Souvala Beach

Souvala is one of the most practical beaches on Aegina if you are staying in the north of the island or arriving through its second port. It sits right on the seafront promenade, so you have tavernas, cafes and shops a few steps away.

The beach mixes sand with some stretches of stone, and the water is normally calm. It is not the wildest cove on Aegina, but it is a very comfortable option for families and for anyone who wants a swim without straying far from facilities.

Arriving by ferry at Souvala

This is the detail that catches people out when they book. Souvala is Aegina’s second port, not just a village with a beach. A number of Piraeus departures dock here rather than at Aegina town, and the crossing takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour on the passenger-only boats.

If you have booked accommodation in Souvala, check that your ticket actually lands here. Arriving at Aegina town instead means another 10 km up the northern road. It works in your favour too: if you are staying in the north, a Souvala ticket drops you within walking distance of your bed, and the beach is right there when you step off.

You can search ferry times and book before you travel. In August the direct Souvala sailings fill up at weekends.

The thermal baths of Loutra

Souvala owes its reputation to the sulphurous hot springs at Loutra, a few minutes east along the front. The waters were known from antiquity and were used to treat rheumatism, arthritis and skin conditions, and for decades they were what put the village on the map.

Manage your expectations before you walk over: the spring that made the name has dried up, and what remains is the place, the name and the story rather than a working spa. Loutra beach itself is worth the short walk anyway. It is sandier than the strip in front of the port, organised with sunbeds and umbrellas and a beach bar, and it sits about 300 metres from the quay, a walk of five to seven minutes along the water.

Services and atmosphere

Souvala is a working village that happens to have a beach, and that shapes the feel of it. It is plainer and cheaper than Agia Marina and busier than Vagia just along the coast, with an everyday Greek rhythm that has nothing to do with resort life.

• Showers and changing rooms on the main beach
• Tavernas, cafes and bakeries directly on the promenade
• Sunbeds, umbrellas and a beach bar at Loutra, 300 m east
• Supermarkets and shops in the village, unlike most Aegina beaches
• Parking along the seafront, usually easy outside August weekends

How to get there

Souvala sits 10 km northeast of Aegina town along the northern coast road. The bus from the harbour runs through here on the northern route, and it is a short trip. By car or scooter it is about 15 minutes. If you are working your way along this coast, Vagia is the next stop east and quieter, and Portes further on is the one that feels genuinely remote.

For a day that mixes swimming with something else, the monastery of Agios Nektarios and the Temple of Aphaia are both inland from here rather than back at the port, which makes Souvala a reasonable base for the northern half of the island.