Travel Guide: Aegina Island, Greece
All you need to know about the scenic Aegina Island - the closest Greek island to Athens!
Why visit Aegina Island in Greece
Now let’s get this out of the way. Aegina is not the fanciest nor the most beautiful of the Greek Islands, but that’s like asking what’s your least favourite type of cake - it’s cake, it’s allll good!
Aegina is still a beautiful Greek island. It is also the closest island getaway from Athens. It’s also not overcrowded like other more famous islands (most visitors are Athenian’s on weekends, and a few ships port for lunch only). It’s affordable. small. friendly. peaceful. AND still has all thing you want from a Greek island - beautiful blue waters, stunning viewpoints, history, great food, quaint villages.
Sold? Maybe? Read on to find out more…
How to get from Athens to Aegina island
From Athens, make your way to the nearby port of Paraeus. This is where all the ferries depart from for the various islands. We booked our ferry with Ferryscanner.com for the ease. There are 3 options, with multiple times to choose from a day + car ferry available. The slowest but slightly cheaper 1h20min ferry is around $20AUD one way and the fastest is a 40min option around $30AUD. Even if you flew to another island, it would still take longer than this! TIP: read your boarding instructions carefully. The port is quite large so make sure you’re in the right area and have the right ferry ahead of time - don’t wait for the last minute and speak up if you’re unsure. People will help.
What to do on Aegina island
For one small island, there is a surprising amount to see. It only takes a couple of hours to circumnavigate the whole island by car yet Aegina jam packed with options of things to do!
Relax on one of Aegina’s many beautiful beaches
We went to a few different beaches but Klima beach was our favourite by far. It does require a somewhat scary cliffside drive down to the beach but it was worth it as it’s totally isolated. During the warmer months there is a beach club you have to use but its affordable by European beach club standards and honestly, we were thankful for the lounger and umbrella for comfort! There are plenty of great beach options however including those within towns and villages which means more amenities and easier to reach.
Soak up some ancient ruins
There are multiple ancient sites to view on Aegina. Our favourite was the Temple of Aphaia - a 5th century BC Doric temple that like is a smaller version of the Pantheon in Athens. It’s perched right on top of a hill overlooking the ocean and when we went one morning, it was literally just us and some cats! Compare that to the Acropolis teaming with thousands of people.
Visit a monastery, convent or church
Take your pick - ancient or current? Both are beautiful. The Saint Kyriaki Monastery is a largely intact and restored ruin that has a hauntingly beautiful quality to it. Or visit a quaint, local functioning option like the Saint Minas Holy Convent. Or for something large and impressive - the Monastery and Holy Church of Saint Nektarios is the island’s main church and features detailed architecture and gorgeous gardens. For those who believe, Saint Nektarios also has a tomb which is believed to the site of healings and miracles.
Explore local villages and eat everything pistachio
Aegina is famous for it’s pistachios and you will find pistachio everything! The moment you get off at the main port of Aegina town you will see the nuts for sale as well as soaps, spread, ice cream and more. The spread was my favourite but who can say no to an ice-cream on a hot day!
Aegina has multiple towns you can explore. We stayed in Aegina town itself however and loved it. There’s white-washed cobblestone lanes, little shops, a fish market and lots of food options. Compared to bigger more touristy islands the food here was quite affordable too - I would say half way between local Athens prices and Santorini main area prices.
Airbnbs and Hotels in Aegina
There are many hotels in Aegina you can choose from. We did love the look of the Apollo Hotel which seemed surprisingly luxurious for around $250AUD a night. If you’re wanting beach front and stunning views, this is place looks amazing but it was sadly booked out when we were planning. We settled on a lovely Airbnb Apartment in the main town for convenience but there is something for every budget available, including lots of modest but nice 3 star hotels for around $80-$120AUD a night. Given how the small the island is, you could stay in any part really but most of the action is in Aegina town or Aria Marina.
How to get around Aegina island
If you don’t want to hire a vehicle, you can get around easily enough with buses. There are 3 bus lines that cover most of the island and with google maps you can figure it out. You can also take a photo of the timetable/map and show the bus driver where you want go when you get on. You can buy tickets with cash on the bus or at the main terminal in Aegina town.
All that said, we hired a car for part of our stay and this gave us a lot of freedom. To cut down on costs, we did all the stuff in town first then only hired the car afterwards. You can also hire buggies and scooters too which would be fun, but my husband is very safety conscious, so car it was. The place we used (Sunrise Rentals Aegina) looked dodgy as hell and the car was a crap heap BUT they were super nice, cheap, didn’t try to overcharge or scam us and we made it back alive. For me, I will take that as a win!
When to go to Aegina island
We went to Aegina in September and I felt this kind of shoulder season was the perfect to go. Summer is simply way too hot but it’s also a island so you do want to go when it’s still sunny and warm for swimming. I reckon it would still be beach weather in October. May could also be nice.
Are you planning a trip to Aegina? I’m happy to answer any questions you might have below! Enjoying the blog? Buy me a coffee here.
