These islands are all within an hour or two from Athens by Flying Dolphin, which makes them not only convenient for day trips, but Aegina, Poros and Angistri can be used as a place to stay while commuting to Athens to see the sites. There are many ferries a day and Hydrofoils can run hourly or more.
Aegina
A nice day trip from Athens. Take the ferry rather then the Flying Dolphin
(hydrofoil) so you can relax and enjoy the scenery of the short trip. Aegina is the closest and you can sail to the main port or else the resort town of Agia Marina. Nice island for bicycling and the small coastal village of Perdika has some nice seafood restaurants but should be avoided on weekends when it is busy with visiting Athenians. Visit the Temple of Aphaia above Agia Marina.
Angistri
Angistri has been settled mostly by Germans who live in the main village above the port but the far side of the island is mostly agricultural and the village of Limineria the inhabitants devote themselves mostly to farming and fishing. The beach in town is generally crowded since it is so close to Athens, but if you keep walking around the other side you will be rewarded with sea that is surprisingly beautiful and it is hard to believe that Pireaus is less than an hour away. These islands are a good choice for the winter months when weather is unpredictable and you don't want to be too far from Athens and also for day trips and also in the summer if you want to base yourself on an island and still be able to get into the city to see the sites. The Agistri Club Hotel is a popular hangout for professional travelers to Greece and the same people come there every year so it must be pretty good.
Hydra
Former home of Leonard Cohen and jet setter haven. No beaches but who cares? Magnificent village and swimming off the rocks is good enough for recovering from the previous nights festivities. Restaurants and cafes on waterfront are for people-watching. For good inexpensive food search the back-streets or walk down the coast. No cars on the island. Lots of donkeys. Suitable for families or decadent party animals. There are excursions to Ancient Mycenae, Epidavros and the beaches of the Peleponisos. The town has been restored and preserved exactly as it appeared in the 1800's when it's inhabitants built it in a period of prosperity gained from piracy and blockade running. The Hydriotis made a name for themselves during the war for Independence. Nice seafood restaurants in the village of Kamina. When you tire of walking there are water-taxis.
Poros
Imagine staying on an island so close to Athens that you could wake up in the morning and in a little more than an hour, be walking around the acropolis, shopping in the flea-market or wandering around the Plaka looking for gifts or a nice place for lunch. Imagine an island that is a three minute boat ride to the Peleponisos and places like Naphlion, Myceneae, Epidavros. Imagine an island that is less then an hour from Pireaus, where you can make ferry connections to Mykonos, Ios, Santorini, Crete, Paros, Naxos, Lesvos, Rhodes and almost every island in the Aegean sea. And if this island was blessed with beautiful forests that came right down to the beach,
quality and inexpensive accommodations, great restaurants, water sports and cafe life on par with the best Greek islands, then why would you bother staying in Athens?
Spetsi
Expensive. Nice beaches. Pine trees. Water-taxis and Nightlife in the old harbor plus one of the oldest wooden boat building yards in Greece. Spetsi is most famous for being the setting for the John Fowles book The Magus which is suggested reading for your visit
here. You can travel all around the island by bicycle or water taxi and there are excursion boats and buses to the various beaches.. Flying Dolphin service to Naphlion and points south make Spetsi a doorway to the
Peleponisos.
Salamina
The Jewel of the Saronic. Well maybe a couple thousand years ago. It is now more of a suburb of Pireaus with ferries doing the 10 minute commute every 20 minutes or so from Perama, an industrial area that is worth a visit for people who like shipyards, factories and things like that. The island of Salomina itself makes an interesting day trip if you have many days to spare (like a year). There are restaurants and beaches on the far side and a few derelict ships and wrecks scattered
around.
The
Sporades | Saronic Gulf Islands
| Northeast Aegean Islands | Ionian
Islands
Dodecanese Islands | Big
Islands | The Cyclades
