White catamaran sailboat anchored near the stone pier of Aegina Harbour with coastal waterfront buildings and rolling mountains in the background.

How to Plan the Perfect Day Trip to Aegina From Athens

ByAngela Price

If you want to escape the busy streets of Athens, a day trip to Aegina is a great way to experience real Greek island life. It’s only 40 minutes away by ferry across the Saronic Gulf.

After spending a day on the island, I’ve created a practical itinerary. In this guide, I’ll tell you how to book the ferry from Athens to Aegina, share a great place for lunch, my favourite swim spot, and provide tips to help you plan your day easily.

High-angle elevated view of a Greek harbour town featuring a busy pier with buses, a small white chapel, and yachts docked around the bay.
My first view of Aegina from the ferry deck.


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Getting to Aegina

Getting from Athens to Aegina is pretty straightforward, but book your ferry ticket in advance as ferries fill up quickly, especially during high season.

I use the company Direct Ferries to island hop in Greece. There are quite a few ferry companies to choose from on their site, with different crossing times and pricing, so you'll definitely find one to suit your requirements.

For my day trip to Aegina, I made the 40-minute crossing with Saronic Ferries, and my return ticket cost approximately €25. I sailed at 11 am and returned at 6.30 pm. I felt that this gave me enough time to explore at a slow pace and enjoy a swim and lunch.

You will be sailing from Piraeus, the main ferry port in Athens. Please note that when searching for a ferry to Aegina, you may see the names of two other ports, Lavrio and Rafina; these are much further from central Athens, so make sure you book to travel from Piraeus Port.

Getting to Piraeus Port

Getting to Piraeus by taxi from downtown Athens will cost around €30 and takes 25 minutes on a clear run; however, Athens is a very busy city, so allow an extra 15 minutes for traffic. You need to arrive for your ferry in good time as it won't wait around. It will sail in, offload its passengers and vehicles, reload and sail off.

A cheaper option is using Bus 040. It runs from Syntagma Square directly to Piraeus. The cost is around €3, but it will take longer than a taxi due to numerous stops.

View from the water looking between two large passenger ferries docked in a port, with another ferry in the distance under a sunny sky.

Best Things to Do in Aegina

After a quick crossing, you'll be in Aegina and ready for a day of exploring. I decided to concentrate my day around the main harbour, but you can hire a moped or car once you arrive if you want to explore the further reaches of the island.

Check out Aegina's churches

My first stop was to have a look inside the tiny white church of Saint Nicholas, the protector of sailors. It's a landmark of Aegina and the first thing you'll get to when you disembark the ferry.

Small white whitewashed Orthodox chapel with a bell tower overlooking a harbor with docked yachts under a clear blue sky.
Interior of a Greek Orthodox chapel with a Saint Nicholas fresco and religious icons.

Carrying on along the harbourside, past the colourful fishing boats, we reached another church. This is the main church of Aegina and was beautiful inside, as you can see. After a quick time for reflection, we were back outside and heading into the narrow backstreets of Aegina.

Traditional Greek fishing boats tied up in a calm marina under a clear sky.
Angie, travel blogger, standing on a stone pier smiling at the camera, with small boats docked in Aegina harbour
Front view of a stone Greek Orthodox church with a clock tower in Aegina.
Holy Church of the Virgin Mary.
Grand interior of a Greek Orthodox cathedral showcasing an ornate golden chandelier hanging before an elaborate iconostasis and colorful biblical frescoes on the domed ceiling.
Low-angle view looking up at a detailed brass chandelier hanging below a painted church dome depicting Christ Pantocrator in Greek Orthodox iconography.

Discover the pistachio shops

Aegina's small narrow lanes are packed with shops and restaurants selling clothes, souvenirs and the island's main export - pistachio products.

It's not surprising that Aegina is commonly referred to as the "Pistachio Island" as its crop is regarded as the best there is. From baklava and ice cream to alcohol, cakes, spreads, oils and even body products like soap and oils, sales of pistachios are big business on the island, and you'll find many shops selling the famous nut in all its forms.

One of the longest-serving has been a family business for 60 years. I couldn't resist buying some goodies to bring home (and eat while there).

Recommended Tour: Discover Aegina on a guided walking tour with food tastings. Sample the island’s famous pistachios, sip Greek coffee, and explore local markets and bakeries.

