Spetses Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
The island of Spetses (pop. 3,916) administratively belongs to the Prefecture of Attica, although its proximity to the Peloponnese mainland puts it geographically in Argolis. It is extremely popular with Athenians, who swarm the place during Easter and summer weekends. Due to the nature of available accommodation, package tourism has not caught on much.
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Get in
By boat
The preferred method of travel from Athens to Spetses is by sea from the port of Piraeus. In high season several passenger-only hydrofoils and catamarans of Hellenic Seaways depart the port of Piraeus daily, calling at the the islands of Poros, Hydra and Spetses, as well as the mainland ports of Hermione and Porto Heli on the Peloponnese. Depending on the ports of call, trip duration from Piraeus to Spetses is between 1 hour 45 minutes and 3 hours 15 minutes. Passenger tickets cost €30 one way. A regular ferry departs every morning from Piraeus, calling at Aegina, Methana (mainland), Poros, Hydra and Spetses. Total trip duration is about 4 hours 30 minutes and tickets are €15.
Only the regular ferry carries motorcycles and bikes to Spetses. Private cars are not officially allowed on the island.
Winter sees a major reduction in service, with only four hydrofoils daily. These are subject to cancellations when the weather turns nasty.
Overland
Due to its proximity to the mainland, many choose to travel to Spetses overland, parking their cars (€4 per day) at Costa on the Peloponnese and then crossing over either on one of the four daily landing-craft ferries (15 minutes, €0,85) or by sea-taxi (3 minutes, €15). Public Inter-City (KTEL) buses connect with the ferry at Costa, to/from Athens and Nauplion daily year-round.
Get around
With private cars officially banned from the island, local transportation is very expensive (although most attractions are within reasonable walking distance). In high season there are two buses connecting the town with the beaches of Aghioi Anargyroi and Aghia Paraskevi on one side and Ligoneri on the other side. Other land transportation includes four taxis and several horse-drawn buggies (high season only). Plenty of bikes and motorcycles are available for hire.
In summer tourist boats provide day trips to the beaches of Aghioi Anargyroi, Aghia Paraskevi and Zogeria. Water taxis are also available year-round, connecting Spetses Town with any beach on the island or the coast of the Peloponnese, just across the narrow straits, but these can be very expensive.
Low-season options are restricted to water-taxis and the four land-based taxis, with the horse-drawn buggies withdrawn from circulation and the buses assigned to transporting students to and from schools.
See
Spetses has two museums. The Hadjiyannis Mexis Museum is located to the southwest of the town--a five-minute walk from the harbour. Open daily except Monday 08:00-15:00 (admission €3) it is housed in the late-18th Century mansion of Hadjiyannis Mexis, one of the local leaders during the 1821 War of Independence, and includes objects from throughout the 4,000-year history of the island. The privately-owned Bouboulina Museum is open daily in high season, with guided tour provided in Greek and English several times a day (admission €5). The museum is housed in the 17th-century mansion of the 1821 War of Independence heroine, Laskarina Bouboulina and mainly exhibits artefacts from that period.
Other intersting attraction include the Mansion of Sotirios Anargyros, an early 20th Century neoclassical building, home of the local benefactor Sotirios Anargyros (1849-1929), just behind the waterfront cafeterias in Spetses Town. To the north of town are the Poseidonion Hotel and the Daskalakis Electricity Factory. The Poseidonion was cosntructed in the early 20th Century and attracted the rich and famous of Athens in its heyday, but has fallen into disrpeair as of late. Renovations began in 2006 to convert it back into a luxury hotel. The Daskalakis factory, which used to provide the island with electricity and ice, has been converted into a luxury hotel.
Do
The celebrations of the Panaghia Armata are the highlight of the summer season on Spetses, attracting as many as 40,000 visitors, and culminating in the re-enectment of an 1822 naval battle between the Greek forces and the Turkish Armada. The show includes an attack on the Turkish flagship with a Greek fire-boat, which sets off a fascinating show of fireworks in the harbour of Spetses Town. The week-long celebrations culminate on the second weekend of September each year, and also include concerts and other cultural events. A special mass is held in the church of Panaghia Armata in the Old Harbour, as well as at Aghios Nikolaos, the metropolis of the island.
