Sailing in Saronic Gulf | Aegina island – Best Beaches, Anchorages, and Marinas

Sailing in Greece: Discover the Saronic Gulf, the Athens Sailing Riviera

Just some miles away from Athens, Saronic gulf offers the one-day greek islands experience, for those visitors, sailors and one-day cruisers, seeking a sip of the Greek blue sea story, without having to move far away from the capital’s center. Let’s discover together the best beaches, anchorages, and itineraries that can be found in Aegina, Agkistri, Poros, Hydra and of course Spetses islands, which will make your escape from the buzz of Athens, worthwhile. 

 

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First Stop Aegina!

Aegina: Visit for the pistachio, stay for the long sandy beaches

Aegina is lying almost 17 nm south-west of Athens, is a hilly and fertile island of Tertiary limestones and schists, with remote rounded hills of volcanic origin. For the most part, the coast falls steeply down to the sea, with few sheltered bays. The scent of thyme and pine will welcome you as you reach the coastline and a stroll at the port town with a visit to the ancient temple of Aphaia will satisfy a day full of memories. Depending on the season, concluding your day for a swim in one of the long sandy beaches of Aegina can make you believe you are in one of the Dodecanese islands. Don’t forget to taste the famous pistachio of Aegina (fistiki aiginis), currently considered to be the best in the world.

Aegina has in total 28 beaches,
16 anchorages and 6 marinas that you can access through keeano app.

Best beaches on Aegina island:

On average beaches on Aegina feature a wide-open shape and easy access via road (dirt road or asphalt). The dominant coast morphology is a mixture of sand with pebbles, but also some with cobble can be found around the island. The seabed on average on the other hand features mostly pebbles and the beach sizes vary from regular to relatively big. The swim depth on average is considered medium. Aegina island features no Blue Flag certification awarded beaches for the year 2019. 

See below the best 3 beaches on Aegina island according to interests such as family-friendly, best for exploring and best-organized beaches (featuring amenities).

Best 3 family-friendly beaches on Aegina island:

1: Agia Marina beach, Marathona, Aegina, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 44’ 29” N  23° 32’ 8” E

Agia Marina beach is cove shaped. Agia Marina beach features easy access by road and free parking stations. The foot access to the beach has an easy path and the coast morphology along with seabed consists mostly of sand. It also features a lifeguard patrol, making it suitable for families with small children.  

Find out more about Agia Marina beach such as live weather, user photos, directions through the keeano app.

2: Souvala Vathi beach, Vathy, Aegina, Greece 
Coordinates: 37° 46’ 22” N  23° 29’ 12” E

Souvala Vathi beach is cove shaped. Souvala Vathi beach is located on the northern side of the island. It features easy access by road and free parking station. The foot access to the beach has an easy path and the coast morphology along with seabed consists of sand. The beach size is considered small and the average swim depth is medium, thus creating great visibility to all areas from all sides. 

Find out more about Souvala Vathi beach such as live weather, user photos, directions through keeano app. 

3: Maris beach, Marathona, Aegina, Greece 
Coordinates: 37° 41’ 41” N 23° 27’ 52” E 

Maris beach is cove shaped. Maris beach is located in the western side of the island. It features easy access by road and has space for off-road parking. The foot access to the beach has an easy path and the coast morphology along with seabed consists of sand. The beach size is considered small and the sea currents are weak, thus making it suitable for small children and families, having great visibility to all areas from all sides. 

Find out more about Maris beach such as live weather, user photos, directions through keeano app. 

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Best 3 beaches ideal for exploring on Aegina island:

1: Unnamed beach, Patza, Aegina, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 43’ 17” N 23° 31’ 43” E

Aegina island features many beaches, that are reachable either by slope or only by sea. The specific beach (which has no name) can be found on the south-east side of the island. It is a cove shaped beach, with access by road and off-road parking spots. The beach can be accessed by a natural path on a slope and its coast and seabed morphology consist of a combination of pebbles and cobble. There are no umbrellas on the beach and no shade, so you must bring your umbrella. There are no amenities offered by the coast, so you should bring your food and beverages if you are planning on visiting. As a location, it is highly recommended for those nature lovers seeking a beach out of the ordinary. 

Find out more about the unnamed explorer’s beach such as live weather, user photos, directions through keeano app.

