Agistri: 5 experiences on island hopping from Athens with the locals is written by The editorial staff, RejsRejsRejs
Agistri, Greece
Agistri is a little green Greek island by direct ferry to the port city of Athens Piraeus. You will not find big hotels or mass tourism here - just Greek charm, cozy hotels and wild views. No wonder the island is popular as a weekend getaway for locals in Athens.
Agistri consists primarily of pine forests, cliffs and small towns and should be one of the greenest islands in Greece. Many Greek islands are otherwise quite barren and rocky, but Agistri is green.
Here are the editors' tips for 5 experiences at Agistri in Greece.
Skala - a relaxed holiday village on Agistri
You can sail both to the capital Megalochori and to the neighboring town of Skala, which is connected to each other by a coastal road of just over 2 kilometers. Skala is where most hotels and restaurants are located, and where the island's small sandy beaches are located, and that was also where we lived on cozy and well-functioning Oasis Beach Hotel right by the beach. In fact, the hotel is so close to the water that you can hear it havets the shower in the evening when you need to sleep, and there probably isn't a better sleeping pill.
Breakfast is often included in the hotel, and it was also on ours, which had a huge buffet and one of the most wonderful inventions when traveling: An "egg station", where a chef stands and makes omelettes and others good stuff. You don't see that in many places in smaller hotels, so we took advantage of that.
The small, cozy town has a number of eateries with a clear focus on the local cuisine and everything from it havet. It's just about exploring, and if you want a little tip in advance, we recommend Toxotis restaurants up in the city to the classical Greek, or Restaurant Oasis for more modern and international dishes. Remember that mealtimes in Greece are a little later than we are used to from home, so many restaurants only open for dinner after 19pm.
In Skala, life must be enjoyed. No one is in a hurry, and it's liberating to notice how big city people slow down when they get off the ferry.
Chalikiada - the deserted beach
Do you dream of the perfect, isolated beach in Greece? Then go to Chalikiada.
When you walk out of Skala around the ferry port, you come up the small roads towards the cliffs. Up here are cozy hotels and taverns spread out decoratively. The road ends after a 10-15 minute walk, and then a nature trail starts towards Chalikiada. We met free-campers in small tents and a single hippie who showed us the way down to the beach. It takes good balance to get there - then you are warned.
The beach itself is a pebble beach with an impressive cliff behind, a small cave and of course completely azure sea, as is the case all the way around Agistri.
There were 4-5 tents spread out on the beach that have absolutely no facilities, but that is exactly the attraction of it.
Robinson Crusoe would feel at home here - see for yourself:
Dragonera - where the dragons come from
At the other end of Agistri, 8 kilometers from Skala, lies Dragonera - the "Dragon Place". The little beach is still a bit semi-secret and you just need to know where to turn from when you go down there. There is both a local slip road and a 'real' road with signs.
The island's bus stops on the main road, but it can not get off the small and rather steep road, which leads all the way down to the beach. The bus also connects all the important places on the island, and it runs all day when it is tourist season.
Dragonera is beautifully situated and the beach itself is a pebble beach with parasols and a small kiosk with refreshments. The big attraction is of course the water and there is really nice sandy bottom right next to the beach. Once you are there, there is nothing to worry about - then the kites can just come.
Aponisos - beach fun for full swing
It doesn't take many seconds to walk from Agistri to the tiny neighboring island of Aponisos via a low bridge. Aponisos is privately owned, and here the owner family has created a cozy holiday atmosphere with sunbeds, cold drinks and peacocks! There is a small path around the island, and then it is just relaxing, bathing in the shallow calm water and beautiful views of the islandhavet and the volcanoes.
The water here is like most places on the island completely crystal clear. It almost seems as if the boats are flying over the water, and it is easy to see small fish, jellyfish and not least sea urchins in the water.
It costs 5 euros to enter the island and it is very popular on the weekends when the Athenians come over from the mainland.
Wherever you settle on Aponisos, they have a smart calling system so you can order snacks and cold drinks without getting up. It is a service that you get happy with pretty quickly.
Dorousa and Ægina - Agistri's small and large neighboring island
The two closest islands for day trips from Agistri are Dorousa and Ægina.
The rocky island of Dorousa is just opposite Aponisos, and to visit it requires you to take a round-the-island boat trip that can be booked at all hotels for 40 € incl. lunch for a full day trip on a beautiful old ship, or have the courage to rent a boat yourself.
There is a bette chapel at the top, which you can reach after a demanding ascent of the cliff, and here is the best view of the year. Apart from the view and a lot of rabbits, there is nothing on the island, so no one stands in the way of the perfect picture from the top.
Aegina, also spelled Aegina, is Agistri's big brother. You pass it by ferry on the way to Agistri, and here you can experience even more Greek island atmosphere. The island is better known than Agistri, and if you are into ruins and ancient Greek history, then there is a lot to get started on the great of the Saronic Islands.
Both Ægina and Agistri have good hiking trails, just as you can rent bikes and get your heart rate up that way.
Whether you are on a short trip from Athens, or you spend the whole holiday on an island, the recommendation from here is that you slow down the pace and up the joy of life and enjoy the special Greek island life. And Agistri is a really good place to start.
See much more about traveling in Greece here
Good trip to Agistri, good trip to Greece.
This is what you should see and do on Agistri
- Scale – jump in Mediumhavet right from the beach
- Megalochori - take a stroll around the winding streets and feel the local life
- Dragonera - the small beach with the lovely water
- Aponisos - 100% enjoyment of life with 'room service' under your parasol
- Sail a trip around Agistri and dive, snorkel and swim in the clear Mediterranean waters
- Go hiking or biking around the small green island
- Chalikiada - the isolated beach that turns on your inner Robinson
- Dorousa - climb the rocky island and enjoy the most beautiful view up by the chapel. Remember shoes and camera
- Aegina - take a trip to the large neighboring island and see beautiful ancient temple ruins; it belongs on a trip to Greece
The editors were invited to Agistri by Greece Private Transfer. All positions are, as always, the editorial staff's own.
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