🪪 The island at a glance
📍 Where they are
Spetses is the last island of the Argosaronic Gulf, tucked against the coast of the Argolid, opposite Porto Heli and Kosta. From Piraeus the fast ferries arrive in about two hours, calling at Aegina, Poros and Hydra. The other way is by car to Kosta, where you leave it, and from there a water taxi or boat, ten minutes.
📍 Where Spetses is
Spetses is at the edge of the Argosaronic Gulf, next to the coast of the Argolid, opposite Porto Heli and Kosta. The island is shown in red, and in green Piraeus, Athens airport and Kosta, where you arrive from.
🗺️ The map of the island
Spetses is small and round, covered in pine trees. The town spreads along the whole north coast, from Dapia, the harbour with the square and the Poseidonion, to the Old Harbour, half an hour on foot. A coastal road of twenty-odd kilometres goes around the island, and all the beaches are on it: Agia Marina near the town, Xylokeriza in the south, Agioi Anargyroi and Agia Paraskevi in the west, Zogeria and Vrellos in the north.
🗺️ Map of Spetses
The town, with Dapia, is on the north coast, opposite Kosta, and the Old Harbour a little further east. The Anargyreios is west of the town. The beaches are around the island: Agia Marina near the town, Vrellos and Zogeria in the north, Agia Paraskevi and Agioi Anargyroi in the west, Xylokeriza in the south. Tap each number to see what it is.
Map: Joseph Roux, 1804 (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons
⚖️ Is it worth it? The pros and cons
Spetses is an island for those who want style, history and greenery close to Athens, and are willing to pay for it. Here is an honest picture.
📊 At a glance, from 1 to 5
👍 The pros
- Two hours from Piraeus, and no cars.
- Mansions, horse carriages and the history of 1821 on every corner.
- Pine trees down to the sea and beaches by bicycle or water taxi.
- The Armata, one of the most spectacular festivals in Greece.
- Open and lively all year round.
👎 The cons
- An expensive island, especially at weekends and in August.
- Small, it fills up quickly with Athenians.
- The good beaches are far from the town.
- Lots of scooters on the roads, despite the ban on cars.
🏛️ Dapia, Bouboulina and the Poseidonion
Dapia is the heart of Spetses: a square with cannons above the harbour, where in April 1821 the island declared the Revolution, the first of all the islands. Around it, cafés, waiting carriages, and the mansions of the shipowners of the 18th and 19th centuries, with their tall courtyard doors and their pebble mosaics, courtyards paved with patterns of pebbles. A few steps away, the mansion of Bouboulina, the captain who paid for and led her own ships in the war, is a museum today, and her descendants show you around. In the Museum of Spetses, in the Mexis mansion, her bones are kept, along with the flag of the Revolution reading “Freedom or Death”.
Above Dapia stands the Poseidonion, the grand hotel of 1914, built like the palaces of the Riviera by Sotirios Anargyros, the benefactor who also planted the island’s pine trees. It is the image of Spetses, and a coffee on its terrace is worth it even if you do not stay there. To get around the town, take a horse carriage: it has been the island’s taxi ever since cars were banned.
The centre of the island, around the harbour.
This is where everything starts and ends.
The hotel of 1914, symbol of the island.
The taxi of Spetses.
The captain of 1821, at the harbour.
A museum today, run by her family.
Photos: Jean Housen (CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY 3.0), Qweasdqwe (CC BY-SA 4.0), Thanas Todhe (CC BY 3.0), Svenkaj (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
The carriages wait at Dapia. Prices are fixed for the main routes, to the Old Harbour or Agia Marina, but ask before you get on. In the evening, the carriage ride to the Old Harbour is one of the loveliest things on the island.
⚓ The Old Harbour and the Anargyreios
The Old Harbour, half an hour’s walk east of Dapia, is the place where Spetses became rich: here were built the ships that sailed the Mediterranean in the 18th century and fought in 1821. The boatyards still work, and you can see wooden boats being built the old way, next to the yachts and sailing boats. Above the harbour, Agios Nikolaos, the island’s cathedral, with its tall bell tower and pebble-mosaic courtyard, is the church where the flag of the Revolution was raised. In the evening, the bars and restaurants of the Old Harbour are the nightlife of Spetses.
At the other end of the town, to the west, the Anargyreios and Korgialenios School is a large neoclassical complex from 1927 among the pine trees, built by Anargyros like an English college. John Fowles taught here in 1951, and out of Spetses he made the imaginary island of “The Magus”, one of the best-known novels of the 20th century. The house that inspired him, Villa Yasemia, is above Agia Paraskevi.
Boats, tavernas and bars.
Wooden boats and sailing yachts.
From the pier, every evening.
The school where John Fowles taught.
