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Salamina, or Salamis, is the largest island in the Saronic Gulf and the closest to Athens, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait that small ferries cross in just a few minutes from Perama. It is above all a place of history: in 480 BC, in the straits between the island and the coast of Attica, the Greek fleet led by Themistocles defeated the much larger Persian navy of Xerxes in the Battle of Salamis, one of the most decisive naval battles of the ancient world. Monuments and a memorial on the Kynosoura peninsula recall the battle, and the playwright Euripides is said to have been born here. Salamina is a lived-in island rather than a tourist resort, home to tens of thousands of people and a popular place for Athenian families' summer houses. Its main town, also called Salamina, is busy and practical, while Ampelakia, Selinia and Peristeria have small harbours and fish tavernas on the water. The seventeenth-century Monastery of Faneromeni, set among pines on the north-west coast, is decorated with remarkable frescoes. On the quieter south and west coasts, at Kanakia and Eantio, there are pine-fringed coves for swimming. Salamina suits budget travellers, history lovers and visitors wanting a short escape from Athens.
Quick facts
LOCATION
Saronic Islands
KNOWN FOR
Ancient battle site & fish tavernas
BEST FOR
History, Churches & monasteries, Local food, Budget-friendly, All-year destination
Beaches
Kanakia Beach
Peristeria Beach
Eantio Beach
Religious Sites
Monastery of Faneromeni (Salamina)
Museums & History
Salamis Naval Battle Memorial (Tymbos)
Archaeological Museum of Salamina
Other
Euripides Cave
Transportation
Port of Paloukia
Port of Selinia
By air
Salamina has no airport. Athens International Airport, with flights from across Europe all year, is about an hour away by road to Perama, from where car ferries cross to the island in a few minutes.
By ferry
Salamina is just off the coast of Attica: car ferries cross from Perama, next to Piraeus, to Paloukia in a few minutes, around the clock, and from Nea Peramos near Megara. Small passenger boats also run from Piraeus.
Getting around
Useful. The island is fairly large, with its coves and the Faneromeni monastery spread out, and bringing a car on the short ferry from Perama is easy and common.
Saronic Islands
