The Best Things to do in Spetses

Spetses Port

Spetses is not a large island, only 10 square miles, and most of the population lives in the main port of Spetses Town. This means that if you’re looking to escape the town and explore and relax it can be done in about a 30-minute walk. Known as a retreat for wealthy Athenians, it can be reached in less than two hours by boat from Piraeus. In this blog we’re going to go into more detail about the places you should do and visit whilst on the island, and show why, if you’re visiting the Argo-Saronics, you should visit Spetses.
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Bike or Moped Round the Island  
Cars are banned on Spetses so the only way to get around is via bus or our preferred method, bicycle or moped. Our personal choice would be bike as it allows you to take in the beautiful, serene surroundings as you cycle around. Using a moped, you can follow the track that goes around the island in just over 2 hours, so if you want to take it at a more leisurely pace, bicycle is the way to go. The track running around the island is only partially concreted so a bike may be more suited to adventuring.

Spetses Town
The beating heart of Spetses, the town is where the majority of people who live on the island and the hotels and apartments are. A figure you will likely see around a lot in the town is Laskarina Bouboulina, a legendary figure and admiral in the Greek War of Independence. Leading the efforts of the island as part of the Greek independence movement against the Turks, she is commemorated in a statue in the main square as well as having a museum about her, which is based in her old home. Another museum to check out is the Chatzi-Giannis Mexis Museum which tells the history of Spetses. The old port area of Spetses, in the south of the town has less tourists but is still full to the brim with life and packed with restaurants. Spetses is home to a number of churches as well, all of which vary in age but are all equally beautiful.  

Horse Drawn Carriage
As opposed to bikes or mopeds, you can also get around the island on horse drawn carriages. These are a popular way to see the island and if you want the leisurely pace of a bike without the physical effort than this is the way for you. It’s a beautiful sight seeing many of these carriages walking down the street taking in the sights. 

Beaches
As much of the island is uninhabited, it means there’s plenty to explore and the bays, coves and inlets make for some beautiful beaches across the island. Many of the beaches on Spetses are pebble and the island has some of the best pebble beaches in the Argo-Saronics, these include Ligoneri, Vrellas and Agia Paraskevi. These are along the eastern coast and are all along the track, north of Spetses Town. The only sandy beach is at Agii Anargiri on the west of the island, it has water sports facilities (as do many of the beaches on the island), a number of restaurants and has a cave to the north of it. The beaches can be reached by the track around the island or you can travel by water taxi from Spetses town and from there they can take you to the beaches.  

​We hope this has helped you see what Spetses has to offer and why it stands out from the rest of the Saronic Islands. To find out more about the rest of Greece, take a look around our website or call us on 01157843388. If you know where you’re looking to book call us, email [email protected] or fill in our contact form with what you’re looking for. Don't forget to follow us on social media to find out the next Destination of the Week and for all your Greek Holiday needs. If you've been to Spetses, where was your favourite place? What was the best thing you did or do you think we missed anything? Let us know in the comments or on social media, just click the buttons below which take you to our social pages.

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