2: Unnamed beach, Mazioti, Aegina, Greece 
Coordinates: 37° 43’ 39” N 23° 32’ 18” E 

There is another secret and relatively hard to access the beach on the south-west side of Aegina island, making it ideal for explorers and nature lovers. It is a cove shaped beach, with access by sea and land through a forest. The beach can be accessed by a natural path and its coast and seabed morphology consists mostly of pebbles. The beach is small, with normal water temperatures. There are no amenities offered by the coast, so you should bring your food and beverages if you are planning on visiting. here are no umbrellas on the beach, but the trees on the side of the beach offer great shading. 

Find out more about the unnamed explorer’s beach such as live weather, user photos and directions through keeano app. 

3: Livadaki beach, Portes, Aegina, Greece 
Coordinates: 37° 42’ 3” N 23° 31’ 11” E 

Livadaki beach near Portes area in Aegina island can be identified as an explorer’s dream beach. It is located on the east side of the island and can be accessed both by road and by sea. There is a small dirt road leading to the beach but you would have to walk to access the beach through a natural path. Its coast and seabed morphology consist mostly of pebbles. The beach is regular-sized, with normal water temperatures and medium swim depth. There are no umbrellas on the beach and no shade, so you must bring your umbrella. There are no amenities offered by the coast, so you should bring your food and beverages if you are planning on visiting. 

Find out more about Livadaki beach such as live weather, user photos and directions through keeano app. 

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Best 3 organized beaches on Aegina island: 

1: Loutra beach, Vathy, Aegina, Greece 
Coordinates: 37° 46’ 20” N 23° 29’ 29” E 

Loutra beach is located between Therma and Souvala villages, on the Nothern coast of the island. It is a cove shaped beach, featuring easy access by road and free road and off-road parking. The foot access to the beach can be made through an easy path and its seabed and coast morphology is dominated by sand. The Loutra beach has weak sea currents all season, with normal water temperatures and medium swim depth. You can find nearby accommodation of Villas, hotels, and rooms to let. The location offers food and drink amenities (restaurants and bars), along with free sunbeds in some beach bars.  

Find out more about Loutra beach such as live weather, user photos and directions through keeano app.

2: Klima Kleidi beach, Klima, Aegina, Greece 
Coordinates: 37° 40’ 40” N 23° 28’ 41” E 

Klima beach is located close to Sfentouri village, on the southern side of Aegina island. It is a cove shaped beach, featuring easy access by road and free road and off-road parking. The foot access to the beach can be made through an easy path and its seabed and coast morphology is dominated by sand. The Klima kleidi beach has weak sea currents all season, with normal water temperatures and medium swim depth. For the snorkeling enthusiasts also, it has an interesting seabed to explore. The location offers food and drink amenities (canteen and bars), along with free sunbeds in some beach bars. 

Find out more about Klima kleidi beach such as live weather, user photos and directions through keeano app.

3: Aeginitissa beach, Marathona, Aegina, Greece 
Coordinates: 37° 41’ 51” N 23° 28’ 3” E 

Aeginitissa beach is located on the south-western coast of Aegina island. The beach is open to north-west weather and has a cove shaped bay. It features easy access by road and has available by the road parking spots. The foot access to the beach can be made through an easy path and its seabed and coast morphology is dominated by sand. The Aeginitissa beach has weak sea currents all season, with normal water temperatures and medium swim depth. The location offers food and drink amenities in beach bars, along with free sunbeds. 

Find out more about Aeginitissa beach such as live weather, user photos and directions through keeano app.

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Best Anchorages and Itineraries in Aegina:

Aegina’s proximity to most of Athens’ marinas, makes the island one of the most popular yachting destinations, by peaking traffic around the weekends. For this reason, Aegina as a sailing destination attracts on its port, on the picturesque fishing village “Perdika” and on some of its bays (such as “Klima” bay), some of the most remarkable yachts and sailing boats, cruising on the Saronic gulf. Having so much traffic especially in high season, most of the anchorages can be very busy and sometimes vulnerable to swell that appears unexpectedly. 

We at keeano are using our statistical data, to identify possible anchorages, based on previous coastal occupancy, throughout the seasons.

