Greece - Korina Miller [280]
There are numerous car and motorcycle hiring outfits. Prices start at around €30 to €40 a day for a car and €15 to €25 a day for a 50cc machine. Bicycles are about €8 a day. Sklavenas Rent A Car Aegina Town ( 22970 22892; Kazantzaki 5); Agia Marina ( 22970 32871), on the road towards the Temple of Apollo, hires cars, jeeps, scooters, motorbikes, quads and mountain bikes.
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AEGINA TOWN
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Aegina Town replicates some of the vibrancy of downtown Athens with its gritty charm and decidedly Greek edge. The town is the capital and main port of the island, and its long harbour front buzzes with life. The two-lane harbour-front road is a bit of a speedway, so take care when crossing.
The waterside promenade that runs the length of the harbour makes for a pleasant open stroll, but canopied cafes overwhelm its inland counterpart. Narrow lanes strike inland from the harbour front, across parallel streets that are crammed with shops of every kind. A few 19th-century neoclassical buildings survive and Ancient Greece is represented by the impressive ruins of the Temple of Apollo just to the north of the ferry quays.
Orientation
The large outer quay, with its little church of St Nikolaos, is where the bigger ferries dock. The smaller inner quay is where hydrofoils dock. Crossing the road from the end of either quay and then bearing left leads to Plateia Ethnegersias where the bus terminal and post office are located. This road then continues past the Temple of Apollo, where it becomes single-lane, and on towards the north coast. Turning right from the end of the quays leads along the busy harbour front for about 500m to the Church of Panagytsa and then on to Perdika or Agia Marina.
Information
Aegina does not have an official tourist office, but you can find some useful information at www.aeginagreece.com.
There is a line of ferry ticket offices at the exit to the main quay and an information board listing accommodation options with a telephone handset for direct contact.
Alpha Bank and the Bank of Piraeus are located opposite the end of the hydrofoil quay. The National Bank of Greece is about 300m to the right of the ferry quays. All the banks have ATMs.
Kalezis Bookshop ( 22970 25956; from May) Midway along the harbour front; has a selection of foreign newspapers and books.
Perla Laundry ( 22970 23497; Mitropoleos 23; 7am-1.30pm & 5-9pm; 2kg wash & dry/wash only €5/3) Also does pick up and delivery.
Port police ( 22970 22328) At the entrance to the ferry quays.
Post office (Plateia Ethnegersias; 7.30am-2pm Mon-Fri)
Tourist police ( 22970 27777; Leonardou Lada) A short distance up a lane opposite the hydrofoil dock.
Sights
The intriguing remains of the Temple of Apollo ( 22970 22637; adult/concession €3/2; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun) stand on the hill of Coloni, northwest of the port. The ruined walls, pavements, cisterns and broken pillars in honey-coloured stone are lorded over by a solitary surviving column, all that’s left of a 5th-century-BC temple that was once part of an ancient acropolis. Just below is the informative Sanctuary Museum ( 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun), where you buy tickets and which displays artefacts from the temple. Information is in Greek, English and German.
Festivals & Events
Fistiki means pistachio nut and the three-day Aegina Fistiki Fest (www.aeginafistikifest.gr) was inaugurated in 2009 to promote Aegina’s famous pistachio through events such as live-music concerts, visual-arts events, trade fairs and culinary contests. It is hoped to stage the festival in mid September each year, at the end of the pistachio harvesting period.
Sleeping
Aegina has a reasonable selection of hotels and rooms, but it’s advisable to book ahead, especially at weekends. Some of the more basic hotels are not the best value and can be overpriced.
Marianna Studios ( 22970 25650, 6945869465; www.aeginarooms.com/mariannastudios; 16-18 Kiverniou St; s/d/tr €35/40/45; ) These simple, very basic rooms are an excellent budget