"The traveler who visits the island, having only rudimentary knowledge in his carrying case, will wander round monuments of historical value, neoclassical buildings, houses which play with colour like an inspired artist, traditional shops, seafood tavernas, the old Greek coffee shops still frequented by men discussing the politics of our times, small harbours and beaches. They will hear the mythological and historical memory unraveling, unaltered from the depths of time while gazing at the hill of Kolona, the temple of Aphaia, Mount Hellanio and the Governor's Mansion. The island's clear light, the diverse natural environment and bursts of colour throughout the day inspire and attract modern day Myrmidons."

Aegina is the second biggest island in the Argosaronicas. It is 57km long and has 17,000 inhabitants, approximately half of them living in Aegina town. It is named after Aegina, one of the 20 daughters of the river god Asopos, whom Zeus fell in love with, kidnapped and brought to the island.

Aegina has been inhabited since the 5th century BC. It has a long history of commercial shipping, was at one point the capital of Greece and was the first greek city to mint its own coins. It also houses the first library to be established in Greece (in 1829) and has a long established reputation for arts and sculpture. The writer Nikos Kazantzakis ("Zorba the Greek","The Last Temptation of Christ") lived in Aegina and there is a small sculpture of him near the town beach. The town itself has some of the first examples of buildings built in Neoclassical style.

Aegina town is situated in the port of Aegina Island. Although it is the nearest island to Athens, it is unspoilt by tourism, mainly catering to greek tourists and to the nearby Athenians, many of whom have weekend homes there. The port is full from top to bottom with outdoor cafes, patisseries and tavernas, where you can sit and read, gaze at the sea or just watch the hustle and bustle of people going about their daily business. All the cafes look out onto the sea, where you'll see a contrasting mix of the luxury yachts of the rich and the traditional fishing boats of the locals. At night, the port is closed off to cars and the locals come to eat and take a "volta" (walk) along by the sea. There are lots of little backstreets to explore, with bakeries, a fish market, tourist shops small boutiques and of course, more restaurants. Nothing is far in Aegina. You can walk from quiet beaches, to cafes and tavernas, to old historical sights and museums to busy beaches and nightlife - all within ten minutes!

Karapanou House is situated just outside Aegina town. It is a 25 minute walk and a five minute bus/taxi journey from the town. There is also the option of renting bicycles, motorbikes and cars in the town. "view map of aegina"

In Aegina town, there are three popular beaches. One just on the way in (on your route) known locally as Brown beach (as it is opposite Hotel Brown), the other known as Avra beach (very close to the port) and another just a few minutes walk from there (Kolona beach). All three have the facilities of sunbeds and umbrellas for around 5/6 euro for the day and, particularly Avra and Brown, are very close to small shops and restaurants. If you want to find a quiet spot, the best places are near Karapanou House. Here there are a number of places where you can swim undisturbed in beautiful clear water.

Water sports If you want to go scuba diving or jet skiing, these are available on the island. Waterskiing, however, is not but is available on Poros Island. This involves taking a hydrofoil over to Poros and you would need to put aside at least half a day if you want to do this. You can let us know and we can tell you exactly how to get there. If you want to do scuba diving, Aegina Scuba Diving Club is located in Aghia Marina (45 minutes bus journey from Aegina town). For more information see www.diveaegina.com.

Boat trips There are boat trips which take you to a couple of islands in one day. The three nearest islands to Aegina are Spetses, Hydra and Poros. Hydra is particularly charming and peaceful as cars are not allowed on the Island. (For Leonard Cohan fans: Leonard Cohan lived and wrote many of his songs on Hydra in the 1960s and still has a house there).

There is also a one day cruise around the small island nearest to Aegina, which includes swimming and snorkeling. see www.aeginagreece.com for more information. However, just be aware that these all take up a good portion of the day. You might want to concentrate on seeing all there is to see in Aegina for your first time there!

Souvala This is Aegina's second biggest port and is a small and very pretty tourist village.It is known for its hot springs which can help with arthritis, rheumatism and other health problems. Souvala can be reached by bus, motorbike or car (20 minutes from Aegina town).

Perdika is a lovely fishing village and one of the best places in Aegina to view the orange red sunsets. There are rows of tavernas overlooking the sea, with fantastic fish and shellfish. This is the place to go to eat lobster or prawns and watch the sun go down.The deserted island of Moni is a short distance from Perdika and has beautiful, clear, unspoilt waters. You can get a bus from near Karapanou House directly to Perdika and be there in 15 minutes or less.

Aghia Marina This is a tourist resort and is on the opposite side of the island to Aegina town. It takes about 40 minutes to get there by bus. It has good beaches with some nice tavernas situated just above, where you can take in an expansive sea view while you eat. More importantly, it is home to the Temple of Aphaia which is definitely worth a visit.

Temple of Apollo - Kolona

The hill of Kolona is a few minutes walk from the port of Aegina town and consists of the ruins of an old temple. There is evidence there of finds ranging from the late Neolithic period (5th BC) to the Mycenean period (1600-1200 BC). The temple itself was built in the late 6th century BC, only one column now remains and thus the name Kolona. From this standpoint there is a great view of the port, the sea and the surrounding beaches. There is an excellent museum at the same location, with many interesting items of pottery and sculptures.

