The Saronic Gulf Islands
Get an Island Feel while in Athens
If you’re visiting Athens but want to get an idea of what the Greek islands are like, it’s easy. Take one of the fast ferries out to one (or more) of the Saronic Gulf Islands, also known as the Argo-Saronic Islands. This is a small group of islands, the closest to Athens, and yet a million miles away from the big city. In fact on one of them, Hydra, no traffic is allowed.
There are four main islands, as you can see from the map: Aegina, Poros, Hydra, and Spetses. The closest one to Athens is Aegina, and to give you some idea of how close it is, a regular ferry will get you there in about one hour, and if you pay a little more for a fast hydrofoil you’ll be there in less than 45 minutes. The furthest, Spetses, takes about 2-3 hours to reach on a fast ferry, depending on whether it stops at other islands on the way or goes straight there.
Aegina
If you’re pushed for time and can only manage a day trip from Athens, then Aegina is the obvious choice as you’ll spend less time travelling and more time on the island. The main town is delightful, a lovely place to wander round, and enjoy a lunch of fresh fish by the water.
Visit our Aegina page for more information on what else there is to do - including seeing one of the finest temples outside of Athens. The Temple of Aphaia is even older than the Parthenon and considered the finest example of Doric architecture in Greece.
Poros
Although you can visit these islands on a day trip, you should consider staying longer if you can. We once spent an entire week’s holiday on Poros and didn’t run out of things to do.
One advantage of Poros is that you can take a quick boat ride and be on the Peloponnese within a few minutes. While there, we walked through the huge lemon groves known as Limonodassos, a delightful and sensory experience we’ll never forget. To read more, visit our Poros page.
Hydra
My first visit to Hydra was memorable, as by chance it coincided with Easter and there wasn’t a room to be had. I ended up sleeping on someone’s balcony on a makeshift bed in the open air. But I have visited at quieter times of the year, and loved being able to walk along the coast, or hike to distant monasteries. And the main town has an atmosphere all its own. Visit our Hydra page for more details.
Spetses
We haven’t spent as long on Spetses as the other islands in this group, and maybe we’ll have to correct that soon. It is another absolutely lovely island, and tends to be a bit quieter as it is the furthest from Athens. It’s a place to explore quiet villages and find idyllic beaches, as we explain on our main Spetses page.
That’s all for this time, and do forward this newsletter to anyone who you think might be interested.
Mike and Donna