Aegina, Trips from Athens

Top 4 Day Trips From Athens

With so much to see and do in Athens, a visit to the Greek capital is one of the best travel experiences you can enjoy. In addition to the numerous attractions and activities that the city has to offer, Athens is also one of the best launching pads for one-day trips and excursions to other tourist hot spots outside the city. The day trips from Athens include island hopping to the nearest islands or areas in the Prefecture of Attica. Below you can read about the top one-day trips from Athens that you should experience when vacationing in the city.

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Day Trips From Athens To Kea Island

Kea, also referred to as Tzia, is a Greek island that is located to the south of Attica region, just opposite the town of Lavrion. Kea Island belongs to Cyclades complex, but it is not usually considered as one of the Cyclades, due to the few similarities it has to the rest islands of Cyclades. The island is a popular tourist destination in Greece, and it is mainly famous for its exceptional beaches, which have been given the term Greek’s secret seaside. Kea is also one of the top destinations for people who love hiking, and it is considered to have one of the best walking paths and hiking trails in all Greek islands.

Kea - Day Trips from Athens

How to get to Kea Island

Kea Island is located close to Athens, just a few hours away from the Port of Lavrion. One-day trippers wishing to visit the island can get there by taking a ferry or a boat from Lavrion, a trip that takes about 90 minutes.

The beautiful port of Lavrio

Things to see and do in Kea

1. Visit one of the beaches

One of the main attractions of Kea are the amazing beaches of the island, where you can have a swim, relax in the afternoon while basking in the sun, or enjoy a soothing walk late in the afternoon as you watch the sun set. Kea Island has several beaches, with the most popular ones including Koundouros, Otzias beach, Korissia, Gialiskari, and Pisses.

Koundouros beach in Kea

2. Visit the villages of Kea

Another attraction on the island is the picturesque villages that are decorated with stunning whitewashed buildings. These villages include Loulida, the capital of the island, Korissia, the main port, and Vourkari, a seaside resort, famous for its fish taverns.

The seaside resort Vourkari in Kea

3. Hiking and trekking

Kea is a paradise when it comes to hiking, with several pathways and hiking trails on the island. Those paths lead to amazing sights such as the Stone Lion. It is a statue made of stone that resembles the mythical lion that chased off water nymphs in the Greek mythology.

The Stone Lion of Kea

4. Explore the Oak Forest

The exploration of the Oak Forest is another exciting activity you can do on the island of Kea. It is very impressive and one of the last oak forests in Cyclades complex.

Oak forest in the island of Kea

5. Scuba diving

The village of Korissia has a scuba diving center, which offers diving trips to sea bottom which is full of stunning coral reefs. When diving, you can also get the chance to see some of the most famous shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea, such as Britannic shipwreck.

The beach in Korissia village

6. Enjoy the traditional cuisine

A visit to Kea Island would not be complete without enjoying the local cuisine and specialties of the island. Those include “Paspala”, a delicious local dish made with meat fat, steak, butter, eggs, tomatoes, and herbs. Other dishes you can enjoy on the island include oven baked fish, and rice served with aubergines.

Picturesque restaurant in the narrow streets of Kea

Day Trips From Athens To Aegina Island

Aegina is part of the lesser known Saronic Island complex, in the southern part of Greece, and it is located just a few minutes away (30km) from Athens.  Athens to Aegina island is among the top day trips from Athens. The island is well known for its elegant neoclassical styled buildings, lovely walk paths and streets, and historical monuments. Being just a few kilometers away from Athens, Aegina is easily accessible. One-day trippers who visit the island can take a ferry from the port of Piraeus, a trip that takes about 35 minutes.

Aegina island

Top things to see and do in Aegina

1. Visit one of the Aegina beaches

While Aegina Island does not have as many beaches as most other Greek islands, it still has some great spots which you can visit to enjoy a swim or relax in breeze of the fresh, salty sea water of the Aegean Sea. The island has also a few secluded beaches, where you can enjoy a wonderful swim.