Photos: Michrou (CC BY-SA 3.0), Camerawalker (CC BY 3.0), Cttsiki (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
🏖️ The beaches
The beaches of Spetses are small, with pebbles or coarse sand, and almost all among the pine trees, which reach down to the water. Agioi Anargyroi, on the west coast, is the biggest and the most organised, and next to it, by swimming or by boat, you enter Bekiris cave, with its blue light. Agia Paraskevi, a little further on, is quieter, with a chapel and pine trees. In the north, Zogeria is a sheltered bay with calm water, boats and a taverna, and Vrellos, also called Paradise, is a small sandy beach in thick forest. Near the town, Agia Marina is the easiest, organised, with a view of Spetsopoula.
The biggest beach on the island.
With Bekiris cave next to it.
Pine trees down to the waves.
Calm water, boats and a taverna.
Green down to the sea, all around the island.
Photos: dronepicr (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
- Agioi Anargyroi: the biggest, organised, with Bekiris cave.
- Agia Paraskevi: pine trees, a chapel and quiet.
- Zogeria: a sheltered bay with a taverna, ideal for families.
- Vrellos: a small sandy beach in the forest.
- Agia Marina: near the town, with sunbeds and a bar.
- Xylokeriza: pebbles and tall pine trees, in the south.
The water taxis from Dapia drop you at any beach you like in a few minutes, but they cost. The boat that goes around the island in summer is cheaper. By bicycle, the circuit takes two to three hours with stops, with quite a few climbs.
🎆 The Armata
Every September, around the 8th of the month, Spetses celebrates the Armata, the naval battle of 1822, when the island’s ships repelled the Ottoman fleet. A week of events ends on the night of the festival: in the harbour of Dapia, in front of thousands of people, a replica of the Turkish flagship is burned in the sea, with fireworks lighting up the whole bay. It is one of the most spectacular festivals in Greece, and the rooms sell out months ahead.
🍽️ What to eat
The island’s dish is fish à la Spetsiota, fish baked with tomato, garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs, which you will find in every taverna. In the Old Harbour and at Dapia eat fresh fish and seafood, and for dessert get amygdalota, the white sweets of almond and rose water that the island’s pastry shops have been making for a century. Spetses has good restaurants, but also Athens prices, or higher.
📅 When to go
Spetses is an island for all year round, because it is close to Athens and the town never closes. The best months are May, June and September, with the Armata as the highlight. In July and August the island fills up, mainly at weekends, and prices go up. In spring and autumn it is ideal for cycling and walking in the pine trees.
⛴️ How to get there from Athens
| How | Duration | From | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast boat | About 2 hours | Piraeus | Several sailings a day, all year round. Via Poros and Hydra. |
| Car and water taxi | About 2.5–3 hours + 10 minutes | Athens → Kosta | You leave the car at Kosta. Boats or water taxis all day. |
| Bus and boat | About 3.5 hours + 10 minutes | Kifisou station → Kosta | KTEL buses of the Argolid, a few departures a day. |
From Ioulianou 50 you go to Piraeus on Line 1, straight to the port, where the fast ferries leave. On the island there are no cars for visitors: you get around on foot, by horse carriage, by bicycle or scooter, and by water taxi to the beaches. For the other islands of the Argosaronic, see our guide to the Argosaronic islands.
🗓️ Three days on Spetses
The town and the Old Harbour
Morning at Dapia, with the cannons and the Poseidonion, and at Bouboulina’s house. Midday at the Museum of Spetses and lunch. Afternoon on foot or by carriage to the Old Harbour, Agios Nikolaos and the boatyards, and evening in its bars.
Around the island
By bicycle or scooter along the coastal road: Agia Marina, Xylokeriza, Agioi Anargyroi with Bekiris cave, Agia Paraskevi. Come back via Zogeria, for a swim and lunch at the taverna in the bay.
Anargyreios and Vrellos
Morning at the Anargyreios School and the pine trees around it, a swim at Vrellos. Afternoon coffee at Dapia and, before you leave, amygdalota to take home.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I stay on Spetses?
In the town, around Dapia, so you have everything on foot: the museums, the restaurants and the fast ferries. Towards the Old Harbour, for the evenings. At Agia Marina, to be next to a beach.
How do I get around without a car?
On foot in the town, by horse carriage for the ride, by bicycle or rented scooter to go around the island, and by water taxi or boat to the beaches. There is also a small bus in summer to Agioi Anargyroi.
When is the Armata?
Around the second weekend of September. The week before has events, and the big night with the burning of the ship and the fireworks is on the Saturday. Book a room from spring.
How many days do I need?
A weekend is enough for the town, the Old Harbour and two beaches. Three days to go around the island at your own pace. It combines easily with Hydra, which is half an hour away by fast ferry.
— Kathy
