Poros vs Salamis
Poros or Salamis? Ferry times from Athens, beaches, prices and crowds compared side by side, with a straight answer on which of the two suits your trip.
Poros
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 guideSalamis
CulturalThe largest island in the Saronic Gulf and the closest one to Athens. Famous for the Battle of Salamis (480 BC), where Themistocles defeated the Persian fleet. Today it is a weekend destination for Athenians.
Read the guideThe short answer
On the fast boat from Piraeus, Salamis is the closer of the two: 30 min against 1 h 10 min for Poros, a difference of about 40 minutes each way. On a short trip that gap is worth more than it looks, because it applies twice.
Poros has the better swimming, 3 out of 5 against 2 for Salamis. It also has more of them: 5 beaches covered here against 2.
For sights off the sand, Poros is the richer of the two: 6 places and museums against 4 on Salamis.
Salamis is the cheaper base, around 45 euros a night against 60 on Poros, roughly 33 percent more. Over a week that is about 105 euros of difference on the room alone.
The numbers
| Poros | Salamis | |
|---|---|---|
| Fast ferry from Piraeus | 1 h 10 min | 30 min |
| Conventional ferry | 2 h 30 min | 30 min |
| Ferry from | 15 EUR | 2 EUR |
| Departures per day | 5 | 40 |
| Beaches covered | 5 | 2 |
| Places and museums | 6 | 4 |
| Activities | 5 | 1 |
| Room per night from | 60 EUR | 45 EUR |
| Food per day | 22 EUR | 18 EUR |
| Recommended days | 2 | 1 |
| Population | 4,167 | 36,000 |
| Area | 31 km2 | 95 km2 |
| Visitor cars | Yes | Yes |
| Best season | May - Oct | Mar - Nov |
| Beaches | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Food | ||
| Nightlife | ||
| Connectivity |
Which one for your trip
Choose Poros if
- Swimming is the priority and you want the better beaches of the two
- You want museums, monasteries and ruins as well as a swim
- You want somewhere with a bit more going on after dinner
Choose Salamis if
- You are short on time and want the shortest crossing from Athens
- You are watching the budget
- You only have a day and want an island that works as a day trip