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7-day Saronic Gulf sailing itinerary from Athens

A week round the Saronic Gulf is the classic first charter from Athens: short passages in sheltered water, a different island harbour every night, and Aegina, Poros, Spetses and Hydra — four islands with very different characters — all within a day's sail of one another.

This loop starts and ends at Alimos Marina and covers about 115 nautical miles in six sailing days, an average of under 20 a day: typically three to five hours under way, with the rest of the day for swimming, lunch at anchor and the evening ashore.

Day by day

Distances are approximate. The order can be reversed, and your skipper — or you, if you sail bareboat — will adjust it to the forecast.

About 115 nautical miles in all

  1. Day 1 — Alimos Marina

    Night: Alimos Marina

    Check in from 15:00, stow your bags, and walk through the yacht with our team. Use the afternoon to shop for provisions and have dinner ashore; sleeping aboard in the marina on the first night means an early, rested start.

  2. Day 2 — Alimos to Aegina

    About 16 nautical miles · Night: Aegina town harbour, or at anchor off Agia Marina

    A short first passage across the gulf, with the Acropolis and Athens behind you. Moor stern-to on the town quay in Aegina, where the waterfront stalls sell the island's famous pistachios.

    If you arrive early, take a taxi up to the Temple of Aphaia, one of the best-preserved temples in Greece, or swim in the bay at Agia Marina below it.

  3. Day 3 — Aegina to Poros

    About 15 nautical miles · Night: Poros town quay, or at anchor in Poros bay

    South along the west coast of Aegina, with a lunch and swim stop at Agistri or Moni, then past the volcanic peninsula of Methana into the narrow strait that separates Poros from the mainland.

    Poros town climbs the hill to its clock tower; across the strait, a few minutes by water taxi, is Galatas and the lemon groves behind it.

  4. Day 4 — Poros to Spetses

    About 25 nautical miles · Night: Spetses, in the Old Harbour

    The longest day of the week: out through the eastern mouth of the Poros strait, round Cape Skyli, and west along the coast of the Peloponnese with Hydra to port. Set off in the morning to be in before the afternoon breeze builds.

    Spetses has almost no cars; hire a bicycle or take a horse-drawn carriage to the mansions of the old town and the Bouboulina museum.

  5. Day 5 — Spetses to Hydra

    About 16 nautical miles · Night: Hydra harbour, or at anchor in Mandraki bay

    Back east, with a lunch stop in one of the quiet bays of Dokos, the almost uninhabited island off Hydra's western tip.

    Hydra's harbour is small and famously busy: arrive by early afternoon, or anchor in Mandraki bay nearby and take a water taxi into town. No cars, only donkeys, stone mansions and swimming off the rocks.

  6. Day 6 — Hydra to Perdika, Aegina

    About 24 nautical miles · Night: Perdika harbour, or at anchor off Moni

    North past the eastern shore of Poros to Perdika, a fishing village on the south-west tip of Aegina with a row of fish tavernas on its harbour.

    Moni, the small island opposite, has a pine-shaded beach and clear water for a last evening swim.

  7. Day 7 — Perdika to Alimos

    About 19 nautical miles · Night: Alimos Marina

    A final passage back across the gulf to Alimos. Check-out is at 09:00 the next morning, Saturday.

Wind and sea in the Saronic Gulf

The Peloponnese and the island of Aegina shelter the gulf from the worst of the meltemi, the strong northerly wind of the Aegean summer, so the sea here is usually far calmer than in the Cyclades. On a typical summer day the morning is light and a breeze fills in around midday.

The meltemi does reach the gulf in July and August, in a gentler form, and it is felt most on the open stretches — the approach to Hydra, the channel between Hydra and Spetses, and the crossing between Aegina and Athens. On those days leave early and be in harbour by mid-afternoon.

  • April–June and September–October: the pleasantest months, warm water and quieter harbours.
  • July–August: hottest and busiest. Hydra and Poros fill early, so plan to arrive by early afternoon.
  • Harbour moorings are almost all stern-to, dropping your anchor and reversing up to the quay.

Who this route suits

  • First-time sailors: short, sheltered passages and an easy first day. Add a skipper and nobody in the group needs a licence.
  • Families with children: a swim stop every day, and a different harbour town to explore every evening. A catamaran sails almost flat.
  • Groups of friends: lively evenings in Aegina, Poros and Spetses, and Hydra's harbour-front bars at the end of the week.
  • Experienced crews short of time: a relaxed week that still leaves room for a longer day, such as a detour to Ermioni or the anchorages of Dokos.

Yachts for the Saronic Gulf

Every yacht in our fleet suits this route. For two to four people, a three-cabin monohull such as Sun, Aeolus or Niriis is the easiest to moor in Hydra's crowded harbour. Families and larger groups usually prefer the space of Stefania or Doris, our two catamarans, or of Achilleas, with six cabins.

The whole fleet is below, smallest first, with this season's weekly price. See also the 7-day Western Cyclades route.