Aegina Island: Ancient Temples, Pistachios & Where to Stay

By DiChatz

The most common mistake with Aegina island is treating it as a harbour stop. Day-trippers step off the boat in Aegina Town, eat by the water, buy a bag of pistachios and sail back to Piraeus without seeing the Temple of Aphaia, which stands on a pine-covered hill about 13 km away on the other side of the island. The fix is simple: decide how you will get away from the port before you book the ferry.

The short answer: Aegina is the closest proper island to Athens, about 40 minutes by fast boat from Piraeus, and it deserves a full day or, better, two nights. Come for one of the best-preserved Doric temples in Greece (€10 until 31 October, €5 from 1 November), the PDO pistachios every Greek kitchen associates with the island, the medieval ghost town of Paleochora and a long fish lunch in Perdika. First visit without a car, stay in Aegina Town; three nights with wheels, stay on the Perdika side.

The real question with Aegina is whether it is a day trip or a stay. I would say that depends on how many days you have in Greece and whether other islands are in the plan. Personally I would stay one night, so you can enjoy the island, walk around and have a proper meal without rushing. The evenings are the best part: the day crowds sail back to Piraeus and the harbour becomes local again. I know some people want to fit in as many islands as they can, and in that case Aegina is an easy day trip from Athens that still leaves room for the others. If you do that, take the early boat and leave the harbour within the hour, or you will see the port and nothing else.

Aegina island at a glance

Aegina sits in the Saronic Gulf, 17 nautical miles from Piraeus. It is roughly triangular, with the main town on the west coast facing the Peloponnese, the Temple of Aphaia in the north-east above Agia Marina, and Perdika at the south-western tip. Between them run pistachio orchards, pine slopes and the volcanic cone of Mount Oros, the highest point on the island.

Aegina minted some of the earliest coins in the Greek world, rivalled Athens as a sea power in the fifth century BC, and after independence served as the first capital of modern Greece from 1828 to 1829, with Ioannis Kapodistrias as Governor. That last chapter explains the neoclassical mansions along the harbour, which look grander than you would expect on an island this size.

• Main town and port: Aegina Town, with year-round ferries.
• Signature sight: the Temple of Aphaia, built around 500 BC.
• Signature product: the PDO Aegina pistachio, harvested from late August into September.
• Best base for a first visit: Aegina Town. The local’s choice: the Marathonas to Perdika coast.
• Time needed: one long day covers the essentials; two nights let you see it properly.

Getting there from Athens

Every route to Aegina starts at Piraeus. Saronic boats usually dock at Gate E8, close to the Piraeus metro and suburban railway station, so you skip the long walk or port shuttle the big Cyclades ferries need. In high season there are more than 40 daily crossings to the island’s three ports.

If you are landing at Athens airport and heading straight for the island, sort the transfer first. The metro works, but with luggage and an early boat to catch, a pre-booked car to the right gate takes the guesswork out of Piraeus. Book a Welcome Pickups transfer from Athens airport to Piraeus and the driver meets you in arrivals with your name on a sign.

Fast boat or conventional ferry

Fast boats and catamarans make the crossing in about 40 minutes and cost more. Conventional car ferries take between 1 hour 5 minutes and 1 hour 25 minutes, are cheaper, and let you sit on an open deck with a coffee. Tickets start from €9 on the slow boats; fast catamaran fares are noticeably higher and vary by operator and date, so compare before you buy. Operators on the route include Aegean Flying Dolphins, Saronic Ferries, Aegina Ferries, Magic Sea Ferries, Remezzo and Blue Star.

For a day trip, the fast boat buys you nearly an extra hour on the island each way. For two nights or more, or if you are bringing a car, the conventional ferry is the sensible pick.

