**** NOTE: this review concerns only Aegina and not the other Saronic Gulf islands and would be of more interest to day trippers than resort-dwellers****
Aegina is one of the islands of the Saronic Gulf and possibly the one island which is closest to Athens (apart from rather industrial/military ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Quite a nice island, close to Athens, good temple, pistachios Disadvantages: Touristy and overall nothing particularly special
...Aegina and not the other Saronic Gulf islands and would be of more interest to day trippers than resort-dwellers****
Aegina is one of the islands of the Saronic Gulf and possibly the one island which is closest to Athens (apart from rather industrial/military Salamis). It takes only about an hour from Piraeus to get here (half of the time if taking a hydrofoil) and thus it's a prime weekend and holiday spot for Athenians, as well as ... ...important archaeological site in the Saronic Gulf.
The superimposed lines of the Doric colonnades including the double internal one (which would not be visible in its time as it was hidden inside the cella) are well preserved and create a complex array that can be contemplated from each side. The temple slightly predates Parthenon but it achieves the same harmony of the pure, Classical building and it's a wonderful structure to look ... more
**** NOTE: this review concerns only Aegina and not the other Saronic Gulf islands and would be of more interest to day trippers than resort-dwellers****
Aegina is one of the islands of the Saronic Gulf and possibly the one island which is closest to Athens (apart from rather industrial/military Salamis). It takes only about an hour from Piraeus to get here (half of the time if taking a hydrofoil) and thus it's a prime weekend and holiday spot for Athenians, as well as being a package tour destination.
We have visited Aegina on a Sunday which is perhaps not the best day to choose, though it was mitigated by the fact that it was only May. We didn't come from Athens but from Methana (on the other side of the gulf), on an almost empty morning ferry, accompanied only by a few families dressed in their Sunday best, obviously going visiting.
The ferry stops in the Aegina town, the main settlement located on the western side and flanked by two smaller islands: Angistri, which apparently boasts a Caribbean-standard beach (I am suspicious of any boastful beaches in Greece, so far I have seen none that were truly impressive) and is a small-scale tour destination of its own, as well as Moni which doesn't have any settlements. We have not visited these but they can be reached quickly by a shuttle boat from the Aegina port.
The town of Aegina is rather pretty, with busy fishing/yachting harbour, couple of old caique boats serving as fruit stalls and the seafront lined with pastel-painted houses with dark shutters and often a canopied cafe on the street level. There is even a small, very white and Cycladic looking chapel near the end of the ferry pier.
It's all very touristy, with lots of souvenir shops, horse-driven buggies (15 euro/20 mins) and peddlers of sunglasses and CD's displaying their wares; but somehow the fact that the tourists are mostly local (well, Athenian) makes it all more benign and more interesting. The back streets are a little quieter and provide their usual Mediterranean charms of sun and shadow painting their patterns on peeling paint and in narrow alleys. Ouzeries and seafood places abound and octopus seems to be hanging over from every second awning.
We spend some time wandering about the town and then get the bus to visit the main historical attraction which is the Doric temple of Aphea, located about 45 minutes trip away. The bus ride itself is interesting enough, climbing up surprisingly green, lush hills covered in pistachio orchards. Pistachios are everywhere in Aegina and in all kinds of formats (roasted, nougats, bars, preserved in syrup, even what looked like pickled). The roasted ones we tried were flavoursome and addictive and seemed less sickly than the supermarket article in Britain, but then we were eating them in a more appropriate environment!
The bus is quite crowded but a lot of people get off at the church and monastery of Agios Nectarios, a newly built an apparently the largest church in Greece. Despite its newness the church is built along the same vaguely Byzantine lines that the Greek orthodox churches have been following for many hundreds of years. It's these churches, old and new alike, that make me realise to what extent even the modern Greece still straddles the line between East and West, Europe and Middle East.
The temple site is almost empty when we arrive, though several visitors come soon and then they are followed by a tour bus. The entrance fee is a very reasonable and the site is modest which is all rather surprising as the 5th century B.C. Aphea temple is the most important archaeological site in the Saronic Gulf.
The superimposed lines of the Doric colonnades including the double internal one (which would not be visible in its time as it was hidden inside the cella) are well preserved and create a complex array that can be contemplated from each side. The temple slightly predates Parthenon but it achieves the same harmony of the pure, Classical building and it's a wonderful structure to look at, smaller but dignified and beautiful.
It's not an excessively huge site and anything from 15 minutes (quick run round) to an hour or so ( to see it from every angle, admire the views three ways across the Saronic Gulf and visit the small museum which houses some finds from the site as well as info on Aegina's and the temple's ancient history ) would be sufficient.
There is no facilities as such at the site and the toilets and refreshments are provided by a nearby cafe/souvenir shop. The ambience of the cafe is enchanting, with log tables and vines which provide shade, but the prices are steep as expected for the captive market of visitors and coffee not very good.
We go back town and after a stroll round the back alleys have a lunch in one of the numerous fish tavernas. This one has no sea view, but an air of authenticity provided by its location directly to the back of the fish market. It's run by a Greek-Russian couple and I spend a very pleasant 20 minutes talking to the Russian half in a pathetic but efficient mixture of Russian, Polish and English.
Later on we walk towards the town beach which, especially at this time of the year, before the season really begins, seems decidedly manky and off-putting. We continue further to try and find a nicer stretch, but it gets worse rather then better, with another little beach clearly used as an informal camper-van parking and the following stretch of the rocky shore literally covered with rubbish and smelling rather foul too.
