Sailing from Athens: the Saronic Gulf and the Argolic coast
The Saronic Gulf is the sheltered water south of Athens, and the easiest sailing in Greece: islands a few hours apart, harbours that are villages rather than marinas, and a summer wind that is a fraction of what the Cyclades get. Alimos Marina, half an hour from the airport, is the largest charter base in the country, and more weeks start here than anywhere else in Greece.
This guide covers the classic week south from Athens, through Aegina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses and the Argolic coast opposite, with its winds, its harbours and its papers. The figures beside it are live, from the operators’ booking systems today.
When to go
The season runs from April to the end of October, and the Saronic is sailed earlier and later than most of Greece because it is so sheltered. May, June and September are the months to choose: warm, settled and uncrowded. July and August are hot and busy, and Hydra’s harbour is full by early afternoon. Easter week and the first half of October are quiet and cheap, with the sea still warm in October.
Charters run Saturday to Saturday, with check-in on Saturday afternoon and check-out by nine the following Saturday morning. Many operators ask for the boat back in Alimos on Friday evening, which makes the last leg a short one.
The winds
The Meltemi is the north wind of the Greek summer, strongest from mid-July to the end of August. In the Cyclades it blows a steady force 6 to 7 for days; in the Saronic it arrives filtered by the mountains of Attica and the Peloponnese, usually a force 3 to 5 from the north or north-east, strongest in the afternoon and in the channels off Cape Sounion and south of Hydra. That is why the gulf suits a first charter and a family crew.
Outside the Meltemi months the pattern is a land breeze in the morning and a sea breeze from the south in the afternoon, light and reliable, which means the morning legs are often motor-sailed and the afternoons are the sailing.
Thunderstorms come through in spring and autumn, mostly over the mainland, and the forecast gives a day’s warning. There is no equivalent of Croatia’s Bura here; the one thing to watch is a strong Meltemi day for the leg across to Spetses or back to Athens.
Where the boats leave from
Alimos Marina, on the coast road between Athens and the airport, holds over a thousand berths and most of the charter fleet; it is a working marina rather than a pretty one, with chandlers, supermarkets and tavernas around it. Lavrion, an hour east near Cape Sounion, is the base to choose for the Cyclades rather than the Saronic. Smaller fleets start from Kalamaki, Zea in Piraeus, and from Poros itself.
The airport is 35 minutes from Alimos by taxi. Provisioning is a supermarket across the road, and the larger chains deliver to the marina.
Licences and papers
Greece requires the skipper of a bareboat charter to hold a licence and asks for a second crew member with sailing experience. An ICC, an RYA Day Skipper or a national licence of the same level is accepted. If the second person has no licence, they sign a declaration of experience at check-in; the operator provides the form. Without a licensed skipper on board, book a skippered charter.
The operator handles the boat’s papers and the crew list with the port authority. The obligatory extras on a Greek boat are the final cleaning, sometimes a transit log and the tourist levy, and they are inside every price on this site.
Harbours and money
Most nights are on a town quay, stern-to with your own anchor, at a charge of a few euros collected by the port police, plus water and electricity where they exist. Hydra and Poros are the two to arrive at early: by three in the afternoon in August there is no space. Aegina, Ermioni, Porto Cheli and Epidavros are easier. Private marinas, at Porto Cheli and Poros, cost more and are the only places to count on power.
Anchoring is free and the bays are many; the Argolic coast between Ermioni and Porto Cheli has a dozen within an hour of each other. Fuel is at Alimos, Poros, Hydra’s neighbour Ermioni and Porto Cheli.
A week from Athens
The circuit everyone sails, counter-clockwise, with the longest legs on the days the sea breeze helps. Each leg can be cut: Agistri, Methana and Ermioni are all stops in reserve.
| Day | From | To | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Alimos | Aegina (Perdika) | 20 nm | Clear Athens in the afternoon and anchor off the fishing village of Perdika on Aegina’s south-west corner, or take the town quay in Aegina. |
| Day 2 | Perdika | Poros | 17 nm | Down the Methana peninsula into the narrow strait between Poros and the mainland; moor on the town quay facing Galatas. |
| Day 3 | Poros | Hydra | 12 nm | Leave early; Hydra’s harbour has no cars, no anchoring space and no room after lunch in summer. A night to remember. |
| Day 4 | Hydra | Spetses | 15 nm | Along Hydra’s long south coast to Spetses; the old harbour (Baltiza) is the prettier mooring, the new one the easier. |
| Day 5 | Spetses | Ermioni | 10 nm | Across to the mainland village on its narrow peninsula, with bays on either side and tavernas on the quay. |
| Day 6 | Ermioni | Epidavros | 25 nm | The long leg north up the Argolic coast to Palaia Epidavros, with the ancient theatre half an hour inland. |
| Day 7 | Epidavros | Alimos | 28 nm | Back across the gulf to Athens, past Aegina; leave by nine to be in the marina for the afternoon. |
Questions people ask
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht in Greece?
Yes: a recognised skipper’s licence (an ICC or an RYA Day Skipper is accepted) and a second crew member with experience, who signs a declaration if they hold no licence. Otherwise, book a skippered charter.
How strong is the Meltemi in the Saronic Gulf?
Much weaker than in the Cyclades: usually force 3 to 5 from the north in July and August, strongest in the afternoon. The gulf is the standard choice for a first Greek charter for that reason.
Which is the best month to sail from Athens?
May, June or September. Warm water, settled weather, harbours with space, and prices well below August.
Can I sail from Athens to the Cyclades in a week?
Only with a strong crew and settled weather: Kea and Kythnos are reachable, but the Meltemi makes the return a beat. Most operators suggest Lavrion as the base for the Cyclades and Alimos for the Saronic.