Charming shop storefront in Aegina featuring a window illustration of a pistachio tree, displaying olive oil soaps, local spirits, herbs, and traditional goods on wooden shelves outside.
Display outside a Greek shop featuring shelves filled with packaged pistachios, local delicacies, jars of honey, and a chalkboard sign reading "Family business over 60 years of experience in pistachio cultivation.

Lunch at AVLI

There's a wealth of cafes and restaurants lining the waterfront, but we opted for one of the smaller ones in the backstreets. I had actually looked up where to eat in Aegina before we came, so I had my eye set on finding AVLI, and I am glad to say it didn't disappoint. From the smoothies, Greek salad and upmarket kebabs, the food and quirky setting were spot on.

Angie, travel blogger, smiling while seated outdoors at a café table, enjoying a fresh pink fruit smoothie garnished with a strawberry.
Cozy outdoor Greek café courtyard with white wooden chairs and lush greenery.

Shopping in Aegina

I'm not a great fan of shopping, but there are some nice boutiques in the backstreets, so if you are after an outfit, you'll surely find something here. There's also a lot of souvenir shops if you're after a fridge magnet or shell bracelet to take home.

Paved pedestrian shopping street in Aegina lined with boutiques, scooters, and colorful rainbow umbrellas suspended overhead against a clear blue sky.

I really enjoyed simply wandering around Aegina and taking photos of some of the old rustic buildings.

Charming rustic doorway with weathered wooden doors, cacti, and potted plants.
Traditional Greek tavern featuring blue wooden chairs and white umbrellas on a patio below an old neoclassical building with wooden window shutters.
Rustic doorway of a traditional hair salon with a vintage "Coiffures" sign.

Finishing the day off with a swim

No trip to a Greek island would be complete without a swim, and we found a secluded spot away from the crowds to cool off. Kolona Beach is rocky, with no facilities or sand, but it is close to the ferry dock and served our needs. You'll find it just past the archaeological museum of Aegina and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo.

If you want to relax on a sunbed near a cafe, then there's one right before you reach this cove at Avra Beach, but you'll have to either pay for a bed or buy food and drink to use one.

Tranquil coastal cove surrounded by clear turquoise water and pine-covered hills.
Kolona Beach.
Scenic view through pine trees and coastal vegetation leading down to a quiet beach and calm sea, with small islands visible on the horizon.

Sailing back to Athens from Aegina

All too soon it was time to hop aboard the ferry and return to Athens, but what a fabulous trip this had been. The 6.30 pm sailing was so beautiful as we watched Aegina disappear into the distance as the sun went down over the ocean. A magical ending to the perfect day.

The Saronic Ferries passenger ship Antigoni sailing across calm open waters under a soft sunset sky with distant mountains on the horizon.
Sunset over the sea viewed from a ferry in Greece.
Sunset over the sea viewed from a ferry in Greece.

Traveller Tip: Short on time? You can visit Aegina, Hydra, and Poros in a single day on a guided cruise.

Where to Stay in Aegina

If a day trip isn't enough for you, then there are some nice places to stay in Aegina, and they are all reasonably priced.

Hotel Aegina is rated 2-star but receives positive reviews.

Rastoni Hotel is rated 3-star but receives almost 5 stars from guest reviews.

Hotel Mistral Aegina is a 3-star hotel further around the coast in Souvala. It has a waterfront location and a pool.

Where to Stay in Athens

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in Athens, I can recommend the Acro Urban Suites. We chose to stay here when we visited Athens for 3 days because it is only a 10-minute walk to the Acropolis. Because of its proximity, it has the most amazing views from its rooftop bar.

Rooftop view of the Parthenon on Acropolis Hill in Athens.

We have also stayed at the Piraeus Port Hotel on another trip to Athens when we were joining our Virgin Voyages cruise in Piraeus. The hotel is rated as a 2-star but is cheap, comfortable and very close to the port, hence its name.

And finally, we have stayed on the Athens Riviera at the Poseidon Athens Hotel. It has good-sized rooms with a rooftop pool and bar, and is opposite Edem Beach, which is lined with restaurants.

Angie, travel blogger, standing in a swimming pool and waving to the camera. There is a sign on the wall saying Poseidon Athens Hotel.

Need help planning your next holiday?
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