Agistri

Agistri is the little island that everyone from Athens knows and few travellers have heard of. The ferry from Aegina is a short crossing, and it lands at the port of Skala, the island's small town, where the pine trees come down to the water and the beach is a long stretch of fine sand. The island is tiny and green, with a few villages, a few roads, and a way of life that runs on island time. The coves of the coast have impossibly clear water and soft sand, and the paths through the pine woods that cover the island are for walking. In the evening the tavernas by the harbour are the place to watch the ferries come and go. Agistri is not an island of grand monuments — its gifts are simpler: clean water, quiet coves, and the easy pleasure of a small island close to Athens.

Agistri has been inhabited since antiquity, when it was a small, quiet island in the Saronic Gulf, known for its pines and its good water. Its history has always been bound to its larger neighbours, Aegina and Athens, and for most of its past it was a place of farmers, fishermen, and the few hermit monks who lived in its caves and its small churches. In the 19th and 20th centuries the island remained a quiet, green retreat, and in the modern era it has become a favourite of Athenians seeking a short escape, and of the travellers who have discovered its clear waters and its peaceful beauty. The island is small enough to walk around and simple enough to leave your watch behind — its history is a gentle one, and its charm lies in its peace.

Agistri has some of the clearest water in the Saronic, and its beaches are the island's great attraction. The beach of Skala, at the port, is a long stretch of fine sand with shallow, calm water. The coves of the east coast — including the beautiful bay of Aponissos and the beach of Chalikiada — are reached by paths through the pines, and the swimming is in water of astonishing clarity. The beaches of the south and west are quiet and lovely, almost always empty. The water is clean and the sand is soft, and the island's small scale makes every swim a private pleasure. Bring a mask and a towel, and you will find a perfect cove around every corner.

Agistri food is the simple, honest cooking of a small island. The tavernas of Skala serve fresh fish, the island's own vegetables, and the classic Greek table with a warm, unhurried ease. The island is too small for a grand cuisine, but its food is good and its welcome is genuine. For a proper Agistri meal, find a taverna by the harbour, order the fish of the day and a Greek salad made with the island's own tomatoes, and watch the boats come and go as the light fades over the Saronic.

May, June, and September are the ideal months on Agistri: warm, green, and quiet, with the sea perfect and the beaches empty. July and August are the main season, when the island fills with day-trippers from Athens and Aegina, but even then the coves of the coast are quiet. The island is at its most peaceful in late spring and early autumn. Whenever you come, Agistri is easy to reach and easy to love — it is the perfect small island.

Agistri has no airport and is reached by sea. The main route is the roughly one-hour ferry from Piraeus, with further connections from Aegina, Methana and the other Saronic ports, and the island is small enough to walk or cycle on arrival.

The island is small and can be walked, or explored by bike or scooter. Swim at Skala and the coves of the east coast, walk the paths through the pines, and eat by the harbour in the evening. Bring everything you need for the beaches, including water. And give the island at least a night if you can — its peace, after the day-trippers leave, is its greatest gift.