Aegina is the closest real island to Athens: close enough that Athenians go for lunch, far enough to have its own rhythm. It was a naval power before Athens was, minted some of the first coins in Europe, and served briefly as the capital of modern Greece in 1828. Today it's known for a Doric temple on a pine-covered hill, a harbour lined with fish tavernas, and pistachios.
Getting there
| From | Boat | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piraeus (gate E8) | Conventional ferry | about 75 min | Takes cars. Sit on deck, the approach past Salamis is the point. |
| Piraeus (gate E8) | Flying Dolphin / fast boat | about 40 min | Passengers only. Books out on summer weekends. |
| Agios Marina | Ferry to Agia Marina | about 60 min | Lands on the east coast, handy for the temple. |
Ferries run all year, roughly hourly in summer and every couple of hours in winter. Check the operators' sites the week you travel; schedules move with the season.
What to see
Temple of Aphaia
Late Archaic Doric temple, around 500 BC, on a ridge above Agia Marina with pines all round and the sea on three sides. With the Parthenon and Sounion it forms the so-called sacred triangle. Go early or late; midday is glare and coaches.
Kolona
A single standing column from the temple of Apollo, right beside the town, on the hill where the ancient city stood. The small museum next to it has the finds and is rarely busy.
Paleochora
The medieval capital, abandoned in the 19th century: a hillside of some thirty chapels and no houses, many with frescoes. Bring water, there is none up there.
Agios Nektarios
The island's big monastery, a pilgrimage site and one of the largest churches in Greece. The road to Paleochora starts opposite.
Perdika
Fishing village on the southern tip with tavernas on the quay and boats across to the islet of Moni, which has a beach, peacocks and nothing else.
The harbour front
Aegina town's waterfront: fruit boats moored along the quay, the pink chapel of Agios Nikolaos at the harbour mouth, and the Kapodistrias-era neoclassical houses behind.
Pistachios
The island grows a small, intensely flavoured pistachio with a protected designation of origin. Harvest is late August into September, and the town holds a pistachio festival around then. Buy them roasted and salted from the stalls on the harbour, or as paste and in sweets from the bakeries a street back. They are noticeably better than the imported ones and cost accordingly.
Beaches
Aegina is not a beach island, and that's part of why it stays quiet. Marathonas, on the road south, is the easy choice with tavernas on the sand. Agia Marina is the family resort on the east coast. Klima and Sarpa, south of Perdika, are small coves reached by dirt track. Moni islet has the clearest water.
Eating
Fish on the quay in Perdika, or in the alley of the fish market in Aegina town where the tavernas are a few tables between the stalls. Order what came in that morning and a carafe of the local barrel wine. Inland, the villages around Mesagros do goat and rabbit.
When to go
May, June, September and early October are the months. July and August are hot and the weekend boats fill with Athenians. Winter is empty and green, with half the tavernas shut and the temple to yourself.