costs an additional 7 euros per person. There is also a 1.5 euros tax per night. The prices at Evia (Euboia) Suites Hotel, are more or less the same.
How to get to Marmari, Evia with a car and ferry
There are two ways to get from Athens to Marmari. The first one is to go from Athens to Rafina port with a car (45 minutes) and then get a ferry from Rafina port to Marmari (one hour). The second way is to drive from Athens to Halkida and then down to Marmari (3 hours drive time but the 3d hour is pretty difficult, with a lot of turns).
Athens to Marmari, via Rafina port, with a Ferry
From Athens, you have to drive to the Rafina Port (around 40 km from the center of Athens, and one hour drive) and then you get the ferry from Rafina port to Marmari. The ferry takes one hour to cross from Rafina to Marmari. There are two ferries that are used for this route; the Euboia Star and the Panorama ferry. Panorama ferry is a younger boat and in a much better condition than the Euboia star boat.
Moreover, both ferries accept cars. The cost of the ticket is 9 euros per passenger and 16 euros for a small car, one way. If you have an SUV, the price is 24 euros one way.
Where to buy ferry tickets for the Rafina to Marmari Route
The easiest way to get your tickets for the Rafina to Marmari ferry, is to book them via phone and get them from the Rafina port, thirty minutes before the ferry leaves the port. The travel office that issues the tickets is called “Hapsias Travel” and it has an office inside the port of Rafina.
The second way to get from Athens to Marmari is to drive all the way, without using the ferry. Marmari is in Euboia which is typically an island but it is connected with a bridge to the mainland. It is about 220kms from Athens to Marmari if you drive all the way and the road is not easy in the last part. So, it is much better to use the ferry from Rafina port.
Where to buy ferry tickets for the Marmari to Rafina Route
Unfortunately, you cannot buy the ferry tickets for your return route from Marmari to Rafina, when you are in Rafina. You will have to buy them once you arrive at Marmari port. There is a small ticket office inside the Marmari port and you can buy the ferry tickets there. Please notice that if you change your mind and you want to get a ferry that leaves earlier or later, you can do that by visiting the ticket office.
Best Beaches in Marmari
Figias Beach (4kms from Marmari); great for families
Figias beach is a very convenient beach for families. The water is shallow and warm, and there is shadow from trees at some parts of the beach. At the northern part of the beach, you will find umbrellas and sunbeds which belong to a nearby restaurant and cafe. The good thing also about Figias beach is that when it gets windy, it offers protection. The best place to swim in Figias beach is in front of Notos beach bar, which is 4km from Marmari, or 8 minutes drive time. Here is a map that shows where you will find the Notos beach bar on Figias beach. Notos is also a restaurant, so you could even eat there.
A great place also for swimming, and getting your family there, is the beach in front of the Costa-Costa beach bar, just before Figias Beach. Here is a map that shows the location of the Costa Costa beach bar, which is 5 minutes drive time from Marmari.
Zastani beach; no sunbeds/umbrellas
Zastani is a great beach, more suitable for visiting during the afternoon and when there are no strong winds. Zastani has no sunbeds, umbrellas or beach bars.
Great Sand Beach (great for Kite/Windsurf)
The Great Sand Beach is the place where all the kite surfers and windsurfers go. It is a long strip of sand and it gets very windy. This is a place to visit when there is almost no wind. The Great Sand Beach is 799 meters away from Zastani beach.
Agia Paraskevi Beach (in Karystos, 30 minutes drive time from Marmari)
If you want to travel 30 minutes, you should definitely pay a visit to Agia Paraskevi beach, a few km away from Karystos. If it is a windy day, forget about it. The sea here is light blue, the water is not deep and it has beautiful white sand. There is a cantine that serves sone food, drinks, and coffees. You can also rent a sunbed with an umbrella for 2.5 euros. This is like a deserted beach, and you will only see a couple of houses on your way here from Karystos. The street is pretty ok, with asphalt and you have to pay attention to the signs towards the “Cantine of Agia Paraskevi”, as the google maps has some mistakes.
Tip on driving a car around Marmari: in Marmari there are only two gas stations for your car. One is “Elin Oil”, inside Marmari and the second is an “EKO” 2.7 km away from Marmari. Actually, to reach the second gas station you will have to go up all the high hill behind Marmari. A lot of times, especially on Sundays, these two gas stations are closed. The tip is that the gas station of “EKO” has an automated self-service system for filling your car with gas. It accepts notes of 5, 10 and 20 euros and it doesn’t give you change.
Where to eat in Marmari
If you want a meat tavern, you should go to Paradisi village, 6kms away from Marmari and eat at Mouries tavern. The lovely and friendly owners of Mouries tavern have their own farm with pigs, lambs, deers and the meat they serve is amazing. Expect to pay 8.5 euros for a pork cut and 12 euros for half a kilo of lamb chops. Moreover, Mouries tavern is on the mountain, inside the trees and the green. Sometimes they have wild pork (they own around 10 wild pigs) and deer meat (they own 10 deers).
Inside Marmari, the locals go to Lapsani tavern. This is a butcher shop which becomes a tavern in the evening, by throwing some tables on the street. The portions are huge and the prices are very low. The scenery is not great though.
For fish, the best choice is that you go to Karystos village, 25 km away from Marmari, and you eat at Geusiplous. The menu of Geusiplous is not the typical one of a greek fish tavern, as it has been edited by the well known Greek chef, Yannis Baxevanis. Not cheap, but worths the price.
If you don’t feel like driving, go to Thalassa tavern in Marmari. A classic, decent greek fish tavern.
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