Island-gems just a stone’s throw from Athens
1. Spetses. Τhe sea captains’ island, Spetses promises la ‘dolce vita’, whether for a quick weekend getaway or a long holiday. Have a leisurely coffee in Dapia, as you look across the sea towards Kosta and Porto Heli on the Peloponnese. Walk along the waterfront, past the handsome mansions below St Nicholas’ church, to the Old Harbour with its traditional boatyards. Then visit the Bouboulina and Hatzigiannis-Mexis museums.
2. Hydra. The aristocratic island of Hydra invites you to experience its beauty that has enchanted international jet-setters, artists like Chagall and Picasso and musicians like the late great Leonard Cohen. The port town is cosmopolitan and elegant, with its 18th-century mansions, captains’ homes, old churches, and marble-flagged steps that serve as streets on this steep island. A trip to take you back in time.
3. Poros. A place beloved by Seferis, the Greek Nobel laureate, and ground-breaking writer Henry Miller, with its beautiful nature, vintage charm and peaceful ambiance. A stone’s throw from Galata on the mainland, in Poros you’ll find small tavernas, yacht marinas, neoclassical buildings, a clock tower, pine forests reaching the sea, serenity, and relaxation.
4. Aegina. Just an hour from the port of Piraeus, Aegina is the island closest to Athens. Here you’ll enjoy ancient temples, stone-built Byzantine churches, a delightful old-fashioned port town, delicious local pistachio nuts, and a swimming season that lasts until late autumn. This charming, welcoming island will entice you as it has thousands of others from around the world, who have chosen to make it their second home.
5. Angistri. This tiny island, just 5 minutes from Aegina and about an hour from Piraeus, offers pine-studded landscapes, beautiful bays and hidden coves, pure nature for trekking and biking, and picturesque seaside tavernas – perfect for an alternative holiday.
6. Tzia/Kea. Close to Athens – just one hour from the port of Lavrio – Tzia/Kea will charm you with its cosmopolitan ambiance, unique beaches and the mysteries hiding on its seabed.
7.Kythnos. Picturesque villages boast narrow streets of cobbled stone and gardens full of flowers; tiny chapels pop up on rocky headlands and within forest glades. So much “hidden” beauty and authentic Aegean character, and just a short hop by ferry, really close to Athens. With a long history starting in the mists of the Mesolithic period, Kythnos, modest and hospitable, unexpectedly beautiful and serene, welcomes you.
