Πόρος · A town on a volcanic rock, a strait you can almost swim across, and pine woods full of coves
Sail down a strait so narrow the boats seem to pass along the main street, climb to the clock tower above the red roofs, swim in green coves under the pines and cross in five minutes to the lemon forest on the mainland.
Greetings from Poros
Poros
We came in on the fast boat from Piraeus and the strait closed around us like a river, with the town on one side and the mountains of the mainland so close we could see people at the cafes in Galatas. This morning we swam in a little green cove under the pines, and at lunch the woman at the taverna sent us out a plate of figs. Now we are sitting on the steps below the clock tower, watching the last water taxis cross the strait as the lights come on.
Hour by hour
Coffee on the strait, a cove in the pines, an ancient sanctuary in the hills and a boat across the water for dinner.
Start on the waterfront of Poros town while the first boats cross to Galatas and the fishermen tie up below the cafes.
Climb the lanes and stairways of the old town to the clock tower on its rock, and look down over the red roofs to the strait and the mountains.
Take the coast road west past Neorio to Russian Bay, and swim in clear water by the ruins of the old Russian naval station.
Back at Megalo Neorio, eat grilled fish and the dish of the day at a taverna with its tables at the edge of the beach.
Drive up through the pines to the Temple of Poseidon, where Demosthenes died, and look out across the Saronic Gulf to Aegina as the heat goes.
Take the little boat over to Galatas for ouzo and small plates on the waterfront, with the lights of Poros town in front of you, or stay on the island for mezedes in a taverna courtyard.
Where to stay
Poros town
Manessi Boutique Hotel · Boutique hotel · €€
Poros town
Sto Roloi · Island houses · €€€
Askeli
Cascade Hotel & Apartments · Hotel & apartments · €€
Only on Poros
What makes Poros different from every other Greek island.
The strait between Poros town and Galatas is only a few hundred metres wide, so every boat that comes in seems to sail along the waterfront, past the cafes and the balconies. Henry Miller, who came this way in 1939, wrote that sailing slowly through 'the streets of Poros' was a joy almost too deep to remember.
The town covers Sphairia, a small volcanic rock of red roofs and steep lanes. A short bridge at Kanali joins it to Kalavria, the ancient Kalaureia, a much larger island of pine forest, coves and quiet hills. In one day you can go from a busy harbour to a cove where you only hear the cicadas.
In the hills of Kalavria lie the stones of the Sanctuary of Poseidon, the meeting place of an ancient league of seven cities. In 322 BC the Athenian orator Demosthenes, hunted by the Macedonians, took refuge here and took poison rather than be captured.
In 1828, with the War of Independence barely over, Ioannis Kapodistrias set up the first naval base of the new Greek state in the sheltered water west of town. The fleet later moved to Salamis, but the Hellenic Navy still trains its recruits on the shore of the strait.
A five-minute boat ride away, behind Galatas, Lemonodasos is a forest of lemon and orange trees on the slopes of the mainland, with old water channels running through it. In spring, when the trees flower, the scent reaches across the strait.
“To sail slowly through the streets of Poros is to recapture the joy of passing through the neck of the womb.”
Towns & villages
A town of tiled roofs on a volcanic rock, facing the Peloponnese across a strait you could almost swim
Poros town covers almost the whole of Sphairia, the small volcanic half of the island, climbing in tiers of white and ochre houses with red-tiled roofs from the waterfront to the blue-and-white clock tower on the hill. In front of it runs the strait that gave the island its name: poros means 'passage', and here the water between the island and the mainland village of Galatas is only a few hundred metres wide, so ferries, yachts, fishing boats and the little water taxis seem to sail down the main street. Behind the cafes of the harbour, steep lanes and stairways lead up through the old quarter to the clock tower and the view.
The island's main beach, under the pines, looking across the water to the Peloponnese
Askeli is the beach resort of Poros, a long bay of sand and fine pebbles on the south coast of Kalavria, about ten minutes from town. Pine woods come down the slopes behind it, the hotels, apartments and tavernas sit along the beach road, and across the calm water rise the mountains of the Peloponnese. It is where most families stay, with shallow water, water sports and everything within a short walk.
Things to do
Beach
The little boats on the waterfront run out to Love Bay, Russian Bay and the beaches of Neorio, and back again in the afternoon.
From the harbour of Poros town
Culture
Walk up through the lanes and stairways of the old town to the clock tower, and watch the sun go down behind the mountains of the Peloponnese.
Poros town
Culture
Drive or cycle through the pines to the ruins where Demosthenes died, then go down to the bay of Vagionia for a swim.
Kalavria, ≈ 6 km from town
Good to know
Poros lies in the Saronic Gulf, about an hour by fast boat from Piraeus, and only a few hundred metres off the coast of the Peloponnese. It is really two islands joined by a short bridge: Sphairia, a small volcanic rock almost entirely covered by the town, and Kalavria, the large, green part, covered in pines, with the ruins of the Sanctuary of Poseidon in its hills. The name means 'passage', after the narrow strait between the town and the mainland village of Galatas, where ferries, yachts and little water taxis go back and forth all day. Across the water lie the lemon groves of Lemonodasos and the ruins of Troizen, the town of Theseus, and in 1828 the bay west of town became the first base of the navy of modern Greece.
When to go
May, June and September are ideal, warm enough to swim and quieter than high summer. July and August are hot and busy, and weekends all year belong to Athenians, so come midweek if you can.
Getting around
Walk the town, take the summer bus or a water taxi to the beaches, and hire a scooter or bike for the temple and the north. A car is useful for Troizen and Lemonodasos, and can be left in Galatas.
How long
A long weekend lets you see the town, two or three beaches and the temple. Stay four or five days to add Troizen, the lemon forest and a day trip to Hydra.
Getting there
No airport, but close to Athens: about an hour by fast boat or two and a half by ferry from Piraeus, or drive round to Galatas and cross the strait in a few minutes.
Flights & ferries
An ancient sanctuary and the last refuge of Demosthenes, the town of Theseus across the water, the first naval base of the new Greek state, a fleet burned in the strait in 1831, and a century of writers who fell for the view.
Walk through the storyLast updated