We have a peak at the local archaeological site which is, unfortunately, closed at this time of the day (it's a ruined area of Apollo's temple of which one standing column remains visible) and the return to the harbour to eat more pistachios and await the ferry back. Ours is the last one and thus before it arrives we are treated to a fascinating spectacle of last Piraeus ferry being loaded with cars, motorbikes and what else; with much arm waving and shouting what seems like a double number of cars is squashed in!
***Verdict***
My three star rating is just that: average. It's certainly not the best Greek island I visited (and I only visited a few of them and all close to the mainland) but is by no means horrible and worth a trip, especially if you are staying longer in the general area of Athens or Saronic Gulf. It is very conveniently accessible by frequent ferry and hydrofoil services which run mostly to Aegina town, but also to the resort of Agia Marina on the Attica side of the island. The ferry wouldn't cost more than 8-9 euro return (I travelled from the other side so I am estimating here) and takes about an hour, the hydrofoil would take half the time and cost double. The bus to Aphea temple runs hourly and costs 3 euro return, the entrance to the temple site was 4 euro.
I cannot comment on resort villages here (though there are positive opinions regarding Agia Marina). I would guess that the Aegina town would be difficult to cope with in the high season, especially on summer weekends, when all the Greek as well as foreign tourists arrive here. I wouldn't pick Aegina for a longer stay, but I would suggest a day trip if you are in the vicinity, ideally in the middle of the week. Apart from Aphea, I would try to factor in a visit to Paleohora, Aegina's ruined Byzantine capital and/or possibly a hop to Angistri.
Advantages: Location, scenery, people Disadvantages: Car hire firms...
...very impressive views over the Saronic Gulf to be had and a small gift shop. However, having drunk our fill of ancient wonders it was time to move on to the next sight on our list, the Monastery of Aghios Nektorias and it was at this point things started to go wrong. We pulled up at the monastery and my girlfriend went to retrieve our belongings from the boot. Now we’d had a few problems shutting the boot at our last stop but that hadn’t ... ...for a holiday, both in its own right and as a base to explore the Saronic Gulf region of Southern Greece. Avoid hire cars scooters and of course toilets and you’ll have a great time. I can’t wait for a return visit, although that could just be the holiday blues. ...
dreamerz 03.07.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Saronic Gulf Islands (Greece)
Advantages: marvelous small island, yet do not overflow Disadvantages: the journey is perhaps somewhat lengthy
...Poros lies in the Saronic gulf, together with the islands Salamina, Aegina, Angistri and the peninsula Methana in the north and the islands Hydra, Dokos and Spetses in the west.
The five islands in the northern saronic gulf are appropriate for Athens next, whereby salamis a suburb of the capital is nearly already. Aegina, Hydra, Spetses and Poros differ surprisingly strongly in its architecture and landscape.
The journey - or.... How does you come ... ...the small island in the Saronic gulf with a total area of 31 square kilometers and today approximately 4.000 inhabitants (in the high season there is up to 4.500) is very moved.
In the Antique it was called Kalavria. Kalavria meant as much as "good wind breath" and was probably selected, because the island in the summer is cooled by the hoist of the Saronic gulf. During this time Poros was the center of a religious and political connection of several ...
Cosmopolitin 05.06.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Saronic Gulf Islands (Greece)
Advantages: Total Relaxation Disadvantages: Should have stayed longer
Agistri is only an hour from Athens and a world apart. You can leave England at noon and be there in time for supper on the terrace of the Agistri Club, overlooking the beautiful sea and the lights of Aegina only 6 minutes away!
This tiny island of only 1000 people is close to Athens, but has so much to offer. You have a choice of beaches, depending on your preference. I liked the small cove next door, very private, but my fellow guests preferred ... ...could easily grab a cold beverage when the feeling hit them.
It is only a short walk to/from the Agistri Club and the town of Skala. I had lunch there at Alexandra's overlooking the beach, and a short walk past the church to pick up a few cards and a new hat.
I took the little bus to Limenaria for lunch, and had a wonderful omelette with chorizo sausage and cheese. The cafe owner's chickens are nearby and the eggs were that fresh! It is a short ...
Reynarda 22.05.2005 (12.08.2005)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Saronic Gulf Islands (Greece)
Advantages: A small and friendly island. Good value for money.Good food.Wonderful climate.You will want to go back. Disadvantages: The ferry trip or hydrophoil from Athens. Getting your luggage to and from where you stay if you land at Aghia Marina.Then the walk to where you are staying.The holiday is down to you. It will be what you make it.
First impressions of Aegina are how friendly everyone is. The crime rate is more or less non existant. Where else could you walk into a supermarket find the till wide open brimming with money, then the owner wanders in five minutes later! The standard of cuisine is very good. Pavlo's taverna on the beach is incredibly cheap and the food is superb.Costa's at nearby Alones is very Greek and very high quality.We had a good meal every night. Also there ... ...around for directions. The Retsina is made on the premises and is delicious. For an added extra you can see Athens. Nikos the owner is quite a character. The only draw back is that it is quite a climb and at night it is very dark so take a torch. The sea is shallow and warm, well in September it is, so ideal for kids. Yes it is quiet and peaceful but there is nightlife. I have been twice. Once with my husband my parents and my two daughters aged ...
linderay 31.03.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Saronic Gulf Islands (Greece)
