Hello, all,
My mum and I want to take a day trip from Athens to Aegina. We're not interested in swimming/snorkeling/etc., so would like to just go there and come back. A ferry seem like the obvious option, but reviews of both Hellenic and San Lorenzo are bad—REALLY bad (lots of mentions of crew yelling at passengers, tickets not being honored, etc.).
Is there another option out there, or should we grit our teeth and deal with the ferries?
Cheers!
Athens - Aegina is more like suburban traffic. You shouldn't expect a cruise experience. I've done this transit many times over forty years, and yes, crew members can be a bit direct in tone (like bus drivers), but I've never experienced any real aggressiveness. And except for boarding, you hardly ever meet one. Enjoy the ride on deck and don't listen to the cassandras.
Great—thanks, @sla019. I was hoping that would be the case, but was concerned that if folks started yelling at us 'cause we're clueless (which we will be), my mum might get flustered, which would ruin the whole trip for her.
We have done this trip several times over the past few years with no crew issues at all. There are several ferries on the route and we just show up and buy tickets for whichever ferry is next.
The crews do tend to try and hustle people on board but I have not seen any rudeness. With regard to tickets, there are several booths at the port selling tickets for the various ferries on the route. I suppose someone could buy a ticket for one line and then try and board the ferry for a different line which would be an issue.
In theory, if you show up and go to a booth and request a ticket for the next ferry, they are obliged to direct you to the proper booth if it is not their ferry. We have never had an issue with that either and have, more than once, been directed to a different booth for the company with the next ferry.
One thing to be careful about is which ferry route you want to take. For our first few years going there, you could only get a ferry to Aegina Port. Last year, ferries started also running to Agia Marina on the east side of the island. While we stay in Agia Marina, there is not as much to do on a day trip as there is in Aegina Port and to get to the other side of the island you would need a car or to take a taxi. So we usually take the ferry to Aegina Port and rent a car for our stays on the island.
There are also local buses that run between Aegina Port and Agia Marina.
There is a stop at the Temple of Aphaia, which is the most likely place you'd want
to get off along the way. You can then get the bus again, or, walk downhill into
Agia Marina, wander around/have lunch, and then either catch the bus back to
Aegina Port for a return ferry, or catch one in Agia Marina.
My observation of the ferries is in line with the other comments. Nothing to worry
about, especially if you're going for the day and not bringing a lot of stuff.
More importantly, the ferry boats are not that easy to find if you take the subway to
Piraeus and expect everything to be right there. Give yourself a little time, and also
note how you got there so you can get back to the subway at the end of the trip.
Thanks for the excellent advice, everyone, including paying attention to the location options. This is a huge help!
