Islands to enjoy in Greece

Going to Greece and visiting the surrounding islands can make for a wonderful vacation and learning experience. If you are considering going there, look into these islands as possible stopping points along the way. Doing a little bit more research on each island and finding out what the possibilities are can be helpful too. I was simply shocked to find out that Greece has hundreds and even thousands of islands by some estimations! The larger the number the more you realize they are counting very tiny islands as islands but you get the idea. What a joy it would be to go to many of them, and get to visit one like in the movie Mama Mia. That was just wonderful and so interesting. The islands listed below is a good place to start when thinking about the Islands of Greece.

There are many more islands in Greece such as Hydra, Poros, Evia, Kythnos, Andros, Tzia, and Spetses. Today I focusing on three and these are Salamina, Aegina, and Angistri.

Salamina or Salamis (formerly known as Koullouri) has a very rich history. The playwright Euripides was born on the wooded Salamina. Xerxes was defeated in 480 BC by the Greeks on this island. There was another battle that you may have heard of that took place here. The Persian Armada of King Darius was destroyed during this battle. It took place around the 5th century BC. Ever heard of Ajax? He is a famous Greek hero whose hometown was on Salamina. One of the great things about Salamina are the monasteries. There are some neat archaeological sites to visit as well.

One way to go to Salamina is to go to Perama and cross over on a small ferry boat. It is about one mile on the sea to get there. The ferry comes and goes frequently which is nice.

If nice beaches and swimming is what you are after, you won't be disappointed. There are many resorts to choose from. The beaches to look into are Mulki, Peristeria, Selinia, Kai, Blue Limanski, and Vigla.

You will find that many that live in Piraeus and Athens like to visit Salamina as a resort or get away during holidays. They like to stay in a holiday house or resort. There are many attractions and some very nice beaches as mentioned. If you enjoy fishing and diving this is a good island for that as well.

When visiting Athens and looking or a unique outing to do, why not take the half hour trip over to Aegina or Egina? It can be a really rewarding day trip, and it has wonderful beaches. You can find the Temple of Aphaia, as well as Agios Nektarios. Agios Nektarios is one of the largest churches in all of the Balkans. I was surprised to find that Aegina is known for pistachios as well. Their pistachio trees are well known.

Whether you are looking for historical sites or to take excursions, trekking about, entertainment, churches and monasteries, you will be able to find all of that and more on the island of Aegina. They offer horse riding, carriage rides and you can see a lot of art as well. There is a fish market and fishing boats if you like fish.

Aegina is a rather art friendly island, and you can find many arts and craft fairs/events going on. It is one of the most beautiful islands according to some people, and a favorite among both writers and artists. It clearly is very inspirational.

The buildings throughout have many levels. You can find coffee shops bakeries, and many places to eat on the lower levels. Perhaps what the artists love so much, are the narrow streets filled with colorfully painted houses and flowers all along. There are many picturesque taverns, shops and other structures that can be a joy to the eye.

The Island of Angistri is a bit different in the sense that it is more quiet and peaceful and a great place to escape. It is a tiny islet off of Aegina (island described above). You will find quiet beaches (something I love!) with clear beautiful water that is sometimes a blue that leaves me speechless. All it takes is a short ferry boat ride from Athens. A little bit of trivia... Angistri means fishing hook.  The other names Angistri goes by are Agistri and Ankistri or Agkistri

Compared to the other islands, it doesn't have a whole lot, but that is part of its charm. Traveling can be hectic and crazy and exhausting sometimes. Why not get away to a place like this? There are some taverns (mainly fish taverns), and a few smaller hotels, but other than that you are kind of on your own. It has the feel of an undiscovered secret type island. To me, that sounds very nice, and with the beautiful and calm beaches do you really need much else?