Route	Season	Best for
Piraeus to Aegina Town	Year-round	Day trips, first visits, staying in town
Piraeus to Agia Marina	April to November	Going straight to the Temple of Aphaia and the east coast beaches
Piraeus to Souvala	April to October	Agios Nektarios Monastery and the quieter north coast

Verdict: Aegina Town is the default for almost everyone, since buses, taxis and car hire all start there. Agia Marina is the clever choice if the temple is your main reason for coming: arrive there, walk or bus up to Aphaia, then return from Aegina Town.

Timetables thin out sharply after the summer, so in shoulder season book the return leg along with the outward one. Compare Piraeus to Aegina ferries on Ferryscanner to see every operator’s times and fares on one screen.

The ancient sites route: Kolona, Aphaia and Paleochora

Most visitors see one temple. Aegina lets you trace three thousand years in a single loop, and the sites line up along one road. Start in Aegina Town at Kolona, head east past Agios Nektarios and Paleochora, finish at the Temple of Aphaia, then swim at Agia Marina below it.

Kolona and the Archaeological Museum

A ten-minute walk north of the harbour, a single standing column marks the temple of Apollo that once crowned this headland. Locals simply call the place Kolona, “the column”. The fenced site beneath it holds the layers of a prehistoric settlement inhabited for thousands of years before the temple went up, and the Archaeological Museum of Aegina sits inside the same enclosure. It is small, rarely crowded and puts the rest of the day in context. Go early, before the heat, and walk back along the little beach beside the site.

Agios Nektarios Monastery

About 6 km east of town, the huge church of Agios Nektarios is impossible to miss. Saint Nektarios founded the convent above it in the early twentieth century and lived there until his death in 1920. He is one of the most venerated modern saints in Greek Orthodoxy, and pilgrims arrive by the busload. The large church is modern; the original convent and the saint’s cell are the more moving part. Dress for a working monastery, with shoulders and knees covered.

Paleochora, the medieval ghost town

Directly across the valley from the monastery, a bare hillside is scattered with small whitewashed churches. This is Paleochora, the island’s capital through the Middle Ages, built inland and uphill so pirates could not see it from the sea, and abandoned in the nineteenth century once the coast was safe again. The houses have gone, but dozens of chapels survive, several with faded frescoes inside, and a rough path climbs to the ruined castle at the top. There are no facilities and little shade, so bring water and proper shoes. Many first-time visitors skip it; it is the most atmospheric hour you can spend on Aegina.

Temple of Aphaia

The temple stands at 160 metres on a hill ringed by pines, with views across the gulf towards Athens on a clear day. Built around 500 BC for Aphaia, a local goddess later linked with Athena, it is one of the most complete Doric temples in the country, with most of its columns and part of the upper level still standing. The famous pediment sculptures were taken to Munich in the nineteenth century, which is why the small museum on site matters: it explains the building and shows what remains. One ticket covers both, and a small café by the entrance does cold drinks and a shaded seat afterwards.

The temple is often described as one corner of a sacred triangle with the Parthenon and the Temple of Poseidon. If that idea appeals, the third corner is an easy evening out from Athens; our Cape Sounion sunset day trip guide covers how to get there and when to go.

Temple of Aphaia	Details
Ticket, 1 April to 31 October	€10 (includes site museum)
Summer opening hours	Daily, 08:00 to 20:00
Winter opening hours	Shorter than summer, with a later opening and earlier close; check before you go
Taxi from Aegina Town port	Around €18 one way

Visiting from November? Plan for late morning or midday rather than late afternoon, since the site closes far earlier than in summer. Half-price entry and an almost empty hill make the off-season a good moment for Aphaia.

Mount Oros, for walkers

If you still have legs, the volcanic cone of Mount Oros in the south has the remains of a sanctuary to Zeus Hellanios on its slopes and a summit chapel with a view over the whole Saronic Gulf. The path is steep and exposed; tackle it early in the day and outside midsummer.

Doing this loop by bus means waiting for connections, and a taxi between every stop adds up. The easiest way to link Kolona, the monastery, Paleochora and Aphaia in one day, with someone who knows the history, is a guided tour that collects you in Athens. Book a private Aegina day tour from Athens and the ferry, driving and timing are handled for you.

