Things to do in Aegina Island guide: Detailed overview of historical attractions, natural beauty spots, water activities and local experiences with practical travel information
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In this article, I invite you to discover the island of Aegina. It includes information about tourist routes, historical and natural attractions, as well as various activities such as diving, local cuisine, and hiking/cycling tours.
Here you will also find information about why you should visit this island, how to get there, what to see, what to do, and details about hotels on the island.
Aegina Island: why tourists come here and whether it's worth visiting
The beautiful Greek island of Aegina is one of Greece’s most attractive tourist destinations. It features unique archaeological sites and cultural centers, while fairytale-beautiful landscapes complement Aegina’s rich historical heritage.
Until quite recently, the majority of the island’s visitors were Greek residents, but today you can meet travelers from literally all corners of the world at local resorts.
Aegina Island, which will leave me with pleasant memories for a long time
How to get to Aegina Island
Aegina is the nearest island of the Saronic Gulf to the Greek capital, just 27 km from Athens.
Getting to the island won’t be a problem. From Piraeus – Greece’s main port – classic ferries and high-speed vessels depart for Aegina every hour. Vessels to the Saronic Islands depart from pier E8 (Akti Poseidonos). To reach this pier from the last metro station, you need to walk a bit forward, then straight to the marina – pier E7 will be there, turn left from it.
To have time to find the right vessel and buy tickets, it’s better to arrive a bit earlier. Tickets are sold everywhere within the port territory: there are even vending machines on the metro platform at the final station.
- The journey on a classic ferry takes 1 hour and 20 minutes. A ticket costs 10 euros, children under 6 travel free, and transporting a car costs 25 euros.
- The trip on the high-speed “Dolphin” will be twice as short: just 40 minutes. The fare is 17 euros.
All flights from Athens arrive at Aegina’s central port, in the city of the same name.
What to see on Aegina Island
Aegina can boast a large number of diverse attractions. This is understandable. For many centuries, this island competed directly with Athens for the title of the largest, richest, and most powerful city of Ancient Greece.
Settled in ancient times, Aegina has changed many owners, and a structure remains on the island in memory of each of them. This place is also very important for modern Greeks.
Historical attractions of Aegina Island: Temple of Aphaia, Monastery of Saint Nectarios, Kolona, Archaeological Museum
The main historical symbol of Aegina is considered to be the Temple of Athena Aphaia (Temple of Aphaia). It’s hard to imagine that this massive structure is more than 2,500 years old.
The temple has been remarkably well preserved over so many years. Its foundation and most of its slender columns remain completely intact. According to scientists’ version, the first temple at the site of the present structure appeared much earlier.
During the temple’s exploration, many marble sculptures were discovered, which are now displayed in the Munich Glyptothek.
The Temple of Athena Aphaia looks very colorful and very Greek
Travelers wishing to admire other historical artifacts should definitely visit the Archaeological Museum of Aegina. Within its walls are rich collections of ancient pottery, figurines and lamps, old coins and weapons – all discovered during the island’s exploration.
The museum was founded in 1828 and is currently the island’s largest and most visited cultural center. Three halls are allocated for displaying the rich exposition, and some of the larger exhibits are presented in the inner courtyard.
There were many exhibits in the archaeological museum, and it was also very interesting beyond its boundaries
In the immediate vicinity of Aegina city is the Monastery of Saint Nectarios (Moni Agios Nektarios) – one of the most symbolic and impressive attractions. The monastery was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by Bishop Pentapolis Nectarius and has been active for over a hundred years.
Many beautiful stories are connected with the name of the monastery’s founder, he is highly revered by local residents, and therefore annually the monastery holds a beautiful holiday in honor of the Holy Patron.
Monastery of Saint Nectarios
Not far from the capital is the archaeological district of Kolona, popular with tourists. It got its name from the ancient artifact discovered here – a surviving column, which, according to scientists’ assumptions, is the preserved part of the ancient Temple of Apollo.
