Island Day Trips to Take from Athens
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When visiting Greece, most people tend to spend time in Athens, especially if they’ve never been to Greece before. While there, it is easy to stick with seeing all the typical sites, such as the Parthenon and the other places to visit on the Acropolis. The truth is, there is a lot more to the city than that. Visitors can easily enjoy nearby beaches, go shopping, and eat great food in some of the best restaurants Greece has to offer.
Another thing that people can do while in Athens is venture outside of the city to take day trips. Athens is close enough to ancient sites like Olympia and Marathon in order to visit during the day. What a lot of people don’t realize, however, is that some islands are reachable for a day trip from the city. Here’s a look at the three islands you can visit for the day while staying in Athens:
Aegina
Aegina is a quaint, yet bustling island that provides a place for those living in Athens to retreat to in their free time. This means that visitors can easily do the same. The port is especially bustling, especially during the parts of the day when the ferry is running on a regular schedule. When people visit for the day, they tend to huddle in the area around the main port and browse through the shops, eat in the nearby restaurants, and explore some of the beaches that are easily accessed, such as Marathon Beach. If you get the chance, consider visiting some of the bakeries and sweet shops to sample some treats that are made with pistachios, which is a nut grown locally and utilized often in the cuisine on the island.
Hydra
Hydra is a fascinating little island that is also accessible from Athens. Unlike some of the other islands that are close to the city, Hydra stands apart as being somewhat frozen in time. This is largely due to the fact that there are no vehicles allowed on the island. Once you arrive at the port, you will need to either walk to get around, ride a donkey, or hire a cart that is being pulled by a donkey or a horse. If you’re staying here for the day, however, you will probably stick to exploring the beaches, shops, and restaurants that are close to the port.
Poros
This island is fairly close to the Peloponnese and is only separated from the mainland by a narrow strip of water. It is a fairly mountainous island that is also easily accessed from Athens. This island tends to have an easy, laid back feel to it and it also has some resorts that visitors can enjoy who wish to stay longer than one day.
If you’re staying in Athens and you want to venture outside of the city for a day, consider visiting one of the islands. You actually don’t need to pick just one of these islands to visit, either. You can easily book a tour that will have you visiting each of these three during your stay. You can either take a ferry from Piraeus to one of these islands on your own or book a tour. It is also important to note that you can either spend the day at any one of these places or book an extended stay so you can enjoy each of the islands for more than one day.
Categorized in: About Athens, Greece, About Hydra, Greece, Greek Travel Guide
This post was written by Greek Boston