Aegina pistachios: what makes them special and where to buy

Ask a Greek what Aegina is known for and the answer is the pistachio, fistiki Aiginis. Trees have been grown here since the late nineteenth century, and the volcanic soil and dry summers suited them so well that orchards spread across the island. You see them everywhere inland: low, wide trees hung with clusters of rosy husks in late summer.

What the PDO label means

The Aegina pistachio has Protected Designation of Origin status in the EU. A bag sold as Aegina pistachio must be grown and processed on the island, from the local variety, under defined methods. The nuts are smaller than Californian or Iranian ones, with a lightly split shell and a sweeter, more intense flavour, and they cost more. A harbour bag labelled only “pistachios” may come from anywhere, so look for the PDO wording and logo on the pack.

Harvest and farm visits

The harvest runs from late August into September, the best time to see orchards being worked, with nuts drying on flat roofs and in yards around the villages. Some family farms open for tastings and short tours, mostly through organised trips from Athens, since few keep regular walk-in hours. To combine the orchards and the temple in one day, find an Aegina pistachio and temples tour on GetYourGuide.

Where to buy and what to bring home

The shops along the harbour front in Aegina Town carry the full range: roasted and salted nuts in the shell, shelled raw nuts for cooking, pistachio butter and spread, pasteli-style bars, nougat and liqueur. Eat the roasted, salted ones on the boat and take home a jar of butter or a vacuum pack of raw nuts, which travel well. Prices drop a little in the backstreets away from the waterfront.

Fistiki Fest

Every September the island throws a pistachio festival at the port, with producers’ stalls, cooking demonstrations, music and exhibitions. The 2026 edition, the seventeenth, ran from 17 to 20 September, with exhibitions open 10:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 00:30. Dates for 2027 are usually announced in August or early September; check the municipality’s announcements before booking a festival weekend.

Villages and beaches

Aegina is not a white-sand island, and nobody comes for the beaches alone. What it has is clear, calm water, short drives between coves and a handful of villages where Athenians have kept summer houses for generations.

• Perdika: the fishing village at the south-west tip, about 9 km from town. Tavernas line the harbour, the fish is landed in front of you and the sunsets are the best on the island. Busy with Athenians at weekends.
• Moni: an uninhabited, pine-covered islet a short boat ride from Perdika. Peacocks, deer and wild goats roam it, the small beach has very clear water, and a path climbs to an old lookout post. Caiques run across through the summer.
• Marathonas: a sandy, shallow bay between town and Perdika, popular with families and lined with simple tavernas.
• Aiginitissa: a sheltered cove just past Marathonas with a beach bar and loungers, calm even when the wind is up elsewhere.
• Agia Marina: the island’s main resort on the east coast, below the Temple of Aphaia. Sandy, shallow and developed, with plenty of rooms and package-style hotels.
• Vagia: a quiet pebble bay on the north-east coast, a good swim stop after Aphaia if Agia Marina feels crowded.
• Souvala: a small port on the north coast with a short seafront, a few fish tavernas and a slower pace than town.

Back in Aegina Town, the waterfront deserves an hour of its own. Walk past the little chapel of Agios Nikolaos at the harbour mouth, look into the backstreets for the Markellos Tower, a fortified Venetian-era house, and if you have time visit the Christos Kapralos Museum, set in the sculptor’s former home and studio just outside town.

What to eat on Aegina

Food here is simple and seafood-led, built around fresh fish and pistachios.

• Grilled fish and seafood in Perdika: the reason most Athenians drive across the island. Order the catch of the day by weight, with a horiatiki salad and a carafe of house white.
• Ouzo and meze by the fish market: the Aegina fish market sits on a side street just back from the harbour, and the small ouzeris around it serve grilled octopus, sardines and fried small fish at fair prices. This is where islanders eat at midday.
• Anything with pistachio: ice cream, pistachio pesto with pasta, pistachio-crusted fish, cakes and the local nougat. Quality varies, so favour places that say they use Aegina PDO nuts.
• Local wine and retsina: the island has a long tradition of savatiano grapes and resinated wine; ask for the local bottle.

