Beach
Take a water taxi to a cove
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
Poros · Things to do
Things to do in Poros
Beaches, trails, festivals, food and wine: the experiences that make this island its own.
Experiences
Our favourite things to do
Ideas for every kind of day, from a lazy swim to a full-day hike.
Culture
Climb to the clock tower
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
Visit the Sanctuary of Poseidon
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
Nature
Walk in the lemon forest
Cross the strait and walk the paths and water channels of the lemon and orange groves on the slopes above Galatas. Best in spring, when the trees flower.
Lemonodasos, behind Galatas
Hike
Hike to the Devil's Bridge
Wander through the ruins of the city of Theseus, then follow the path up the gorge to the natural rock arch over the stream.
Troizen, on the mainland
Nature
Ride through the pines
Hire a scooter or a bike and follow the quiet roads through the pine forest from the monastery to the temple and down to the north coast.
The roads of Kalavria
Beach
Swim by the Russian dockyard
Swim in the bay at the end of the coast road, under the pines and beside the ruined storehouses of the Russian fleet, and look out to the islet of Daskalio.
Russian Bay, the west
Culture
A day trip to Hydra
Hydra, the island without cars, is about half an hour away. Go for the day, walk its stone harbour, and come back to Poros for dinner.
By fast boat from Poros
Only on Poros
What makes Poros different
What makes Poros different from every other Greek island.
A town you sail through
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.
Two islands and a bridge
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.
Where Demosthenes died
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.
The first base of the Greek navy
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 lemon forest across the water
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.
Last updated