AGISTRI, also called ANGISTRI, is a small, pine covered island close to Aegina in the Saronic Gulf that lies south from the Greek capital city of Athens. It has an area of about 13sq km, making it the smallest of the Saronic islands.
Agistri is a quiet backwater of an island, free of cars and with little in the way of nightlife outside the few hotels in the main ports of Skala and Mylos.
The island is home to fewer than 1,000 people with tourist holiday beds for perhaps 1,000 more, and it has a single main road about 10 km long and no cars, just a single bus.
Agistri is also very hilly despite its small size with about half of the island covered in fields of citrus and olives, and the remaining half cloaked in dense pine forest.
Agistri is easily reached from the Athens port of Piraeus as it lies just 22 nautical miles offshore and about four nautical miles to the south-west of the island of Aegina.
Agistri is also a popular holiday island with working Greeks from the mainland. Prices tend to be lower than on more up-market Greek islands.
The island name Agistri literally translates as 'fishing hook', a reference to its shape with a highly indented coastline and many small coves.
Many consider Agistri a little island paradise, with its charming tavernas and small stone-built houses dotted around the rocky shoreline and inland hamlets. The villages and hamlets are not considered particularly pretty, being plainly built and with little architectural interest.
Agistri has three main resorts. Two of them are ports, at Skala and the island capital of Milos. The other resort at Limenaria overlooks the sea but has no harbour as such. Skala is the more recently developed of the island's resorts and this is where most of Agistri's visitors choose to stay.
Agistri is popular with weekending Athenians. The island is easily reached by boat and is much quieter than its neighbour Aegina. Apart from walking and lazing on its few beaches there is little to do here.
Agistri island Greece is located in the Saronic Gulf only about 45 mins sailing time from the Athens port of Piraeus. A regular ferry service to the mainland make Agistri a very popular weekend retreat for Athenians. Largely unspoilt , it is a tiny island, only about 14 sq km and has few good beaches but it does make for a quiet hideaway retreat. Most visitors stay in the main port of Skala where there is a good selection of restaurants and the best beach on the island.
Buses
Boat hire
Cash point
Ferry port
Tavernas
Watersports
SKALA is the island's main tourist centre despite it not actually being the capital. As Skala is the main port of Agistri, it is where most visitors choose to stay and it is where you will find the majority of hotels and apartments.
Skala is quite a bustling little place for such a small island and, besides the small hotels and apartments ,there are several restaurants and bars both around the beach, which lies to the north of the harbour, and in the village itself.
The impressive blue dome of Agia Anargiri church overlooks the beach and it stands out among the resort's rather plain buildings. The church has some very fine icons.
The beach at Skala has fine, gently shelving sand, with some pebbles, and it also has shallow waters, so this is a good beach for families with young children. It's the only natural sand beach on the island though, so it can get crowded in the high season.
This is particularly true when the day visitor boats arrive from Aegina and from Athens. There are sun loungers on the beach and other tourist facilities such pedaloes and a variety of water sports.
Skala beach is quite narrow, just a couple of rows of sunbeds at the deepest part, but it is quite long. It is backed by low trees and scrubs. Skala beach gets much more quiet if you head west where sands run out to a headland, although the beach can be said to stretch all the way to Mylos.
In Skala village itself are a handful of shops and a very good selection of tavernas. Several bars and cafes and a couple of nightclubs add to the mix. Accommodation tends to be aimed at working class Greeks and prices tend to be lower than say neighbouring Aegina.
Cantina
Naturists
South from the harbour at Skala is a small scenic path that leads past some modern tourist developments at SKILIRI, beyond the Agistri Club Hotel and a couple more restaurants, to the beach at HALKIADA.
It takes about 20 mins to walk there and Halikiada beach is noted for being the first naturist beach in Greece, despite strong objections from the church.
It used to be a steep and relatively difficult scramble down to the beach, though a new path has been created, or you can walk around a rather precipitous headland for an easier drop to Halikiada beach.
Halikiada is Agistri's biggest bay and, thanks to the strong Saronic current, its waters are turquoise clear and clean. The beach is mostly pebble and rock but the clear makes up for any lack of sand.
There are no facilities but casual camping, although technically illegal, is still fairly common. It also has a cave that is sometimes lived in during the summer months.
Swimmers at Halikiada should beware of sea urchins on the rocks at either end of the beach, although footwear is a must anyway on the stone beach.
BusesBoat hireCantinaTavernas
The only road out of Skala takes you north along the coast to the island capital and second port at MILOS or MYLOS, also called MEGALOCHORI.
The road is lined with restaurants, rooms to let, small isolated shingle and rock beaches and the occasional long, flat stretch of stone.
Inland is the hill of METOCHI with a small chapel on top, some splendid views over the island, and a cooling breeze. A walk to Milos from Skala takes about 30 mins.
Milos is a quiet village of stone-built houses sitting on a steep hill above the small harbour and a tiny, man made beach. There is a small selection of basic tavernas and a few shops and traditional kafenion.
West of Milos village are paths into the pine covered hillside with a sign off the paved road pointing south to DRAGONERA beach.
Dragonera is a north-facing beach and a favourite spot for casual campers. There is a small beach cantina that opens in the summer.
BusesBoat hireCantinaTavernas
The paved road runs south from Milos across the island to LIMENARIA, founded in the 17th century and noted for the golden dome that adorns the church of Agia Kriaki.
Limenaria is a small village surrounded by olive groves. Not many tourists stay here for long and the village is about as traditional Greek as you can get so near to Athens. There is a shop that doubles as a taverna selling local craft work and an ancient olive mill in the central square.
There is no beach in Limenaria as such but a sign which says 'to the beach' takes you to a concrete platform built out over a sheer drop to the sea, suitable for sunbathing.