Eat lunch late, Greek-style, around 2 or 3 pm, and you will share the room with locals rather than tour groups, who mostly eat at noon on the harbour front.

Where to stay on Aegina

There are three realistic bases, and they suit different trips.

Aegina Town: the walkable first-timer’s base

Stay in town if you are coming without a car, for one or two nights, or out of season. Ferries, buses, taxis, the fish market, Kolona and most restaurants are a short walk away, and the harbour stays lively in the evening once the day-trippers have gone. The trade-off: you need a bus, taxi or hire car for the temple and the best swimming, and the sea in front of town is not a beach afternoon.

For character, Aeginitiko Archontiko is a nineteenth-century mansion turned guesthouse in the old town, a few minutes on foot from the boats, for travellers who want to sleep somewhere with history rather than in a modern block.

Marathonas to Perdika: the local’s choice

Ask an Athenian with a house on Aegina where to stay, and the answer is almost never the port. They head for the west coast between Marathonas and Perdika, where you can swim before breakfast, eat fish at sunset in Perdika and drive into town in 15 minutes when you need to. This base suits stays of three nights or more, couples and families with a hire car or scooter. Without wheels it is harder work, as buses on this stretch are infrequent.

Agia Marina: for the temple and an easy beach

Agia Marina suits travellers who want a sandy beach on the doorstep and the Temple of Aphaia within walking distance uphill. It has more conventional resort hotels and, in season, its own boat to Piraeus. Outside summer it goes very quiet and many hotels close.

Hotel	Area	Price	Best for
Rastoni Hotel	Aegina Town, near Kolona	€€€	Couples wanting a quiet boutique stay within walking distance of the harbour
Aeginitiko Archontiko	Aegina Town, old town	€€	Character and history, no car needed
Hotel Danae	Aegina Town, seafront	€€	Sea views and an easy walk from the ferry
Apollo Hotel	Agia Marina	€€	Beach days and the walk up to Aphaia
Antzi Studios	Perdika	€	The local’s base: fish tavernas, sunsets and boats to Moni

Verdict: first visit without a car, stay in Aegina Town. Three nights or more with your own wheels, stay on the Perdika side. Mainly here for the temple and a sandy beach in summer, pick Agia Marina.

Getting around the island

Nothing on Aegina is more than about half an hour’s drive from town, but public transport is limited.

• Bus: local buses leave from the stop by the port in Aegina Town. The line east to Agia Marina passes Agios Nektarios and stops at the Temple of Aphaia; the ride takes about half an hour and costs €2, with roughly hourly departures in summer. Services thin out of season and towards Perdika, so check the timetable at the port kiosk.
• Taxi: the rank is on the harbour front. Expect around €18 one way from the port to the temple. Agree a return pick-up time in advance, as there is no rank at Aphaia.
• Scooter, quad or car: a dozen hire shops sit along the harbour within a minute of the boats. Your own wheels are the only way to do the full ancient-sites loop, Paleochora and Perdika in a day at your own pace. Bring your licence; Greek rental firms check it.
• Bicycle: the flat coastal road from town to Marathonas and Perdika is pleasant on a bike, but the climb to Aphaia is steep and hot.

See Aegina by boat

The sea is the best viewpoint on Aegina. The short crossing from Perdika to Moni is the simplest boat trip you can make, with caiques shuttling across through the summer, and it turns an ordinary beach day into something memorable.

Agistri, the small pine-covered island next door, is a short hop by boat from Aegina Town and makes a good second-day trip for swimming in very clear water. Add Moni and Agistri together and you have most of what a skippered sailing day here would cover.

