Day trip to Aegina island

We depart in the morning from Athens catching the first ferry from the port of Pireaus. As the boat leaves the Port of Piraeus you can see the whole Attica Basin and the peaks of Parnitha, Penteli and Hymetus mountains. Within 10-15 minutes of departure you will be passing over the west coast of Salamina, where fleets of cargo and container ships lay in anchorage near and around the coast of Salamina waiting their turn to unload or load their goods from the commercial Port of Piraeus in Keratsini and Ikonio.

After only a further 5 minutes Salamina is left behind and, in the distance to the south, Aegina can already be seen across the glittering blue Saronic Gulf. When you enter the harbor, the small, white church of Saint Nikolas welcomes you ( This tiny church can be your first stop after the hydrofoil docks and we enter into its beautifully painted interior). Your first impression is the modern type classical buildings, which are located along the sea front of the island and have earth tone colors which make them look even more beautiful at sunset.

Near the port, on the left as we get off the ship is an archaeological place called “Kolonas”,  known for its one and only pillar (kolona in Greek), that is the only remaining thing from the temple of Apollo Delfiniou, built in a Doric order and dominates the hill. The hill of Kolonas was the Acropolis and the religious center of the ancient city. In the same area besides the remains and the pillar of the Apollon temple, there are also quite a few buildings and the foundations of two smaller temples, the temple of Artemis and the temple of Dionysus. Today on the hill of Kolonas, there is the archaeological museum of Aegina, which many findings from the excavations are displayed.

However, the most famous and interesting ancient monument of Aegina is the Temple of Athena Aphaea– situated in the centre of the island- which used to be among the most important religious centers in ancient Greece. The Temple of Aphaea, the ancient Aeginetan deity related to the Cretan Britomartis (Artemis), was built about 490B.C. Its Doric peripheral construction (having columns surrounding the building) of local gray limestone has been partially restored.

One of the most visited sites on Aegina is the church of Agios Nektarios (Saint Nectarios) one of the largest in the Balkans. Agios Nektarios was known as a great miracle worker, as a healer of every sort of disease; he was also an educator, philosopher, theologist, poet and writer. Nowadays thousands of people visit the tomb of Agios Nektarios, to pray to him or ask for his blessings. He established the monastery and lived there for the rest of his life as a monk. It is said that 14 nuns still live in this place.

Time for lunch in the beautiful harbor of Aegina and a small pleasant walk around in the city, before we board the ferry to return back to Athens.