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Three Ways to Sail Greece’s Photogenic Saronic Isles This Summer

The Aegean and Ionian Seas may be more renowned among world travelers, but it’s a trip to the Saronic Gulf that will show the real meaning of Greek luxury. 

Poros island faces Galatas town along Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula.

Poros island faces Galatas town along Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula.

Photographer: Cavan Images/Cavan Images RF
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On some Greek islands, the international crowd is so dominant, “you may miss what Greece is all about,” says Indiana-based travel agent Kelly Shea of Kelly Shea Travels.

Not so in the islands of the Saronic Gulf, where well-heeled Athenians meet for leisurely beach lunches of fresh-grilled whole fish with lemon and olive oil and stroll coastal boulevards or hike through pine forests. This island chain, set at the foot of the rugged Peloponnese peninsula, is just west of Athens, so close to the city that some locals commute back and forth. To its north is the ancient capital of Corinth, and just east are coastal towns such as Galatas, with rustic charms.