Secluded beach in Aegina

2. Hiking

Hiking is another exciting activity that you can enjoy during your visit on Aegina island. The island has several old footpaths and hiking trails that lead to chapels, small villages throughout the island, secluded beaches, and hilltops with amazing views of the sea.

Hiking in Aegina

3. Explore the Aegina attractions

Aegina is full of impressive buildings such as the Temple of Athena Aphaia, the Temple of Apollo, the Monastery of Agios Nektarios, the Aphaia Museum, the Archeological Museum, the Temple of Ellanios Zeus, and many others.

Aphaia Temple in Aegina

4. Enjoy the local cuisine

Finally, during your visit on, you should enjoy some of the local dishes the island has to offer. Some of the popular dishes on the island include octopus served with pasta, and Tiganosoupa, a dish of fried fish.

Fish tavern in Aegina

Day Trips From Athens To Porto Heli

Porto Heli is a seaside town that is located in the southeastern region of Argolida, on the eastern side of Peloponnese. The town features a large port, which is frequented by yachts during the summer, bringing several tourists from various regions. The port is also a mooring spot for fishing boats, giving the town a cosmopolitan feel. From Athens, Porto Heli can be accessed by a ferry from the port of Piraeus, a trip that takes about 2 hours.

Porto Heli close to Athens

Things to see and do in Porto Heli

1. Visit one of Porto Heli beaches

Porto Heli has a number of nice beaches such as Hinitsa, Costa, and Maistraki, where you can enjoy taking a dip in the water or doing other fun activities such as water-skiing and windsurfing.

Hinitsa beach near Porto Heli

2. Explore the town surroundings

Porto Heli is well known for its natural beauty and several attraction sights on the town which you can explore during the day. When you visit the island, you can rent a car or a motorbike and explore the natural beauty of this seaside town.

Explore Porto Heli

3. Visit Ververoda lake

During your stay in Porto Heli, it is worth visiting Ververoda Lake, which is located about 5 kilometers away from the heart of town. It is a lovely place to relax, take a swim, or even enjoy fishing.

Ververoda lake Porto Heli

4. Taste some of the local dishes

The town of Porto Heli also offers a great dining scene, where you can enjoy delicious Greek dishes. Some of the places, where you can enjoy really nice food, include snack bars, pizza cafes, ice cream shops, and several restaurants.

Nice restaurant in Porto Heli

Day Trips From Athens To Anavyssos

Athens to Anavyssos is another great one-day trip that you can take to explore areas around Athens. Anavyssos is a great tourist destination that is located in East Attica, 34 kilometers southeast of Athens city and 10 km west of Lavrio. Due to its close distance to Athens, and the fact that the town is located on the mainland of Greece, Anavyssos is easily accessible to tourists. So you can get there by taking a bus, hiring a taxi, or renting a car.

Anavyssos - Day Trips From Athens

Things to see and do in Anavyssos

1. Visit Anavyssos beach

One of the best things to do during your stay in Anavyssos is to take a visit to the Anavyssos beach, one of the most famous beaches in the mainland of Greece. The beach is famous for its clean and shallow waters, which is ideal for swimming and other fun activities in the water and sand.

Anavyssos beach in sunset

2. Scuba diving and snorkeling

In addition to swimming, you can also enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving at the far Eastern side of Anavissos beach, where there is a great spot for underwater fishing as well as interesting underwater rock formation.

Anavyssos scouba diving

3. Dining

Just like with all other Greece’s travel destinations, Anavyssos is a great spot for enjoying various local Greek cuisines. The town has several restaurants and dining places where you can enjoy delicious cuisines. “Mythos” is famous for serving great chops, “Psarou” offers delicious seafood, Siropi, Maistrali and others.

Anavyssos tavern

Find a holiday villa in Athens and spend your holidays in one of the greatest destinations in Europe. However, rather than spend the entire vacation here, you can also escape the busy schedule of the city and explore other great locations that are nearby. The above four destinations are some of the great spots close to Athens, where you can spend your day exploring and then return back to the city in the evening.

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