Things to Do in Aegina

Best Beaches →Aegina Travel Guide Where to Stay in Aegina

Top Attractions in Aegina

Temple of Aphaia

Built around 500 BC on a dramatic hilltop surrounded by Aleppo pines in the eastern part of the island, the Temple of Aphaia is dedicated to a local deity associated with Artemis and represents one of the finest surviving examples of the Archaic-transitional Doric order. A standing colonnade of 24 columns with three side walls intact, in a setting of pine trees and island views that is among the most beautiful of any ancient site in Greece. The museum on-site is small but carefully arranged. 💡 Secret: Arrive at 08:30 when the site opens. The morning light through the pine trees falls at an angle that disappears by 10:00. By 10:30 the tour groups from Athens arrive.

Aegina Town Harbour & Neoclassical Town

The harbour front of Aegina Town is one of the most elegantly proportioned in the Saronic islands. The neoclassical customs house, the 19th-century mansions behind the waterfront, and the distinctive yellow-domed Church of Agios Nikolaos at the end of the pier create a visual composition that feels deliberately designed. The fish market operates every morning behind the harbour — one of the most authentic in the Attica region. Aegina was the first capital of the modern Greek state (1826–1828), the first place in Greece to print a newspaper and to mint coins of the modern Greek state. 💡 Secret: Walk the harbour front twice — once in the morning when the fishing boats are unloading and the fish market is at its best, and once after 21:00 when the restaurant tables take over the quayside and the ferries create a backdrop of movement and light.

Perdika Village & Moni Islet

The village of Perdika at the island's southern tip is what Aegina Town might have looked like forty years ago: a small harbour of fishing boats, a strip of taverna tables directly above the water, a general store, and a pace of life that does not adjust for visitor schedules. From Perdika's small quay, a five-minute water taxi crosses to Moni — an uninhabited nature reserve islet home to a herd of fallow deer, a colony of peacocks, and water of improbable turquoise clarity. 💡 Secret: The water taxi to Moni is informal — a local fisherman with a small boat. Ask at the quayside. The best swimming on Moni is on the eastern side, reached by a short path from the landing point.

Monastery of Agios Nektarios & Palaiochora

One of the most important Orthodox Christian pilgrimage sites in Greece, the Monastery of Agios Nektarios sits on a forested hillside roughly 6 km from Aegina Town. Nektarios of Aegina (1846–1920) was canonised in 1961 — one of the most recent saints recognised by the Greek Orthodox Church. Adjacent to the monastery, on the hilltop behind it, are the ruins of Palaiochora — the medieval capital of Aegina, abandoned in the 19th century. 28 surviving Byzantine churches scattered across the hilltop constitute one of the most unusual and atmospheric archaeological walks in the Saronic region. 💡 Secret: The walk from the monastery to Palaiochora takes 20 minutes on a marked path. The best-preserved frescoes are in the Church of the Episkopi.

Aegina Archaeological Museum

One of the oldest archaeological museums in Greece — established in 1829 and housed in a neoclassical building near the harbour. The collection includes pottery from the Early Bronze Age settlement at Kolonna, Mycenaean grave goods, and the surviving elements of the Temple of Aphaia pediment sculptures that were not acquired by Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1812. Small enough to cover in 45 minutes but provides essential context for the Temple of Aphaia. 💡 Secret: Visit the museum before the Temple of Aphaia, not after — understanding the chronology makes the temple visit significantly richer.

Column of Apollo & Ancient Aegina (Kolonna)

At the northern edge of Aegina Town, a single standing Doric column — all that remains of the Temple of Apollo (c. 480 BC) — rises from the archaeological site of Kolonna. The site represents over 4,000 years of continuous occupation, from the Early Bronze Age through the Classical period. 💡 Secret: The column is best photographed in the late afternoon when the light comes from the west and catches the stone in warm contrast against the blue of the Saronic Gulf behind it.

Pistachio Farms & the Agricultural Plain

The flat plain behind Aegina Town is the heart of the island's pistachio production — roughly 25 square kilometres of orderly rows of Aeginitis pistachio trees, producing around 1,500 tonnes annually. The harvest takes place in September, when families spread large nets under the trees and shake the branches. 💡 Secret: The pistachios sold at the port are predictable. For the best variety and prices, drive 3–4 km into the plain to the co-operative shops near Mesagros village, where you can buy directly from producers and taste before buying.