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Great islands to visit near Athens?

San Francisco...
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Great islands to visit near Athens?
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We have six days in Athens. What other islands can we visit nearby that are very scenic with great beaches and quaint towns?

Thank you so much for taking the time to help us plan our trip.

Rosanna

Garmouth, United...
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1. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Easiest island with a short ferry ride is Aegina. Have been a couple of times and find it epitomises all about Greek island culture. Short ferry ride from Piraeus.

Karl

concord nh
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for Peloponnese
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2. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Agree . . . Aegina would be perfect and is often overlooked by foreign tourists but not Greeks!

San Francisco...
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3. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Thank you Karl. I will look into it. Appreciate your help.

Rosanna

San Francisco...
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4. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Thank you for your suggestion. I will check it out.

Rosanna

Lismore, Australia
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5. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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aegina has great restaurants and beaches..you need a car or take the bus to see the temple to aphaia..buses are reliable

hydra for that great small greek island feel..centred around it's harbour hydra town is fantastic

Windsor, United...
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for Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi Province, Bangkok, Gavdos
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6. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Hi,

For a quaint main village and quiet walks along the sea Hydra takes some beating. However, in terms of beaches Aegina is your best bet.

concord nh
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for Peloponnese
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7. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Hydra can be very crowded due to the day trippers from Athens and jet setters seeking a "Greek" experience. You didn't say when you would be there. Even off season the waterfront can be crowded. Still it's a lovely town, especially if you go uphill away from the waterfront with lovely pastel colored houses and less tourists.

Still, I would pick Aegina as my first choice with Hydra as the next best option.

Windsor, United...
Destination Expert
for Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi Province, Bangkok, Gavdos
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8. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Hi,

Fair comment crazyh but the crowds tend to hang around the main village without venturing too far, in my experience anyway.

Let us know how you get on Rosanna2012, deciding on which is land to choose doesn't come easy.

Athens, Greece
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336 posts
9. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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Aegina is just an extension of Athens (according to me and my sister has a house there so I frequent the place)

Do not take me wrong it is nice but not any better that the costline to Sounion.

Look into this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJvB2Tax4o

Andros is an Island missed by tourists and a weekend retreat of wealth Athenians...

concord nh
Destination Expert
for Peloponnese
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8,945 posts
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10. Re: Great islands to visit near Athens?
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It all depends on how quickly you want to get to an island. Aegina is very quick and there is numerous ferrys throughout the day. Hydra is another possibility, a little further out, a little more upscale and expensive but still lovely.

If you only have 6 days then it would be more difficult to split up your time since it would take a minimum of 2, probably 3 days for Athens at the least.

That would leave maybe 2-4 days for an island. Several islands have airports which makes it quicker to get to than a ferry and you can also go further out.

There are several islands that would work for you, but don't forget, time is money. The more you have to get from Point A to Point B eats up time and money.

I'm not pushing Aegina on anyone but for more bang for your buck it's a good deal. Hydra would also work, so would Paros, Naxos, Milos, Skyros, Santorini (most expensive) Mykonos (right up there for costs), Chios, Samos, Lemnos, Astypalea, Kithira, Lemnos and numerous other smaller, less touristed islands with airports.

But with the OP's limited time I would think the quicker you can get to an island the better dollar value.

Edited: 7 years ago
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