Aegina

Aegina Island

Aegina is the closest island to Athens worth a visit, for a daylong trip from Athens or even a short stay. If you are in a hurry, you can combine three different islands on a day cruise from Piraeus.

Aegina is home to one of the most beautiful temples of late Archaic Greece, the temple of Aphaia. A volcanic island with plains of respectable fertility to the northern and southern parts. Aegina is also where the famous pistachio nuts can be  found alongside the other main produce of the island, grain, vines, almonds and olives. The southern end of the island is rocky and barren. The highest peak of the island is Mt. Oros.

Aegina is a pleasant island with pine clad hills, small fertile valleys, and an interesting coast, but its biggest asset is its location at the center of the Saronic gulf.

Aegina Facts Area:86 sq. km. Population: 12,000 Aegina City Coordinates: 37°44'43" N 23°25'40" E More about Aegina: Aegina Island Aegina Photos Aphaia Aphaia Photos Ancient Aegina Aegina Map

History of Aegina

The island of Aegina is located in the middle of an area that hosted some of the most productive cultural centers of antiquity, and as such it flourished from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic eras of Greek civilization. Archaeological evidence puts the islands earliest habitation around the 4th millennium BCE.

According to the Greek mythology the island was inhabited when Zeus had a romantic interlude with the Nymph Aegina there and produced a son, Aecaus. Zeus, at the request of Aecaus populated the island so Aecaus would have subjects in his kingdom.

“The Myrmidons
These were men created from ants on the island of Aegina, in the reign of Aeacus, Achille’s grandfather, and they were Achilles’ followers in the Trojan War. Not only were they thrifty and industrious, as one would suppose from their origin, but they were also brave. They were changed into men from ants because of one of Hera’s attacks of jealousy. She was angry because Zeus loved Aegina, the maiden for whom the island was named, and whose son, Aeacus, became its king. Hera sent a fearful pertinence which destroyed the people by thousands. It seemed that no one would be left alive. Aeacus climbed to the lofty temple of Zeus and prayed to him, reminding him that he was his son and the son of a woman the god had loved. As he spoke he saw a troop of busy ants. “Oh Father,” he cried, “make these creatures a people for me, as numerous as they, and fill my empty city.” A peal of thunder seemed to answer him and that night he dreamed that he saw the ants being transformed into human shape. […] So Aegina was repopulated from an ant hill and its people were called Myrmidons after the ant (myrmex) from which they had sprang.”
(Hamilton, Edith, Mythology, Warner Books, New York, 1969)

The island had considerable power in the Bronze Age and was mentioned by Homer as one of the contributors of troops in the Trojan War in his long catalogue.

“Then men of Argos and Tiryns with her tremendous walls and Hermione, and Asine commanding the deep wide gulf, Troezen, Eionae and Epidaurus green with vines and Achaea’s warrior sons who held Aegina and Mases—Diomedes lord of the war cry led their crack contingents flanked by Sthenelus, far-famed Capaneus’ favorite son.”
(Homer, The Iliad, Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics, New York, 1990)

The island was abandoned between the 12th and 10th centuries BCE but was colonized again around 950 BCE, probably by settlers from Epidaurus and by the end of the 6th c. BCE Aegina was a major commercial and cultural center. Strabo cited the ancient historian Ephorus as stating that Aegina was the fist Greek polis to mint coins. The Aeginetan coins were minted of silver, and are known as “turtles”* because their relief design resembled a turtle. These coins have been found in many places around the Mediterranean, a testament to Aegina’s formidable commercial prowess.

The beautiful Late Archaic temple of Aphaia is testament to Aegina’s contribution to the Arts. The temple, and the sculptures that adorned it is a prime example of the transition from the Archaic to the Classical ideals. Aegina also produced many local artists, most famous of which are Anaxagoras, Callon, and Onatas.

In the fifth century BCE Aegina took part in the Persian wars, and as a major naval power she contributed forces to the Greek defensce of Hellas. In the battle of Salamis the Aeginetans contributed a large contingent of triremes and fought next to the Athenians with valor.

