Greek Island of Salamis (Saronic Gulf)
Click Map for the Salamina Guide

This island is the very closest one to Athens, requiring only a few minutes' ferry ride across a little strait to the port of Paloukia, though one can also take a 45 minute ferry to the alternative ports of Ambekakis and Paralia.

Though Salamina is hardly anyone's favorite island. It does, however, have its virtues, one of them the village of Eandio, in the south part of the island, with its pebble beach and water that has been cleaned up a bit, with some bungalows available in summer and the island's best hotel.

There are some pine trees there. Roads from there lead to the resorts of Perani and Paralia, the latter being one of the ferry destinations from Pireas (Piraeus). Salamina Town, also known as Koulouri (Ring, in Greek), is 3 km from the little port of Paloukia, and home to 18,000 of the island's 23,000 inhabitants.

Also on the water, its beach is unappealing, and the town has no hotels, rooms , or vehicle outfits. Generally, the island's southern part is more attractive, with Enandio, mentioned above, though there is the 17th century Faneromeni monastery in a pine woods on the northernmost of two peninsulas to the west of Koulouri, high up above the gulf that separates Salamina from the mainland industrial city of Megara.

The monastery is built on the foundation of an ancient temple, with a rather amazing 18th century painting of the Last Judgement with over 3000 figures in it, in its church of Metamorfosis.

There's a taverna near the monastery, and places on the shore down below where one can swim. To the east is the village of Psili Ammos (Fine Sand), which has a seaside taverna; the island's highest peak is Mt. Patsi, on the northeast part of the island, with remains of ancient fire towers, once used to sending signals. Annother monastery is Aghios Nikolaos, near Kanakia, southeast from Eandio, with the bus route to it passing over a piney mountain, and a road from it leading to the resort of Peristeria.