General information about Aegina and its hotels.
In fact the island of Aegina is really surprising considering it's proximity to Athens. The town is really quite traditional and while tourism is in evidence it is still largely Greek.
The port of Aegina is a busy one with ferries, flying dolphins, cruise ships, catamarans and fishing boats sailing in and out, depositing people, hotels, cars and fish. We had picked a perfect day to visit. The sun was shining and the town was buzzing with people enjoying the day in the cafes, restaurants, hotels and ouzeries. Aegina is known for their small ouzeries and fish mezedes and there are a number of these places on the waterfront and on the back streets, easily recognizable by the small grills and the octopus cooking on them. Athenians come here to escape the city, drink ouzo, eat seafood and watch the fishing boats.
As you face the Amarandi village and walk to your left there is a row of seafood restaurants along the waterfront, all with signs saying the special of the day is sea-urchin salad and each with a grill loaded with octopus. Aegina was a major power in the classical Greek times and for a period Athens main competitor. There is a small museum on the site that we went through in about 4 minutes, though someone with a deeper interest in antiquities than my daughter and I might be able to spend a longer time examining the ancient pottery that has been found in the area.
The archaeological site itself is fairly impressive and the view from the temple of the ferries coming and going from the port makes it a good spot to visit even if you have no interest in ancient Aegina.
But it was from here that Amarandi spotted the beautiful beach on the far side and could not help but notice that there were indeed people swimming, and once she had made up her mind there was no way I could deter her. I tried telling her that these people were a local chapter of the Polar Bear Club and this early spring swim was a painful rite of passage and that they were most likely suffering severely. But this did not convince her and so we trudged back into town to find a shop that sold bathing suits and towels since we were completely unprepared.
Most of the ouzeries in the back streets have a Greek clientele and serve food that people like me love, but only the most adventurous tourists would be likely to try. There is a great covered fish market in town, a sort of junior version of the Agora in Athens. The fishing village of Perdika is another popular day visit place for Athenians and is full of nice little taverns.
The beaches around the island are decent, not great, but you can be in Angistri in 15 minutes and the beaches are much better there. There are a number of hotels in the main town and at Agia Marina if you want to spend more than a day and in fact it is not a bad place to base yourself out of if you don't feel like staying in the city of Athens but still want to see the sites. You can get from the port of Aegina and be standing on the Acropolis in an hour.
Just 1 km out of the center of Aegina Town, one can find Water Park, a kid's paradise and one I was thankful was not open when we were there or I would never have gotten Amarandi home. There are a couple bars by the pools for parents who need to overcome the stress of watching their child go down a 50 foot water slide a hundred and fifty times in a row.
Aegina is known for it's nightlife and has several great restaurants and some live music clubs and a number of good bars. In the summer there are discos and plenty of action at the beaches.
Be sure to visit the Temple of Aphaia located on top of a mountain on the way to Agia Marina. Another place of interest are the ruins of Paliohora east of Aegina town. This was the capital of the island in from the 9th til the 18th century when villages were located inland to be safe from pirates.
The island is famous for its pistachios, which some people believe, are the best in the world. They are sold everywhere including at the Aegina Pistachio Cooperative stand right on the dock.