Best Marinas and ports in Aegina:

1: Port of Aegina and Marinas, Aegina, Greece

The Port of Aegina is a very busy port. Yachts, ships and sailings boats, constantly coming and leaving. Certainly, during the sailing season, there are limited berths in the marina available (marina is usually filled with local yachts in permanent moorings) and charter yachts most possible will be turned away. Should unquestionably speak with the berth office if you want a spot inside the traditional marina. Make sure that your anchor holds well, cause the seabed is muddy. Aegina is overcrowded, even more so in and around the weekends when it can be an inimical place with shouting and crossed anchors. After you safely dock, start enjoying the lovely town. 

Find out more details about Port of Aegina and marinas, through keeano app. 

2: Souvala Vathi Marina, Vathy, Aegina, Greece

The mini harbor of Souvala village on the north coast of Aegina Island is often underestimated. The valuable part (varying from 3 to 4 m deep) of the mole who is a few boat lengths long, go beside or bows-to / stern-to near the red light. It is a reliable shelter (except for the strong northerlies), having a stable holding on the sandy seabed. 

Find out more details about Souvala Vathi Marina, through keeano app.

3: Perdika Marina, Marathona, Aegina, Greece

The second port of Aegina is a beautiful small fishing harbor/marina on the North Coast of the island. The small marina offers reasonable shelter in settled weather but is open W and strong winds from that direction make it untenable. Yachts moor stern/bows-to using their anchors wherever there is space, taking lines to one of the two stone jetties. Depths are variable from 2 to 3 meters, but less in areas of ballasting. 

Find out more details about Perdika Marina, through keeano app.

Best Anchorages and Itineraries in Aegina: 

While visiting Aegina by sailing boat or motorboat, you will find many remote anchorages where you can anchor and enjoy the sun and the sea away from the crowds! The Saronic Gulf is a very well protected cruising area with mild winds, averaging Force 3-4, usually from the North to North-East, ideal for relaxed sailing. If you are sailing right away from an Athenian marina to Aegina, it is advisable to take weather forecasts day by day and plan your route, heading south towards the Argolic gulf, depending on your mood and the sailing conditions. 
Our statistical data from previous sailing and motor boat positions indicate 16 confirmed anchorages around Aegina island.

TIP: Take advantage of keeano’s App, live vessel position to have an estimation of Anchorage boat occupancy, before you set sail!

Best Anchorages on Aegina island:

1. Anchorage in Vathy, Aegina, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 46’ 27” N 23° 29’ 22” E

Open to weather from N, NE, E, W, NW. Beach reachable by dinghy. Max Depth 7m.  
Find out more about Anchorage in Vathy, Aegina island such as live weather, user photos and live AIS Class B sailing positions live on the Anchorage, through keeano app. 

2. Anchorage in Zoodochos Pigi, Aegina, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 46’ 26” N 23° 32’ 55” E

Open to weather from North, North-East, East, West, and North-West. Beach reachable by dinghy. Min Depth 10m.  
Find out more about Anchorage in Zoodochos Pigi, Aegina island such as live weather, user photos and live AIS Class B sailing positions live on the Anchorage, through keeano app. 

3. Anchorage in Portes, Aegina, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 42’ 37” N 23° 31’ 27” E

Open to weather from North-East and East. Beach and restaurants, easily reachable by dinghy. 
Min Depth 3m. 
Find out more about Anchorage in Portes, Aegina island such as live weather, user photos and live AIS Class B sailing positions live on the Anchorage, through keeano app. 

4. Anchorage in Klima, Aegina, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 40’ 32” N 23° 28’ 36” E

Open to weather from South and South-West. Beach and restaurants, reachable by dinghy. 
Min Depth 13m, Max Depth 20m. 
Find out more about Anchorage in Portes, Aegina island such as live weather, user photos and live AIS Class B sailing positions live on the Anchorage, through keeano app. 

5. Anchorage in Marathona, Aegina, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 40’ 32” N 23° 28’ 36” E

Open to weather from West and North-West. Beach and restaurants, reachable by dinghy. 
Min Depth 10m. 
Find out more about Anchorage in Marathona, Aegina island such as live weather, user photos and live AIS Class B sailing positions live on the Anchorage, through keeano app. 

This concludes our first stop in “Sailing in Saronic Gulf”. Stay tuned for the next articles on Agkistri, Poros, Hydra and of course Spetses islands, with the best beaches and anchorages as can be seen through keeano application. 

Download the App here: https://keeano.com/