Planning a trip to Spetses
Getting There
Daily hydrofoil and ferry service to Spetses and other Saronic Gulf islands is offered by Hellenic Seaways (tel. 210/419-9200; www.hellenicseaways.gr). Saronikos Ferries (tel. 210/417-1190) takes passengers and cars to Aegina, Poros, and Spetses; cars are not allowed to disembark on Hydra. Euroseas (tel. 210/411-3108) has speedy catamaran service from Piraeus to Poros, Hydra, and Spetses. For information on schedules, you can try one of the various numbers of the Piraeus Port Authority (tel. 210/412-4585, 210/422-6000, or 210/410-1480), but phones are not always answered. On Spetses, try tel. 22980/72-245; www.openseas.gr is a useful site for ferry schedules as is www.gtp.gr.
Visitor Information
The island's travel agencies include Alasia Travel (tel. 22980/74-098) and Spetses & Takis Travel (tel. 22980/72-215). Andrew Thomas's Spetses (Lycabettus Press), usually on sale on the island, is the book to get if you want to pursue Spetses's history. You can also check out www.greeka.com/saronic/spetses and the helpful www.spetsesdirect.com.
Getting Around
The island's limited public transportation consists of several municipal buses and a handful of taxis. Motorcycle and moped agents are required to, but do not always, ask for proof that you are licensed to drive such vehicles and give you a helmet. Be sure to check the tires and brakes; mopeds start at 15€ a day, motorcycles start at 20€—except on summer weekends, when the sky is the limit. Bikes are also widely available, and the terrain along the road around the island makes them a good means of transportation; three-speed bikes cost about 12€ per day, while newer 21-speed models go for about 15€. Horse-drawn carriages can take you from the busy port into the quieter back streets, where most of the island's handsome old mansions are located. Take your time choosing a driver; some are friendly and informative, others are surly. Fares are highly negotiable.
The best way to get to the various beaches around the island is by water taxi. Locals call it a venzina (gasoline); each little boat holds about 8 to 10 people. Here, too, fares are negotiable. A tour around the island costs about 50€. Schedules are posted on the pier. You can also hire a water taxi to take you anywhere on the island, to another island, or to the mainland. Again, prices are highly negotiable. Ayia Marina, about a 30-minute walk southeast of Spetses Town, is the best beach close to town and terribly popular; it’s the place to see and be seen for a chic Athenian crowd, some of whom arrive in high style via horse and buggy. On the forested west coast, 6km (4 miles) west of Spetses Town, Ayii Anaryiri has one of the best sandy beaches anywhere in the Saronic Gulf, a perfect C-shaped cove lined with trees, but almost more bars and tavernas than greenery. Also on the west coast, about 10km (6 miles) west of Spetses Town, is the beach at Ayia Paraskevi, bordered by pine trees. The idyllic stretch of sand figures in The Magus, though it's no longer the isolated strand it once was. West over some rocks is the island’s official nudist beach.
Fast Facts
The National Bank of Greece is one of several banks on the harbor with an ATM. Most travel agencies (9am-8pm) will also exchange money, usually at less favorable rates than banks. The local health clinic (tel. 22980/72-201) is inland from the east side of the port. The police (tel. 22980/73-100) and tourist police (tel. 22980/73-744) are to the left off the Dapia pier, where the hydrofoils dock, on Boattassi. The port authority (tel. 22980/72-245) is on the harborfront. The post office is on Boattassi near the police station; it's open from 8am to 2pm Monday to Friday. The telephone office (OTE), open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 3pm, is to the right off the Dapia pier, behind Hotel Soleil. Internet access is available at Delphina Net-Café on the harborfront for 5€ an hour.
