Lake Marathon Lake

Address: Marathon Dam, Marathon 190 09, Greece

Lake Marathon, often referred to as the Marathon Reservoir, is an artificial reservoir in the Attica region of Greece created to supply water to Athens and nearby communities. The reservoir and its dam date from the early 20th century.

The reservoir is visited mainly for its water-supply function and limited recreational access rather than as a major tourist destination. Roads and viewpoints around the reservoir provide short outlooks over the water and surrounding low hills.

The lake was formed when a dam was constructed across local streams to create a reservoir for Athens’ municipal water supply during the early 20th century. Since then it has functioned primarily as infrastructure for potable water rather than as a large recreational or commercial resource.

Lake Marathon sits northeast of Athens in the Attica region, set amid low hills and agricultural land that feed the drainage basin to the reservoir.

• Marathon Reservoir origin: The reservoir was created by damming to supply water to Athens and surrounding areas, and the dam and reservoir date to the early 20th century.

Lake Marathon is about 40-50 km northeast of central Athens. Drive via the Attiki Odos/A6 and then follow signs toward Marathon and Schinias; the dam is accessed by local roads from the Marathon town center. There is limited public transport - regional intercity buses (KTEL) run from Athens to Marathon, with short taxi or local-bus connections to the reservoir area.

• Walk the dam wall early for softer light and fewer visitors.
• Combine a visit with the nearby Marathon Archaeological Museum to see artifacts from the 490 BCE battle.
• Avoid peak summer weekends when local day-trippers flood the picnic areas.