For a day on your own boat, the Saronic Gulf is one of the gentlest sailing areas in Greece, with short hops between sheltered harbours and calmer winds than the Cyclades. Charter a Saronic Gulf sailing boat with SEARADAR, skippered or bareboat, for a day or a week from Athens marinas.

The other common option is the one-day cruise from Athens that stops at Hydra, Poros and Aegina. It is good value for a quick look at three islands, but on Aegina you get roughly ninety minutes ashore: enough for a coach to the temple or a walk along the harbour, not both. If that suits your schedule, see the Hydra, Poros and Aegina cruise on Viator. If the Saronic islands pull you further south, our Spetses island guide covers the pine-covered island at the end of the line.

A one-day plan for Aegina

If you only have a day, this route avoids the harbour trap:

• 08:00: fast boat from Piraeus, arriving in Aegina Town before 9.
• 09:00: coffee on the harbour, then pick up a hire car or scooter, or catch the bus east.
• 09:30: Agios Nektarios Monastery, then the path up through Paleochora before the heat builds.
• 11:30: Temple of Aphaia and its museum.
• 13:00: swim at Agia Marina or Vagia.
• 15:00: late fish lunch in Perdika.
• 17:30: back to town for Kolona if you still have time, pistachio shopping on the harbour, and an evening boat to Piraeus.

Without a car, cut Paleochora and Perdika, take the bus to Aphaia and back, and spend the afternoon in town and at Kolona. With two nights, split the island: ancient sites and the east coast on one day, Perdika and Moni on the other. In winter, swap the morning order and go to Aphaia first, since the site closes early.

When to go

Late May, June and September are the best months. The sea is warm, the island is lively without being packed, and every ferry route is running. July and August bring Athenian crowds at weekends, particularly in Perdika and Agia Marina, so go midweek if you can.

September adds the pistachio harvest and the festival at the port. October is still pleasant for walking and the temple is far quieter. From 1 November the Temple of Aphaia ticket drops to €5, but the Souvala ferry stops after October and the Agia Marina boat after November, leaving Aegina Town as the only port. Winter is quiet and many beach tavernas close, yet the town stays open year-round: a practical weekend away from Athens with the ancient sites largely to yourself.

Before you go: common questions

What can you do on Aegina in one day?

Take an early fast boat from Piraeus (about 40 minutes), then head straight across the island: Agios Nektarios Monastery, the medieval ghost town of Paleochora and the Temple of Aphaia, followed by a swim at Agia Marina and a late fish lunch in Perdika. Finish with pistachio shopping on the Aegina Town harbour before the evening boat back. A hire car or scooter makes this easy; by bus, focus on the temple, Kolona and Aegina Town.

What food is Aegina known for?

Aegina is famous for its PDO pistachios, smaller and more intensely flavoured than imported ones, sold roasted and salted or made into butter, spreads, nougat, ice cream and pesto. The island is also known for fresh fish, best eaten in the harbour tavernas of Perdika or the ouzeris around the Aegina Town fish market.

What are the top three ancient sites to visit on Aegina?

The Temple of Aphaia, a Doric temple built around 500 BC on a pine-covered hill; Kolona, the single standing column of the temple of Apollo with the Archaeological Museum inside the same site in Aegina Town; and Paleochora, the medieval capital whose surviving chapels still cover a hillside opposite Agios Nektarios Monastery.

How much is the ticket to the Temple of Aphaia?

Admission is €10 from 1 April to 31 October and €5 from 1 November to 31 March, and the ticket includes the small museum on site. In summer the site is open daily from 08:00 to 20:00; winter hours are shorter, with a later opening and earlier close, so check before you go.

How long is the ferry from Piraeus to Aegina?

Fast boats and catamarans take about 40 minutes, while conventional ferries take between 1 hour 5 minutes and 1 hour 25 minutes. Tickets start from €9 on the slower boats, with fast boats costing more. Saronic ferries usually leave from Gate E8 in Piraeus, near the metro station.