Temple of Aphaia

The Temple of Aphaia stands on the other side of the island near to Aghia Marina. It is of particular significance as it is said that the Parthenon (Acropolis) was based on the design of this temple. It was built in 500BC and 20 out of the 36 original columns are still standing. It is one of the most beautiful temples of ancient Greece and again, being built on a hill, has panoramic views. Afterwards you can have a cooling drink in the shaded area across from the ruins, where there is a very pleasant coffee shop.

There is a bus from Aegina town over to the Temple of Aphaia. On the way you will get a good view of the enormous church of Agios Nektarios (Saint Nektarios) which was built bit by bit over the years (some say funded from elderly ladies donating their bits and pieces of gold and jewellery). Saint Nektarios, who died in 1920 and was canonised in 1961, was known and loved by the people of Aegina for his work with the poor and for his healing abilities. People still come from all over Greece to celebrate his memory on the 9th November. Nearby is the monastery of Saint Nektarios and behind it is the hill of Palaiochora. This hillside contains the remains of 35 of the 365 churches which once existed there, many again in ruins but some (if you have the energy to walk up) still quite intact and containing well preserved wall paintings.

Small supermarkets

These are a combination of the 'shop on the corner' and the more modern deli. You can take your time browsing through the many varieties of olives, cheeses, hams and salamis and, as all are individually weighed and wrapped, you can try a bit of this and a bit of that. Outside there are crates overflowing with Mediterranean fruits and vegetables. The whole experience is a guaranteed pleasure.

Bakeries

The bakeries are a delight - lovely sweet and savoury pies, baskets of biscuits, freshly made breads, rolls for taking to the beach. You'll also see the old ladies taking home their deliciously smelling roasts - they send them down to the bakery to be cooked if they don't have a fuerno (oven) themselves.

Fruit and vegetable markets

You can live off fresh fruit and vegetables here, at a quarter of the price you pay at home - cherries, peaches, nectarines, grapes - all sweet and delicious. The fruit boats along the port give a great service and you can see if you dare walk the plank to the boat (otherwise they'll bring it out for you).

Fish market This is worth a trip just alone to see the various types of fish on offer - stall upon stall of whole tunas, squid, octopus with dangling legs and many more you won't even have heard of. You can sit in the restaurants beside the fish market and see your fish being transported from market to grill to your plate. Stellios' restaurant is the nearest restaurant to the fish market. You can go into the kitchen to Stellios and Christos and they'll give you a guided tour of what's on offer that day. Stellios cooks all the food himself and you'll be amazed at the array he produces from his tiny kitchen. If you are buying fish from the market, go to Achilleas and tell him Karen sent you!

TAVERNAS/CAFES

There are a whole host of restaurants to choose from in Aegina and food and drink are generally very reasonably priced. Many of the restaurants are beside the sea so if you like to eat outside by the sea under starry skies, or while watching the sun go down in balmy temperatures, Aegina can provide all of the above. Below are some of my favourite places to eat:

Lekkas Lekkas is one of the most reasonably priced tavernas in Aegina and is located on the seafront beside Avra beach. If you always wanted to be Shirley Valentine and sit at a table on the beach, this will be your chance! Food is simple, good, greek food (salads, souvlaki, chicken, steaks and some fish). Their speciality is their roast chicken which is roasted slowly on a spit and then topped with oregano. Latecomers never get a look in as it usually gone within a short time of being ready. Lekkas is also one of the best places to watch the brilliant orange red sunsets.

Stellios

Stellios's taverna is at the fish market (see fish market). They serve the freshest of fish as well as one meat dish every day. It is a taverna in the truest sense, it is rough and ready, but what it lacks in decor, it provides with its colourful atmosphere. All the locals go here and there is constant banter and exchange of jokes going on between all the tables. Again the prices are very reasonable.

Avli

Avli is an open air bar/restaurant (see Bars). They serve steaks, chips, souvlaki, pizza and pastas and the full breakfast in the morning. The food again is simple but very good. If you want to combine your nightlife with your dinner, this is the perfect place to go.

Tropics

Tropics serves a great array of freshly made pastries (the chocolate croissants are fantastic) and sandwiches which you can take away or sit and eat outside. It's right on the port so you can watch the world go by as you are eating.

Panagakis

Panagakis is the classic coffee shop. It has breakfasts, pastries, sandwiches and great coffee. If you go upstairs, there are just three tables on the small balcony and it has the best view of the port of Aegina.

BARS/NIGHTLIFE

Bars/Dancing

There is no shortage of bars in Aegina, but in general (unless you are under 25years) the nightlife is fairly quiet. Bars stay open until the last customer goes home and will often serve food. Spirits are generally the same price as at home, but wine and beer are considerably cheaper. There are lots of small quaint bars in Aegina and as they are all around the same area, they are not hard to find. Particularly popular with both greeks and foreigners alike is the Avli Bar, where there is good music and food, English is spoken and the atmosphere is very friendly.

Bouzoukia

The Bouzoukia is on at the weekends and attract a crowd of young and old alike. This is the traditional greek music and dance. There will usually be a variety of singers, male and female, and the traditional songs tend to be melancholic and lovelorn. The audience, overcome with emotion, throw flowers to the singers (they are not allowed to smash plates any more). Some will get up and perform traditional greek dances - but, again, dancing is an emotional affair and only done by those who 'feel the music in their hearts'.

Kafenios

These are old style coffee shops, generally frequented by older men, sitting chatting to each other and drinking greek coffee. However, at that time just before night falls, when the light is changing, there is no better place to sit in the port and have an ouzo (traditional greek aperitif with an aniseed flavour) and a little plates of mezedes (cheese, olives, slices of octopus).