The island of Aegina is the closest island to the capital of Greece, Athens. It is only 16.5 nautical miles away – less than 27 kilometers. You can catch the ferry from Piraeus at gate E8. You have two types of ferries: faster and slower. Using a fast ferry, such as Flying Dolphins, you reach Aegina in just over half an hour, but it does not transport vehicles. The second variant is a large ferry with the possibility of boarding vehicles, and the trip takes about an hour and a half. The ride is beautiful in both cases, it doesn’t take long, and it will surely be interesting for you.

From 1827. to 1829. Aegina was the temporary capital of the newly founded Greek state. I believe that most of the Greeks don’t know this either. As far as I noticed, many have never visited this island. Mykonos and other islands are more attractive to the Greeks, especially for the younger population.

There is no way I can write about this island without mentioning pistachios! Aegina is pistachio island.

How do you recognize good pistachios?

1. It is good if it is green under the shell.
2. There must not be more than a couple of pistachios in one package that is difficult to open.

Have you ever tried Nutella? Well, of course, I ask all kinds of questions. And have you ever tried pistachio Nutella? You haven’t? And maybe pistachio liqueur? Um, probably not. What about frozen pistachios rolls? Pistachios dried in the Sun? You have all of this and much more at small kiosks in the city of Aegina. The price of pistachios is around 10 euros per kilogram. Try to buy a larger quantity to get this price. Sellers will start with a cost of approximately 12 euros but try to bargain. Here’s another suggestion: when you walk past those kiosks, you can pretend to be on Aegina for the first time and try to taste everything they want to offer you 😊.

Parts of the Temple of Apollo is located near the port in the northern part of the island. As soon as you get off the ferry on the left side of the island, you can see a tall pillar. The temple was built in 520 before the new era and had a total of 17 pillars. One of the pillars collapsed in 1765, and the last one, which collapsed due to bad weather, lasted until 1802. The fronts of the temple showed the Amazon battles, which were made of Parisian marble. Here you can find the Archaeological Museum, more precisely since 1981. There you can see over 1,000 colored vases, lamps, weapons, and coins.

On most pages of this website, you can see a picture of Nikos Kazantzakis, and there is a good reason for that. He was a poet, writer, politician, and journalist. His works have been translated into all languages. He settled in Aegina in 1933. He also translated Dante, Shakespeare, and many others. He wrote his impressions, plays, and novels in French. The construction of his house, the so-called “Koukouli,” started in 1936. You can also visit it not far from the Aegina town.

You have a lot of beautiful beaches here. Some are sandy, and some are pebble. One of the most beautiful beaches not arranged is across the street from the hotel Aegina, next to the museum. If you continue this way by car, you will see a lot of small beaches.

Panagitsa is a church located on the main street in Aegina town. There was an older nun who was from Switzerland and who spoke excellent English. Very polite and communicative. This church was built in 1906 from the same material from which the Temple of Athena was made on the other part of the island. In churches, and there are many of them here on the whole island, candles are not for sale, and there is no difference in size. Everything is a donation.

You also have a small church on the harbor as soon as you get off the ferry. It is Agios Nikolaos, made in the 17th century to greet everyone who comes by boat to Aegina.

On the main street, you have a lot of restaurants, cafes, and pastry shops. Wherever you take a sit, you will not go wrong. At the “Panta Rei” cafe you have pistachio mojito with alcohol, my recommendation. We often visit this cafe, the waiters are very polite, and the restaurant is nicely decorated. You can find pancakes, pizzas, gyros, and souvlaki on every corner. A little further from the main street by the sea, you have a beautiful and large bookstore, and a little further, you have souvenir shops, pastry shops, shops with natural perfumes, pharmacies, a supermarket, and a fish market.

For small children, there is also a beautifully landscaped and fenced park on the seashore, a little further from the church on the main street.

Thanks for reading, please visit me again :).