🪪 The island at a glance
📍 Where it is
Poros is in the Argosaronic Gulf, between Aegina and Hydra, tucked against the coast of the Peloponnese. From Piraeus the fast ferries arrive in about an hour and the conventional ferries in two and a half. Opposite it, two hundred metres away, is Galatas, which you can also reach by car from Athens, and from there small boats cross to the island every few minutes, day and night.
📍 Where Poros is
Poros is in the Argosaronic Gulf, tucked against the coast of the Peloponnese, opposite Galatas. The island is shown in red, and in green Piraeus, where the ferries leave from, and Athens airport.
🗺️ The map of the island
Poros is in fact two islands. Little Sferia, a rock opposite Galatas, has the town, the harbour and the Clock Tower. A bridge joins it to the big Kalavria, covered in pine trees, where the beaches are, Askeli, Neorio and Love Bay, the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi, the temple of Poseidon in the centre and the Russian Naval Base in the west. A road goes around it, an hour by bicycle or scooter.
🗺️ Map of Poros
Poros is two islands: little Sferia, with the town and the Clock Tower, and big Kalavria, with the pine trees, the beaches, the Monastery and the temple of Poseidon. Opposite, across two hundred metres of sea, are Galatas and the Lemon Forest. Tap each number to see what it is.
Map: Joseph Roux, 1804 (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons
⚖️ Is it worth it? The pros and cons
Poros is an island for an easy, green escape close to Athens, not for big sandy beaches and Cycladic lanes. Here is an honest picture.
📊 At a glance, from 1 to 5
👍 The pros
- One hour from Piraeus, the easiest island for a day.
- The loveliest arrival in the Argosaronic, through the strait.
- Pine trees down to the sea, a monastery, an ancient sanctuary and Russian ruins.
- The Peloponnese five minutes away: the Lemon Forest, Troizina.
- Open all year round, cheaper than Hydra and Spetses.
👎 The cons
- The beaches are modest for anyone who knows the Cyclades.
- At weekends it fills up with Athenians and sailing boats.
- Few sights for more than two days.
- Cars and scooters on the streets of the town.
🕰️ The town and the Clock Tower
The town of Poros is built like an amphitheatre on the rock of Sferia, with neoclassical houses in white, ochre and pink coming down to the quay. At the top, the white Clock Tower of 1927 is the symbol of the island: you climb up by steps through the lanes in ten minutes, and from above you see the strait, Galatas, the mountains of the Peloponnese and the sailing boats coming into the harbour. The harbour is the life of the island: cafés, tavernas, fishing boats, yachts from all over Europe, and the boats from Galatas coming and going.
Poros was the first naval base of the Greek state, from 1828, and the Navy is still here, at the training centre next to Neorio. The small Archaeological Museum on the quay has finds from Kalavria and Troizina. Henry Miller wrote that passing through the strait of Poros was “like sailing through a dream”, and from the deck of the ferry you understand what he meant.
Neoclassical houses and the Clock Tower at the top.
The symbol of the island, since 1927.
Boats, cafés and yachts from all over the world.
This is how you see it from the ferry.
From the lanes, towards the Clock Tower.
Photos: Julien Seguinot (CC BY-SA 2.0), Eustaquio Santimano (CC BY 2.0), ArnoWinter (CC BY 3.0), Vlahos Vaggelis (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Climb up to the Clock Tower an hour before sunset. The sun goes down behind the mountains of the Peloponnese, the strait turns gold and the lights of Galatas come on opposite. Then go down for an ouzo on the quay.
🏛️ Kalavria: Poseidon, the Monastery and the Russian Naval Base
In the centre of Kalavria, among the pine trees, is what is left of the temple of Poseidon, from the 6th century BC, the sanctuary where the cities of the Amphictyony of Kalavria met. Here in 322 BC Demosthenes, the great orator of Athens, took refuge, hunted by the Macedonians, and drank poison so that they would not catch him. The stones are few, because the people of Hydra took them to build their houses, but the view and the quiet are worth the trip.
On the east coast, the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi, from the 18th century, is built above a spring, among pine trees and cypresses, with a carved wooden iconostasis and a small beach below. On the west coast, the Russian Naval Base is the ruins of the warehouses the Russians built in 1834 to supply their fleet in the Mediterranean: stone arches among the pine trees, next to a quiet bay.
Among the pine trees, with its spring.