The suburban district of Asomatiou is very interesting to visit. A 13th-century church has been preserved here, which has been keeping priceless works of art – ancient frescoes – for over seven hundred years.
Fans of natural attractions should definitely visit the nearby islet of Moni, whose entire territory is considered a protected area.
The archaeological district of Kolona, which is considered a protected area
Ancient capital of Aegina - Paleochora
The ruins of the ancient city of Paleochora are one of tourists’ favorite places. Paleochora is located on the slopes of a hill, seven kilometers from the island’s capital. In medieval times, regular raids by conquerors and pirates forced islanders to abandon coastal settlements and move inland.
Paleochora is almost like an open-air museum, this is what the hill-mountain looks like from afar
Thus, in the ninth century, the city of Paleochora was founded, which was the island’s administrative center until the 19th century. Naturally, the settlement’s distance from the coast did not guarantee local residents complete safety.
Upon arriving in Paleochora, it’s recommended to visit the well-preserved Church of the Holy Cross, the Basilica of St. George, which is located on the central square, as well as Agia Dionyssia – a cathedral built into the rocks and a monastery dedicated to Agia Kyriaki.
All the surviving buildings here are churches, they are simply everywhere
No less interesting are the Chapel of the Virgin Mary, the Church of Agia Dimitria, the Church of St. John the Theologian, and the Church of the Transfiguration. You can also climb to the peak of the hill to explore the Venetian fortress built in the 17th century
Natural attractions of Aegina Island: Agios Marina beach, beaches of the resort town of Souvala and Moni Island
Aegina Island offers a worthy selection of picturesque beaches that you can easily reach. The most crowded and popular beach on the island is the sandy Agia Marina beach.
The beach stretches about 500 meters, features developed infrastructure and a very lively atmosphere. The beach has an excellent water sports center and equipment rental points, visitors can settle on beautiful sun loungers or place themselves under one of the colorful sun umbrellas.
Agia Marina beach is shallow, so many tourists with children always vacation here. A popular bar is also located here, so in the evening, fans of noisy parties always gather on the coast.
In the northern part of the island is the popular resort town of Souvala, which has two magnificent beaches – Loutra and Vagia. Several decades ago, a miniature fishing village stood where the picturesque resort town is now.
Today Souvala features excellently developed tourist infrastructure. Numerous apartment complexes, restaurants and shops are located in close proximity to the coast, so your vacation will definitely be comfortable.
It’s also worth noting that healing springs are located on this stretch of coast, they have a wide range of health benefits for the body.
Vagia beach often comes into focus for tour lovers. The fact is that several interesting archaeological attractions are located in close proximity to the coast.
Souvala has very beautiful beaches and there are also plenty of people here, so it’s better to come to the beach a bit earlier
Moni Island
A separate point is visiting Moni Island, located very close to Aegina, which can be seen opposite the village of Perdika. You can reach this interesting piece of land by boat – just 5 minutes from the village.
Unfortunately, not all tourists decide to go to Moni, which is a shame. It’s not just about the local clean and deserted beautiful beach, but also the island’s amazing fauna.
Moni has been a protected area for many years, and the deer, antelopes, wild goats and other animals living here are not afraid of people at all and willingly allow themselves to be photographed, and sometimes even petted. Once a day the local caretaker feeds the wildlife, and anyone can watch this process.
There are many peacocks on Moni Island, children constantly ran after them and tried to grab their tails
What else to do on Aegina Island
Once you’re on Aegina, definitely take a sea tour around the coast.
Firstly – it’s quite beautiful; And secondly – this way you can search for an ideal secluded beach from those accessible only by sea.
Consider sailing to neighboring islands too. On Pharos, on the way to Marathonas, for example, there’s a decent water park – Aegina Water Park. Getting there isn’t too difficult, and you can get plenty of enjoyment from visiting the local slides and pools.
