Athens and the Saronic Islands
The easy island escape from Athens - a short ferry hop out of Piraeus down the Saronic Gulf through Aegina, Poros, Hydra and Spetses. No planes, no long crossings, just car-free harbours and swimming coves an hour or two from the capital.
5–11 days · Point-to-point
When to go
- WeatherJuly - August peak (Jul - Aug) — Hottest, priciest and busiest - Hydra especially chokes with day-trippers. May - Jun and Sep give warm sea and far thinner crowds.
- WeatherMeltemi wind (Jul - Aug) — The summer meltemi can whip up the gulf and occasionally cancel or delay fast catamarans; conventional car ferries ride it out better.
If you want islands without the airport, the Saronic Gulf is Athens's back garden. Aegina, Poros, Hydra and Spetses string south from Piraeus, each an easy ferry from the last, so you can be swimming off a car-free harbour within a couple of hours of the Acropolis. It's the classic first-islands trip: two nights in Athens, then hop down the gulf - Aegina's temple, Poros's lemon-scented calm, Hydra's donkeys-and-water-taxis showpiece, and genteel green Spetses at the far end - before catching the boat back to Piraeus. Seven days does the full hop comfortably; five covers the highlights.
This route's vibe
What you get across the whole trip, blended from each stop's strengths.
Stop by stop
The route
Adjust trip length, budget, and travel style — the stops, transport, and cost update to match.
- 1
Athens
2 nightsThe gateway: two days for the Acropolis, the Plaka backstreets and a good dinner before you slip out through Piraeus. Everything on this route leaves from Piraeus, a 20-minute metro ride from the centre.
Skip / overrated: Don't burn a half-day on a coach tour to Cape Sounion if the islands are your point - you'll get better sunset temples (Aegina's Aphaia) on the boat leg.
View Athens guide→Getting there· ~37 kmFerryRecommendedFast catamaran / Flying Dolphin hydrofoil from Piraeus (Gate E8), roughly 40 minutes. Get to the port first: Metro Line 1 runs from central Athens to Piraeus in about 20 minutes. Aegina is the nearest island, so sailings are frequent.
Book: Hellenic Seaways / Ferryhopper — Summer weekend morning boats out of Piraeus sell out - buy a day or two ahead in Jul - Aug rather than rocking up at the kiosk.
Book ferriesBoatConventional Blue Star / ANES car ferry, about 1h15 - slower and cheaper, and it carries vehicles if you want a car on Aegina (the one Saronic island where a car is actually useful).
Book: Blue Star Ferries / Ferryhopper
Book ferries - 2
Aegina
1 nightThe closest Saronic island and the most everyday-Greek of the four: a working harbour, pistachio groves, and the hilltop Temple of Aphaia - one of the best-preserved ancient temples in Greece and near-empty at opening.
View Aegina guide→Getting there· ~27 kmFerryRecommendedA short Flying Dolphin hop further down the gulf, around 40 minutes, with a handful of daily connections.
Book: Hellenic Seaways / Ferryhopper
Book ferriesBoatConventional car ferry, closer to an hour; fine and cheaper if the timing suits.
Book: Ferryhopper
Book ferries - 3
Poros
1 nightA pretty clock-tower town separated from the Peloponnese by a channel so narrow it feels like a river - calm, green with lemon groves, and the gentlest overnight of the hop.
Full guide coming soon for this stop.
Getting there· ~17 kmFerryRecommendedThe shortest leg of the whole hop - a fast catamaran of roughly 30 minutes.
Book: Hellenic Seaways / Ferryhopper — This is the busy Athens day-tripper corridor into Hydra; midday boats fill with excursion crowds, so aim for an earlier or later sailing.
Book ferries - 4
Hydra
2 nightsThe showpiece of the Saronic: a car-free stone amphitheatre of a harbour where donkeys and water taxis do all the hauling. Stay the night - the day-boats leave by late afternoon and the town becomes genuinely magical after dark.
Skip / overrated: Doing Hydra as a day trip is the classic mistake: you arrive with the mob at midday and leave before its best hours. Its charm is the evening, so give it the overnight.
View Hydra guide→Getting there· ~29 kmFerryRecommendedFlying Dolphin catamaran to the far end of the Saronic hop, about 40 minutes. Departures thin out this far out, so check the day's times before you commit to an afternoon crossing.
Book: Hellenic Seaways / Ferryhopper — Fewer daily boats reach Spetses than the inner islands - lock the return-to-Piraeus leg in too so you don't get stranded a day.
Book ferriesBoatConventional ferry, longer and less frequent, but the cheapest way to close the loop.
Book: Ferryhopper
Book ferries - 5
Spetses
1 nightThe furthest and greenest island, hugging the Peloponnese coast: pine-shaded, horse-carriages instead of cars in the old town, and a genteel, yacht-set calm that makes a fitting last stop before the boat back to Piraeus.
View Spetses guide→
Lodging + daily spend only — excludes flights & intercity transport. Partial: some stops lack cost data.
What to skip
Resist bolting on Mykonos or Santorini - the Cyclades run on a different, longer ferry network out of Piraeus and turn an easy gulf hop into a crossing-heavy slog. Keep this trip Saronic and save the Cyclades for a dedicated run.
Practical tips
Buy Hellenic Seaways / Blue Star tickets a day or two ahead on summer weekends, when Piraeus departures and the Hydra day-boats sell out. Remember Hydra bans cars and scooters entirely - pack light, because it's donkeys, water taxis and your own two feet from the quay. And always sleep on Hydra rather than day-tripping it: the island is at its best after the excursion crowds leave.
Best for
Common questions
How many days do I need for the Saronic islands?
Five days covers Athens plus the highlights (Aegina, Hydra, Spetses); seven lets you add Poros and give Hydra the overnight it deserves. Ten stretches into extra nights and quiet Agistri.
Do I need to book the ferries in advance?
In May - June and September you can usually buy on the day, but on July - August weekends the Piraeus departures and the Hydra day-boats fill up - book those a day or two ahead on Hellenic Seaways, Blue Star or Ferryhopper.
Which island should I stay on longest?
Hydra. It's the most striking harbour of the four and, being car-free and day-tripper-heavy, it transforms in the evening - so it rewards two nights while the others are happy with one.