It is very inviting to dive off the platform as the water is deep here. But strong sea currents make diving and swimming safe only for strong and experienced swimmers. It is also much easier to get in than out.
It is a steep climb back up and climbers can expect plenty of cuts and scratches from the sharp rocks.
East out of Limenaria village and about 1km away, just past the tiny chapel of Agios Nikolaos, is a substantial salt lake from which Limenaria gets its name.
It is often just a dry salt pan in the summer, shimmering in the heat. But between autumn and spring it is a blue salt water lagoon, fed from the sea, and suitable for paddling and swimming. There is a small taverna nearby.
A couple of rocky beaches can be found to the north of the lake in nearby remote and secluded coves at MARGHISA (or MAGHISA) and BIARAMA.
Most visitors though head south of the salt lake to for the small but attractive shingle beach at APIOSSOS (or APONISSOS) with the tiny picturesque islet of just offshore and reached by a narrow rocky causeway.
There is a small taverna here in the summer that serves fresh fish. Beyond Apiossos is the larger, uninhabited islet of DOROUSSA.
Agistri is the smallest island of the Argosaronic with an area of 14km2. It is about 20 nautical miles from the Piraeus and just 3.5 nautical miles from Aegina. The highest point is Kontari at 245m. The coastline has many small coves and inland there are dense pine woods. The main industries on Agistri are farming, fishing and tourism.
There are only three settlements on Angistri - Milos (Megalohori), Skala and Limenaria. Milos, on the north coast, has a population of about 460 and is the main village. Skala to the east has a population of around 350 and is where most tourist facilities and hotels are found. Limenaria has a population of about 100, and is a very small village on the west side of the island.
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There is no airport on Angistri, the island is far to small. The nearest airport is at Athens International on the mainland, just a short ferry hop away.
Most visitors fly to Athens International Airport (ATH) and take a bus or taxi to the port at Piraeus and then catch one of the regular ferries to Angistri.
Athens International Airport lies around 27km east of Athens, and the new airport was opened in 2001 at a total cost of around €2.1 billion.
Officially it is called Elefterios Venizelos Airport and the complex handles about 11 million passenger annually.
There are all the tourist facilities that might be expected at a large international airport including more than 50 shops of all descriptions and around 14 restaurants.
Athens Airport has a notable Archaeological and Antiquities Museum on the site with some exceptional exhibits. Outside the airport there is short and long-term parking for 4,800 cars
The E96 shuttle bus goes from Athens Airport to the port at Piraeus. There is a 24 hr shuttle service and it is based right outside the Arrivals hall. There is a small ticket office located next to the bus stop.
The E96 leaves every 15 - 20 minutes throughout the day, every 30 minutes at night. There are several stops along the way. The port at Piraeus is the final stop and the journey takes between 45 minutes and 60 minutes depending on traffic.
There is a taxi rank next to Door 3 just outside the arrivals hall. The price for a taxi to Piraeus is 30 euros, more at night and the journey time again depends on traffic and it can be anything from 30 -minutes to 50 minutes.
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There are regular ferries and cats from Piraeus on the mainland, most via Aegina but some making direct crossings.
The proximity to Athens makes Angistri a favourite weekend retreat or day out for Athenians. The nearest airport is Athens International and the E96 airport bus goes to the port of Piraeus every 15 minutes.
From Piraeus there are boats to Aegina and then a short ferry crossing to Angistri. A few ferries go from Piraeus directly. There is a catamaran owned by the island that goes to Angistri with a short stop in Aegina.
There are day cruises from Skala to the neighbouring islands of Aegina, Poros and Hydra throughout the summer. There is also a 24-hour water taxi service between Angistri and Aegina as well as a regular ferry service during the day and evening. There are also boats to hire in Skala and Molos to visit many of the more remote coves. you can also catch regular ferries and water taxis from Angistri to the Peloponnese mainland.
In high season, a ferry service goes to Ancient Epidavros each evening for the summer arts festival held at the ancient amphitheatre.
Summer ferry schedules may not be confirmed until April or May, and not published until then.
The information is as accurate as I can make it but note that ferry schedules can change at any time.
Well actually there is only one and that is little used as there are no cars on Agistri island. There is a single small bus that takes the island's only road linking the three resorts of Skala, Milos and Limenaria.
There is no discernable timetable for the bus and services can be erratic. There are about four buses daily in the high summer.
As it is possible to walk from one end of Agistri island to the other in about two hours there is little chance of getting stranded anywhere.
Agistri has a surprising supply of accommodation given its small size. Hotels, rooms and apartments,mainly cater for Athenians who arrive every weekend during the summer. There are two ports on the island at Skala and Milos and this is where most Agistri accommodation is centred. with Skala taking the major share. Skala is where most visitors to Agistri arrive and the beach is one of the island's main attractions. There is a fair share of hotels, rooms to let and apartments which open mostly between May and October, although there are some that open throughout the year. It is not a good idea to turn up without a reservation especially at weekends. The island has long been a popular destination for Greeks looking for a quiet weekend break from Athens and recently it has become more popular with overseas visitors too.
In the sheltered Argo Saronic gulf Aegina enjoys the same climate as Athens but without the latter's smog and oppressive high summer heat. Spring and autumn are considered the best times of year to visit this part of the world. The weather on Agistri is sunny and warm with little chance of rain and temperatures range between 21-25 °C. Winters on Agistri are relatively dry.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | Averages |
| 12 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 24 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 25 | 22 | 17 | 13 | Day °C |
| 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 | Night °C |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | Sun (hrs) |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | UV Index |
| 55 | 49 | 46 | 29 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 53 | 61 | 75 | Rain (mm) |
| 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | Rainy days |
