Poros vs Spetses
Poros or Spetses? 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 guideSpetses
RomanticElegant and cosmopolitan. Horses and carriages at the port, secret beaches and nineteenth-century shipowners' mansions.
Read the guideThe short answer
On the fast boat from Piraeus, Poros is the closer of the two: 1 h 10 min against 2 h for Spetses, a difference of about 50 minutes each way. On a short trip that gap is worth more than it looks, because it applies twice.
Spetses does not allow visitor cars, so you arrive on foot and get around by water taxi, mule or your own legs. Poros does, and the ferry carries them.
On beaches the two are evenly matched, both rated 3 out of 5, so pick on character rather than on quality: Poros has 5 beaches covered here and Spetses has 4.
For sights off the sand, Poros is the richer of the two: 6 places and museums against 5 on Spetses.
Poros is the cheaper base, around 60 euros a night against 100 on Spetses, roughly 67 percent more. Over a week that is about 280 euros of difference on the room alone.
The numbers
| Poros | Spetses | |
|---|---|---|
| Fast ferry from Piraeus | 1 h 10 min | 2 h |
| Conventional ferry | 2 h 30 min | 2 h |
| Ferry from | 15 EUR | 30 EUR |
| Departures per day | 5 | 4 |
| Beaches covered | 5 | 4 |
| Places and museums | 6 | 5 |
| Activities | 5 | 2 |
| Room per night from | 60 EUR | 100 EUR |
| Food per day | 22 EUR | 32 EUR |
| Recommended days | 2 | 2 |
| Population | 4,167 | 3,993 |
| Area | 31 km2 | 22 km2 |
| Visitor cars | Yes | No |
| Best season | May - Oct | May - Oct |
| Beaches | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Food | ||
| Nightlife | ||
| Connectivity |
Which one for your trip
Choose Poros if
- You are short on time and want the shortest crossing from Athens
- You are watching the budget
- You want to bring a car or need one for mobility reasons
- You want museums, monasteries and ruins as well as a swim
Choose Spetses if
- A car-free island appeals and you are happy to walk or take a water taxi