“The most distinguished service at Salamis is admitted to nave been that of the Aegina; and next after Aegina was Athens. The greatest individual disntinction was won by Polycritus of Aegina [...]”
(Herodotus, The Histories, translated by Aubrey de Selincourt, Penguin Classics, London, 1954)

Later in the fifth century however, during the Peloponnesian war Aegina suffered the wrath of powerful Athens that expunged the island’s population for allying with the Peloponnesian League.

“During the summer [431 BCE] the Athenians also expelled the Aeginetans with their wives and children from Aegina, on the ground of their having been the chief agents in bringing the war upon them. Besides, Aegina lies so near the Peloponnesus that it seemed safer to send colonists of their own to hold it, and shortly afterwards the settlers were sent out. The banished Aeginetans found asylum in Thyrea which was given to them by Sparta, not only on account of her quarrel with Athens, but also because the Aeginetans had laid her under obligations at the time of the earthquake an the revolt of the Helots. The territory of Thyrea is on the frontier of Argolis and Laconia, reaching down to the sea. Those of the Aeginetans who did not settle here were scattered over the rest of Hellas.
(Thucydides: Strassler B. Robert, The Landmark Thucydides, Touchstone, New York, 1996)

The exiles were later in 404 BCE to return to Aegina, but the island’s power never reached its previous glory henceforth.

In the centuries that followed, the fate of Aegina was parallel to the events and invaders that affected mainland Greece. Romans, Franks, Venetians, Catalans, and Turks all occupied the island for varying lengths of time.

During the Byzantine era the island flourished as evident by the church construction. The most well known personality of the era was the medical scholar and physician Paul of Aegina who formed wrote many respected treatises on surgery and medicine. At the same time Aegina also suffered from repeated pirate raids. In the 9th c. CE the devastating raids of Saracens forced the Aeginetes to move their capital further inland in Paleohora. In 1537 however the terrible pirate Barbarossa raided the new capital, razed it,  and enslaved the inhabitants. The town was repopulated by Albanians until it was finally abandoned in 1826 after the Greek war of independence.

In 1654, Aegina island was captured by the Venetians before it was ceded to the Turks with the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718. After the war of independence Aegina served briefly as the capital of Greece when the first governor of modern Greece was sworn into office in April 1827. Aegina town served as the capital of Greece from January 1828 until December 1829 and the neoclassical buildings at Aegina harbor are testaments to this era.

Aegina Town

The town of Aegina is the largest inhabited spot of the island and it's a relatively quiet spot to relax for a day, but its sightseeing is fairly ordinary by Greek Island standards.

The Ancient Kolonna and the archaeological museum on the northern end of town can keep a lover of ancient artifacts busy for a couple of hours, and the numerous cafes lining the colorful promenade are a nice place to relax while watching the lazy motions of the caiques at the colorful promenade.

The promenade of Aegina Town is by far the busiest place of the island with numerous ferries and hydrofoils docking every hour or so, and it is packed from end to end with tourist shops, restaurants and cafeterias. Several neo-classical buildings in various states of restoration are sandwiched between the commercial establishments, and horse carriages ferry transport tourists back and forth. Pistachio nuts are in plain view everywhere and given the island’s reputation for their quality a consumption of at least one bag is well advised.

Beyond the busy harbor, the town of Aegina is seemingly untouched by the tourist traffic that permeates the waterfront. Just a couple of blocks away from the sea you will find yourself immersed in authentic Greek town life. The streets beyond Aegina harbor are filled with local stores catering to the local population, and that is a pleasant surprise for those who crave a little normalcy in the course of a vacation.

As far as things to do in Aegina town, leisurely walks, reading, and visiting the ancient town and museum, or the waterpark just to the south of the town would exhaust most visitors’ options. A small beach of dubious quality is located just outside the archaeological site, five minutes to the north of the harbor, but for more enjoyable swimming a trip outside of Aegina town is the best option.