A few stones, many pine trees and the story of Demosthenes.
The sanctuary where the cities of the Aegean met.
The warehouses of the Russian fleet, from 1834.
The big beach of the island.
Photos: Einer flog zu Weit (CC BY-SA 3.0), Robin Iversen Rönnlund (CC BY-SA 3.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), Schuppi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Opposite, five minutes by boat from the harbour, Galatas has the Lemon Forest: thirty thousand lemon trees on a slope, with watermills, paths and a taverna at the top, where you drink lemonade from the lemons you see. In spring, when they blossom, the scent reaches Poros.
🏖️ The beaches
The beaches of Poros are small, with coarse sand or pebbles, and all among pine trees. Askeli is the biggest, organised, with hotels, water sports and tavernas. Neorio, west of the town, also has sports and bars, and a little further on Love Bay is a small sandy beach among the pine trees, the most photographed on the island. Kanali, next to the bridge, is the town beach, and the beach of the Monastery is quiet, below the monastery. In the north, Vagionia is a remote bay where, under the water, you can see the foundations of an ancient town.
- Askeli: the big one, organised, with water sports.
- Love Bay: small and pretty, among the pine trees.
- Neorio: near the town, with sports and bars.
- Kanali: the town beach, next to the bridge.
- Monastery: quiet, below Zoodochos Pigi.
- Vagionia: remote, with the ancient town under the water.
🍽️ What to eat
On the quay of Poros eat fish and seafood with a view of the strait, or cross over to Galatas, where the fish tavernas are cheaper. From the Lemon Forest get lemon spoon sweet, liqueur and lemonade, and from the island pine honey. In the evening, the harbour fills with bars and cafés, mainly at weekends.
📅 When to go
Poros is an island for all year round, because it is an hour from Athens and the town never closes. The best time is spring, from April to June, when the lemon trees blossom, and September and October, with a warm sea. In July and August it fills up at weekends, with Athenians and sailing boats. In winter it is a quiet, green day trip.
⛴️ How to get there from Athens
| How | Duration | From | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast boat | About 1 hour | Piraeus | Many sailings a day, all year round. Continues to Hydra and Spetses. |
| Conventional ferry | About 2.5 hours | Piraeus | Cheaper, via Aegina and Methana. Takes cars. |
| Car and boat | About 2.5 hours + 5 minutes | Athens → Galatas | Via Corinth and Epidaurus. Boats every few minutes. |
From Ioulianou 50 you go to Piraeus on Line 1, straight to the port, where the fast ferries to Poros leave. On the island there is a bus from the town to Askeli and the Monastery, and you rent a bicycle or scooter at the harbour. For the other islands of the Argosaronic, see our guide to the Argosaronic islands.
🗓️ Three days on Poros
The town and the Clock Tower
Arrival by fast ferry through the strait. A stroll along the harbour and through the lanes, a climb up to the Clock Tower for the view, the Archaeological Museum. Fish on the quay at midday, a swim at Kanali or Askeli in the afternoon, and sunset from the Clock Tower.
Kalavria
By scooter, bicycle or bus: the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi, the temple of Poseidon among the pine trees, and the Russian Naval Base. A swim at Love Bay or Neorio, and the evening in the bars of the harbour.
Across the water
By boat to Galatas, five minutes. A walk through the Lemon Forest, among thousands of lemon trees, and lemonade at the taverna. If you have a car, ancient Troizina, the birthplace of Theseus, is ten minutes away.
Frequently asked questions
Is Poros worth a day trip from Athens?
Yes, it is the easiest island for a day trip: an hour by fast ferry, the town and the Clock Tower on foot, a swim at Kanali or Askeli, fish on the quay and back in the afternoon. If you stay one night, you also have time for Kalavria and the Lemon Forest.
Where should I stay on Poros?
In the town, for the harbour, the restaurants and the view. At Askeli, for a hotel with a beach. At Neorio, for quiet among the pine trees, a few minutes from the town.
Can I come with my own car?
Yes. Either on the conventional ferry from Piraeus or by road to Galatas, from where small ferries take cars across to the island. For Poros alone, though, you do not need it: a bicycle, a scooter and the bus are enough.
How many days do I need?
One day for the town and a swim, two for Kalavria and the Lemon Forest. For longer, combine it with Hydra or Spetses, which are on the same route.
— Kathy
