Aegina vs Poros
Aegina or Poros? Ferry times from Athens, beaches, prices and crowds compared side by side, with a straight answer on which of the two suits your trip.
Aegina
FamilyAegina (pronounced "EH-yee-na" in Greek, not "ay-JEE-na") is one of the islands Athenians travel to most, simply because it is so close. It is mainly famous for... its pistachios!
Read the guidePoros
FamilySeparated from the Peloponnese by a 200-metre channel. A clock tower with a view, pine woods down to the water, and a lemon forest on the far shore. The green escape of the Saronic.
Read the guideThe short answer
On the fast boat from Piraeus, Aegina is the closer of the two: 40 min against 1 h 10 min for Poros, a difference of about 30 minutes each way. On a short trip that gap is worth more than it looks, because it applies twice.
On beaches the two are evenly matched, both rated 3 out of 5, so pick on character rather than on quality: Aegina has 9 beaches covered here and Poros has 5.
For sights off the sand, Aegina is the richer of the two: 8 places and museums against 6 on Poros.
Poros is the cheaper base, around 60 euros a night against 65 on Aegina, roughly 8 percent more. Over a week that is about 35 euros of difference on the room alone.
Poros is the quieter of the two. Both fill up at summer weekends when Athens empties into the Saronic, but Aegina carries more visitors through the season.
The numbers
| Aegina | Poros | |
|---|---|---|
| Fast ferry from Piraeus | 40 min | 1 h 10 min |
| Conventional ferry | 1 h 15 min | 2 h 30 min |
| Ferry from | 10 EUR | 15 EUR |
| Departures per day | 14 | 5 |
| Beaches covered | 9 | 5 |
| Places and museums | 8 | 6 |
| Activities | 5 | 5 |
| Room per night from | 65 EUR | 60 EUR |
| Food per day | 25 EUR | 22 EUR |
| Recommended days | 2 | 2 |
| Population | 13,056 | 4,167 |
| Area | 87 km2 | 31 km2 |
| Visitor cars | Yes | Yes |
| Best season | Apr - Oct | May - Oct |
| Beaches | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Food | ||
| Nightlife | ||
| Connectivity |
Which one for your trip
Choose Aegina if
- You are short on time and want the shortest crossing from Athens
- You want museums, monasteries and ruins as well as a swim