Easter is also a very popular time for visiting the island. Holy Week traditions are lovingly passed on from generation to generation, with the highlights being the Good Friday mass, where funeral processions from all parishes converge on Spetses Town for a final open-air mass, and the Saturday midnight celebrations of the Resurrection with fireworks (before everyone returns home for the traditional feast that marks end of a 40-day fast).
Accommodation during the Easter and Armata weekends can be impossible to find, unless booked well in advance.
A walk to the Old Harbour is considered a must for visitors to the island. The coastal road is closed to vehicles in the evenings during summer season, making it a pleasant outing all the way from Spetses Town, past some of the most spectacular mansions, and on to the marina with all the luxury yachts and cruisers of the wealthier holidaying Athenians, all the way to the little churche of the Panaghia Armata and the Lighhouse--one of the first to be built in Greece, in 1837, and still in use. At a leisurly pace the complete walk shouldn't take more than an hour. Cafes, bars and restaurants abound in the Old Harbour.
The island's most popular beaches are Aghioi Anargyroi and Aghia Paraskevi, on the west side of the island. A bus and tourist boats run daily from Spetses Town during the summer season. An acceptable, if somewhat touristy, self-service restaurant operates in-season at Aghioi Anargyroi. The Bekiris Cave at Aghioi Anargyroi, complete with its own sandy beach, is a must-see. Access is overland from the northern edge of the Aghioi Anargyroi beach, or else you can swim inside through a very low opening. The cave served as a hideout for women and children during Turkish attacks on the island.
The very picturesque Zogeria Beach, on the north edge of the island, is also served by tourist boats from the island and boasts a restaurant, serving its specialty of chicken in tomato sauce with spaghetti or chips.
Other beaches on the island, such as Xylokeriza, Ligoneri and Vrellos are only accessible by private transport (motorbikes or bicycles) or with very expensive sea taxis.
The town beach at Aghios Mamas is rather dirty and crowded, but could suffice in a pinch. It's better to continue south to the tiny beach beneath Aghios Nikolaos, or even further to Aghia Marina.
Other interesting sights to visit:
- The fortified former monastery of Aghios Nikolaos, now the Metropolis of Spetses. This was where the Spetsiots declared the War of Independence, on Palm Sunday (2 April) 1821.
- The Anargyrios School, built on the principles of a British Boarding School in the mid-20th Century.
- The Chancellary is the first building one comes upon on disembarking at Spetses Town port. It was the meeting place of town elders before the War of Independence. In the first year of Independence it functioned as the Town Hall. The ground floor is now a shop and cafe.
- The Aghioi Pantes nunnery, a half-hour walk from Spetses Town, commading spectacular views over the beach of Aghia Marina and the neighbouring privately-owned island of Spetsopoula. On a clear day the views stretch out to the island of Hydra and the Mountain of Parnon on the Peleponnese.
- The tiny church Prophet Elia on the mountaintop of Spetses. It's a steep climb from Spetses Town, but the view from the top is fascinating. The dirt road continues down the other side of the island to the beach of Aghioi Anargyroi.
Buy
The local specialty of Spetses (as also of many other Greek islands) are Amygdalota, little almond cakes, sprinkled with icing sugar. The most popular are available at the well-established pastry shops of Klimis and Politis.
Eat
Restaurants abound in Spetses, especially in the high season, ranging from local fast-food outlets to posh, haute-cuisine affairs. Several remain open even in winter, when food is often served around the fireplace.
Drink
Most of the popular bars of Spetses are located around the Old Harbour, which is the place to see and be seen for most Athenians holidaying in Spetses.
Sleep
Plenty of hotels cater to visitors on the island, but rooms tend to be tiny, prices high and service mediocre. Advance reservations are highly recommended during summer months weekends, as well as during Holy Week at Easter. Rooms to let are also available, with owners sometimes meeting arriving boats.
Get out
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