Aegina Harbour

Aegina's harbour is the island's social and commercial centre. Horse-drawn carriages — the island famously banned motorised vehicles from its harbour front — bring arrivals from the ferry terminal to the main streets, setting the tone for an island that has resisted some of the worst excesses of mass tourism. The horseshoe-shaped waterfront is lined with cafes, fish tavernas, and pistachio shops, with the bright-painted caiques of local fishermen moored alongside the ferries.

The main town spreads back from the harbour through a grid of white-washed streets, with a small covered market, a church or two, and the remains of a medieval tower. It is a compact and agreeable place to wander: buy pistachios by the bag, eat grilled fish at a waterfront table, and watch the traffic from Athens arriving on the afternoon boats. The Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin, a few streets back from the waterfront, is the largest church on the island.

things to do sight neighbourhood
A story
For a brief period in 1827–1828, Aegina was the capital of the newly independent Greek state. The harbour town served as the seat of government during the chaotic early years of Greek independence, and the first coins of the modern Greek state were minted here. The presidency moved to Nafplio and then Athens before many buildings could be completed, leaving little physical trace of this extraordinary moment.