Visiting Aegina

Aegina lies 17 nautical miles south of Piraeus almost at the center of the Saronic Gulf. A hydrofoil takes about 35 minutes to reach Aegina, while a ferry lumbers for an hour or so to sail the same distance.

In Piraeus, ferries and hydrofoils that serve Aegina are docked in gate E8 (see map of Piraeus). If you arrive at Piraeus through the metro from Athens, exit the station and walk across the busy street towards the port and turn left. Gate E8 is less than a five-minute walk from the HSAP station.

You can buy a ticket from kiosks across from the ferries. Since many ferries and hydrofoils are available, men from each company walk the dock to entice the tourists to buy tickets for their own boat.  To first-time visitors they look like port officials who are there to help passengers. Make sure you are not enticed towards buying a ticket for a slow boat when you want a fast one, and that you buy the ticket for the time you want to depart. Some ferries are faster than others so leaving 15 minutes earlier from Piraeus does not guarantee that you will arrive faster than the ferry that leaves 15 minutes later! If you do care, you might want to ask how long is the trip before you buy the ticket.

Hydrofoils are the fastest way to get to Aegina (35 minutes; 8.50 Euro), but if you have a car you have to board one of the numerous ferries (about 4.50 Euro for the passengers and 8.00 Euro for a passenger car. The driver also pays a ticket).

Once onboard services are limited to one or two lightly stocked bars or canteens, an intersting activity to pass the time is to stare at the ocean and the little boats and islets as they go by. Hydrofoils are like little airplanes. You are assigned a seat and there is no outside deck to enjoy the fresh air. They make the trip in half the time, cost twice as much as traditional boats, and they are more prone to cancellations due to the sea conditions.

Most ferries make the trip to Aegina and then continue to other Saronic Gulf islands before they return to Piraeus. You can buy return tickets at the port of Aegina, and if you plan to catch one of the last ferries back, buy your tickets as soon as you arrive on the island because they might be sold out later in the afternoon.

If you plan to visit other parts of the island you can get a taxi from the promenade where several taxis usually wait for passengers in a line. Always take the first taxi in line. A trip from Aegina to the temple of Aphaia would cost between 8.00 to 10.00 Euro.

Busses from Aegina leave from Plateia Ethnyersias, just to the north of the dock, or to your left as you disembark.  They leave every 45 minutes during the day until 8:45 at night. Tickets cost 1.50 Euro. They shuttle passengers along the northern end of the island between Aegina town and Agia Marina, a tip that takes about 30 minutes.

If you plan to visit the temple of Aphaia, morning is the best time before 10:00 AM when the tourist busses begin unloading hundreds of visitors to the site.

If the temple of Aphaia is your main destination, it might be worth sailing directly to Agia Marina from Piraeus in the morning. From there you can climb the steep 2km to the temple by foot (or by bus), and then you can either go back to Agia Marina for a swim since there you will probably find the best beach of the island (which does not say much about the beaches of Aegina). Alternately, you can take the bus to Aegina town to visit the museum, and to enjoy a quiet afternoon before you take the ferry back to Piraeus.

Several ferries and hydrofoils make stops in Aegina town, and/or at Souvala or Agia Marina. When you board in Piraeus make sure your ferry docks at your desired destination.

From Aegina you can catch ferries and hydrofoils for Methana (20km), Poros (27km), Hydra (56km), and Spetses (84km), so it is possible to visit several islands within one day, but for a more comfortable itinerary a two day tour is advised if you want to visit all the islands (maybe with an overnight stay in Hydra).

The beaches of Aegina are not its main attraction, but if you find yourself on the island desperate for a swim Agia Marina might be the best place even though it is very crowded and shallow. The beach of Aegina town does not seem very inviting for an enjoyable day of swimming.

While several travel guides suggest that Aegina might be a good place to stay if you want to explore Athens, such a plan might be overly cumbersome. The ferries and hydrofoils do make frequent trips to Piraeus every day, but you would also have to reach Athens from Piraeus and all this would add considerable commuting time (and expense) to your daily itinerary.

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