5 Must-See Things in Aegina
The Saronic island near Athens lacks touristic iconography — so what?
Ah, Aegina: the island closer than a whisker to Athens and home of delicious pistachios, radical left-wing former Greek finance minister Yiannis Varoufakis, and other assorted nuts. Like the girls who practically ran me off the road as I tried to make a right turn out of the busy port parking lot, having just disembarked from the big Apollon Hellas ferry from Piraeus. A relaxing island, Aegina? Yes, but maybe not in the way you were thinking.
It makes perfect sense that the island, moored to the Saronic Gulf like a glob of feta cheese in a great big Greek salad, was for a time in antiquity perceived by the Athenians as a threat. It is not tiny, it is strategically located, it has a temple that rivals the Parthenon. It’s called the Temple of Aphaia, and it is worth look. Even though its marble sculptures are sitting somewhere in Munich — the Germans have a way of grabbing things that don’t belong to them, don’t they? Just don’t call it theft!
Because culture always comes first at Greek Column — except for when it comes second — the Temple of Aphaia ranks as the Number One thing you must see in Aegina. Seen from above, it looks like this:
It is “better” than the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, and far less touristy. But you will need to take a taxi or drive your own car to reach the temple site, where there is also a small museum. When we went, the museum was closed. We didn’t mind.
The second thing to see, or rather taste, is the pistachios. You could do the touristy thing and buy a bag or two in the port, but here’s a little secret — you can buy them for less in pretty much any Greek supermarket. So do like the locals do and enjoy them in a way that is unique to the island — cooked up in a plate of something delicious. We enjoyed a plate of rigatoni pasta with freshly made pistachio pesto at Aegina port’s iconic Nissos restaurant. Looked like:
Third on our list? The beaches. We were told that Aegina doesn’t have good beaches, and now we know why. In fact there are good beaches, and plenty of them, so maybe the locals were trying to throw us off a bit. Bear in mind that not all of the beaches are “organized” beaches. Some are: drive south from the port and you’ll pass by many, but they tend to be small and get pretty crowded. Some are only accessible through the hotels that front them. But head north of the port, and ye shall be richly rewarded.
What you’ll find there is a series of low-lying escarpments that front wide swaths of shallow, turquoise sea. Access is easy. Just park your car along the road and walk down a few natural gaps in the rocks and there you go — Mykonos-caliber beaches almost all to yourself, even in the middle of August. You’re welcome.
We heard about a beach at the southern end of the island, actually an islet called Moni, which you supposedly access via a small boat from the little harbor at Perdika. But when we arrived we found nowhere to park and a total lack of information about the boats, although a gaggle of noisy people appeared to be waiting for one. That for us bodes ill — if you don’t have exact information about when a boat is coming and going, you risk getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, which is exactly where you don’t want to be in the middle of a heatwave.
The fourth thing you must do is spend a little time soaking up the colors of the main port, before rushing off to the beach. Because who knows what you might find?
The fifth thing you must do in Aegina is absolutely nothing, except to chillax and take in some of the sweeping Saronic gulf views. Sure, you’ll see this or that article extolling the artsy side of Aegina, but frankly, forget that — when it comes to the islands near Athens, it’s Hydra that has a lock on the pretentious art stuff. Aegina is very much an extension of Athens, with somewhat cleaner air and better views, like…
Three hours in Aegina, though is not enough. Combining it with another island in the same day is also a mistake. If you want to visit Hydra, do it separately. For Aegina, simply show up at Gate E9 in Piraeus and buy your ticket at the Saronic Ferries ticket window. If you just missed the boat, don’t worry — there’s another one coming.