Diving
If you love the underwater world, you should contact one of the local diving centers. There are several excellent dive sites in Aegina’s waters, but if desired, you can go to any of the nearby islands.
Visibility here is good, water temperature in summer allows diving without a dry suit, and the variety of local underwater inhabitants will impress beginners and won’t disappoint experienced divers.
If you’ve never dived with scuba gear before but want to dive, you should take training at the local dive school. After completing the training, you’ll receive an international certificate.
Trying the local cuisine
The cuisine on Aegina differs from mainland cuisine only in the great popularity of various fish dishes among local chefs. If you want to try maximally “Greek” dishes whose recipes haven’t been changed to suit tourist tastes, you should look for a taverna here where most of the clients are locals.
There are many tavernas on the island that have been managed by the same family for centuries. They try to cook with maximum adherence to traditions. If you have doubts about whether you’re in an establishment designed for locals, check the menu. There shouldn’t be a “Greek” salad there, as this dish is called “village” or “home” salad here.
Horiatiki salad is made from fresh tomatoes, olives, cheese, onions and green peppers. The recipe may vary, so feel free to order this dish in different places to compare tastes.
Fish and seafood are very popular on Aegina, especially octopus. It’s served in almost all island tavernas, but most travelers believe that the best place for fish dishes is Perdika.
Here, by the way, you can also buy your favorite fish or sea creature yourself and arrange for its preparation at any local taverna.
I really liked the octopus on the island, they cook it perfectly in almost all tavernas
Note: fish here is boiled, fried, stewed, grilled, added to salads and soups. When ordering, note that the price isn’t always indicated per portion in the menu. If the designation “kat”, “k” or “*” appears next to the chosen dish, this means it’s prepared not from freshly caught local fish, but from frozen imported fish.
Tavern menus also include mussels, octopus, squid and oysters. Taramasalata and fish roe paste are delicious and quite unusual.
In any local taverna they’ll gladly prepare paidakia, lamb ribs. In psistaria tavernas, exclusively charcoal-grilled meat is served.
Pork chops – brizola, chicken – kopotulo and cutlets known here as “bifteki” are very popular. Meat lovers might also enjoy pastitsio, a dish of minced meat and pasta with béchamel sauce, as well as layered moussaka made from minced meat, eggplant and potatoes under the same sauce.
For a snack, halloumi, local grilled cheese, is suitable. Many Greeks prefer gyro or souvlaki as fast food, which can be found in local kebab houses – souvladziko.
Souvlaki is essentially nothing other than skewers of pork, beef, chicken, lamb, vegetables, seafood and even fish. If you put it in a pita with sauce, fries or vegetables, you’ll have gyro. In ouzeri they serve anise vodka-ouzo and local appetizers under the general name mezedes.
Definitely try tzatziki, a local yogurt salad with cucumbers and garlic, and melitzanosalata, a dish of baked eggplants, at least once.
Yogurts with nuts and honey are often served for dessert. Eastern sweets are also popular – halva, baklavas and loukoumades.
Everyone can find delicious coffee on the island, but tea lovers aren’t so lucky: locals usually drink it as a cold remedy, and therefore most tavernas don’t serve this beverage.
Be sure to try retsina, a local variety of wine that’s drunk chilled, and grappa – grape vodka. From wines you can also try assyrtiko, naoussa, tsantali and savatiano. Patsas soup will help get rid of the consequences of active wine tasting.
The classic Greek yogurt served for dessert was very thick
Hiking and cycling routes around the island
Aegina will appeal to hiking enthusiasts. There’s wonderful nature here and an abundance of historical attractions connected to the nearest settlements by paths and trails that are maintained in good condition.
You can plot a route yourself, or you can join an organized group. There are several bicycle rental points on the island where you can take a mountain bike for a moderate fee and set off to conquer the local beauty, as there are plenty of suitable cycling paths here.
It’s worth simply wandering through the streets of local towns and villages, many residents of which still spend their time the same way as their ancestors.