DAY TRIPS FROM ATHENS — GREEK ISLANDS AND MORE
If you’re craving some Mediterranean sun, you may be thinking about visiting the beautiful coast of Greece. And really, you can’t go wrong here. Most trips to Greece start with Athens as a jumping off point from which to go island hopping, but popular spots like Santorini and Mykonos can be overcrowded, take longer to get to, and tend not to be very budget friendly.
If your budget and time constraints won’t allow it, you can have a beautiful Mediterranean vacation right from Athens, you just have to be a little creative in your planning.
Starting in Athens
Athens, considered to be the birthplace of Western civilization, is rich with history and culture. When we first started planning our trip to Europe last summer, I read so many blog posts describing the city as dirty, hot, and not worth your time. I got a little bit worried about the five days we’d planned there, but by the time we left, I had wished for double the time to really soak in the city.
The downtown city center is compact, allowing you to easily walk to popular and noteworthy sights. While we didn’t utilize it ourselves, you can take the bus and the subway around. This being our first stop in Europe, we were a little wary trying to navigate public transport in a different language. Anywhere we couldn’t walk, we took Ubers. Knowing now how easy it is to use Google Maps for directions, I would definitely recommend saving your money and taking the bus.
The most notable point of interest in Athens is of course the Acropolis, which you can visit easily from downtown. Other notable stops include the Acropolis Museum, and the Monastiraki and Plaka neighborhoods.
Island Hopping
Athens is located on the coast of Greece, making it a great starting point for visiting nearby islands. Many tourists visit Poros and Hydra, but there are so many more islands surrounding the capital city.
Aegina
The closest island to the port of Piraeus in Athens is Aegina, just an hour away on the ferry. This beautiful little island boasts ancient ruins, as well as a charming port town and beautiful rocky beaches.
When we were choosing where to visit, this seemed like an obvious choice due to its short distance. But we were a little hesitant, as locals kept telling us it wasn’t worth our time. I’m SO glad we didn’t listen to them because Aegina had everything we were hoping for (minus the blue roofed buildings Greece is so famous for).
The ferry drops you off right in town so you can easily access points of interest. A round trip ticket costs €39 per person. From here, you can walk down the coast and enjoy a seaside lunch or afternoon cocktail.
The historical Temple of Aphaia sits about 6 miles east of town and tickets cost €6 per person. Closer into town is the Temple of Apollo, one of the most well-preserved ancient temples in the world. Only a five minute walk from the port and €4 to enter, this is a great visit if you’re short on time.
Afterwards, you can wander the alleyways around town, picking up the iced coffee Greece is so famous for and admiring the city art.
Agistri
A hop skip and a jump away from Aegina is the tiny island of Agistri. About a 10 minute ferry ride, this can easily be paired with Aegina for an island hopping day trip.
While definitely a quieter scene, we found the beach and views from Agistri to be absolutely stunning.
The ferry drops you off about a mile from town, but you can take the bus into town and the beach resorts easily. Do be warned though, that the bus operates on a schedule and taxis are scarce, so you’ll have to plan ahead to get back to the port in time for your ferry. Take it from me -- it’s not fun running a mile in flip flops in the hot sun after a couple mid-afternoon Aperol Spritzes and praying the ferry will be late (it probably will be).
With a smaller footprint, Agistri is the perfect place to relax on the beach with a good book. With few cultural attractions, the natural landscapes take the stage. If you’re not much of a beach bum, you can enjoy hiking, camping, and water sports.
While there are definitely better-known islands you could spend the day at, we thoroughly enjoyed these two and they gave us just enough of a taste of the Mediterranean to know we have to come back!
One-Day Cruise
If you want to enjoy a more seamless experience, many companies offer day cruises from Athens, visiting the Saronic Islands of Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. For €141 per person, they’ll transport you between the islands and provide lunch, onboard entertainment, and optional tours. This was a little out of our excursion budget, but we’ve heard great things about it!
Road Trips
From land, there are a bevy of historical sites within a few hours of Athens. A few popular visits include the Temple of Poseidon, Corinth, and the archaeological site of Delphi.
Temple of Poseidon
An easy (and beautiful) hour-long jaunt down the coast takes you to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon. You can rent a car or join a tour, where you’ll be bussed out to Sounion. The Greeks built the temple on a peninsula as an homage to the sea god and he’s certainly taken up residence. When we visited in early June, the winds were so strong we could barely walk when out by the temple.
The site features a temple, a cafe, and the surrounding grounds with ruins of an ancient town. We ate a lovely lunch on the patio with a view of the temple and while a little pricey, it was thoroughly worth it. My aunt, our gracious tour guide and Athens local, ordered a variety of appetizers for us to share and we ate family-style, the traditional Greek way.
While the restaurant is accessible outside the temple, a visit to the historical site will run you €10.
Getting Around
There’s no shortage of interesting things to see in and around Athens, but for most of your adventures, you’ll likely need some form of transportation. Consider renting a car for days you want to spend outside the city. While bus routes run out of Athens, they take far longer than by car and for most of us, time is precious on cultural vacations like Greece.
Honestly, Athens and Greece are so beautiful and packed full of culture and history that you can't go wrong with any sights you choose. Happy traveling!
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