Aegina, Athens

When your best friend decides to spend a year living in a foreign land, it is a great excuse to go travelling. Throw in a free bed, reduced flights through my job and a bank holiday weekend and it seemed stupid not to fly out to Athens for the second time this year. My girlfriend and I had previously been out in January and had done most of the big things that Athens has to offer but this time my future sister-in-law and her boyfriend joined us so ...
...country for a day longer and we wanted to do something new and exciting, we decided to visit the island of Aegina.

Aegina is the biggest island in the Sarconic Gulf and is located about 30 miles off shore from Athens. It has had quite an interesting history throughout ancient times where it was once a major power alongside Athens but today it is a sleepy little outlet from the hectic Athens city life and many Athenians own second homes ... more

When your best friend decides to spend a year living in a foreign land, it is a great excuse to go travelling. Throw in a free bed, reduced flights through my job and a bank holiday weekend and it seemed stupid not to fly out to Athens for the second time this year. My girlfriend and I had previously been out in January and had done most of the big things that Athens has to offer but this time my future sister-in-law and her boyfriend joined us so we did them all again but as we were in country for a day longer and we wanted to do something new and exciting, we decided to visit the island of Aegina.

Aegina is the biggest island in the Sarconic Gulf and is located about 30 miles off shore from Athens. It has had quite an interesting history throughout ancient times where it was once a major power alongside Athens but today it is a sleepy little outlet from the hectic Athens city life and many Athenians own second homes on the island.

Getting There
Unlike many of the better-known Greek Islands, Aegina is too small to have its own airstrip so is only accessible by boat. Hellenic Seaways offer two services to and from the island, a fast hydrofoil that takes about 40mins and a slow car ferry that takes longer. We decided to use the "fast boat" which cost 20€ each for a return trip and services leave both Piraeus in Athens and Aegina Town on the island once an hour from about 9:00 to 20:00 but these times may vary so you had better check. In my opinion it is much better to pay the extra for the fast service as it is very comfortable and it is just short enough not to get bored.

What To Do
Although there is a bus service on the island this is quite limited and didn't look the safest mode of transport. On arrival in the port, you will be met but many people offering you rented vehicles and it is well worth it. My friend had previously rented a scooter for 20€ for a day and on this occasion the 5 of us were able to hire a Fiat Punto for just 35€. If you are apprehensive of driving having seen the madness of Athens, don't worry. The Aegean’s are just as mad but there are a lot less of them and I felt safe throughout.

The main attractions on the island are the Temple of Aphaea and the Church of St Nectarios and you will soon be glad of a hired car/scooter/quad-bike if you have one. The temple is on one of the highest hills and is about a 20min drive from Aegina Town. It is of a similar age to the Parthenon of Athens and is dedicated to the god after which it is named. I have been told by a Greek colleague that this temple along with the Parthenon and the temple of Poseidon create a near perfect equilateral triangle but I have yet to check a map to confirm this! The views from the temple are amazing and like most of the monuments in Athens, was free on a Sunday (it costs about 4€ during the week which may be a bit much for what it is).

The church of St Nectarios is quite new and in typical Greek fashion, despite being started about 5yrs ago, is not yet fully finished! It is dedicated to Necatrios whose body lays in rest in the church, which has been built in a Byzantine manor. It apparently received some criticism but it quite impressive and you may be fascinated by the dedication of the Greek Orthodox Christians who will kiss every picture of a saint as well as the crypt itself.

Most of the rest of the island is quite sporadic with small villages and holiday homes cropping up around the island. If you are able to get off the beaten track then some of the centre of the island, which is quite mountainous, affords great views across to the mainland and across the sea.

Unlike some other Greek islands, Aegina isn't blessed with great beaches but there are some which are OK and we proceeded to spend a couple of hours at one on the west coast of the island.

The capital of the island and where you will start and finish your day is Aegina Town. This is quite a bustling little place with several really nice restaurants although it is a little more expensive so if you have the time drive along the coats to Souvala for dinner.

Overall
Aegina is a must if you have the time on your trip to Athens. It is a great respite from the smog and madness of Athens itself whilst not being too far away. I am sure that there is much more to explore and you could go back a hundred times and always find new views to see. However, it probably isn't worth more than a single day trip as, as nice as views are, it is a little sparse in both things to do and also places to stay. 

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