Spetses – Superior Sailing Hub and Stunning World Record Free-diving Spot
Spetses Island is a popular Greek island to Greeks as well as international travellers. The island is lying just off the coast of Peloponnese in the Argo-Saronic Gulf, two hours ferry ride from Athens. Spetses has a sophisticated air about it, with its Venetian mansions and neo-classic houses.
Where is Spetses Greece?
Map of Spetses Greece
Spetses Beach Guide
Spetses Village Guide
Weather and Climate in Spetses
How to Get to Spetses Greece?
Facts about Spetses
The picturesque capital of this beautiful island is named Spetses Town. Here you can enjoy the elegant atmosphere, strolling at the waterfront among yacht marinas, boutique hotels and charming restaurants. You can spend the days swimming and the evenings relaxing in town. Spetses is perfect for you who want to wind down for a few days.
Where is Spetses Greece?
Spetses Greece is sitting off the coast of Peloponnese in the Argo-Saronic Gulf, belonging to the Saronic island group. Spetses is a great travel destination with a lot to offer when it comes to beaches, relaxation, and sightseeing. Just a couple of hours from Athens, it has long been a loved city break destination. Spetses Town is of outstanding beauty with its Venetian mansions and undisturbed streets where you can stroll around quietly, as cars are banned in town.
Map of Spetses Greece
Around Dapia, the main port you will find most cafes and bars of Spetses – a perfect spot for a “sundowner”. It is also in Dapia you you can visit Spetses Museum and Anargyros Mansion, two must-sees in Spetses Greece. During autumn and spring, many sports and athletic events, like marathons, are taking place in Spetses. The new port is known as Dapia and the old port as Baltizar. Walking trails encircle the island, a total of about 25 to 30 km.
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Spetses Beach Guide
Spetses has several great beaches of which Vrellos, Agia Paraskevi and Agia Marina are the best. They are at some distance from Spetses Town, so the best way to reach them is by renting a car or use the island bus. In the center of Spetses Town you will find Agios Mamas beach; and Agia Marina is in walking distance from town, offering watersports.
Organized beaches
- Agia Marina Beach – Sandy, family friendly, located 3 km south of Spetses Town
- Xilokeriza Beach – Pebbled, family friendly, located 8 km from Spetses Town
Partly organized beaches
- Agia Paraskevi – Sandy, family friendly, located 10 km west of Spetses Town
- Agioi Anargiri – Sandy, family friendly, 12 km west of Spetses town
- Kaiki Beach – Pebbled, located 2 km from Dapia
- Town Beach (Agia Mamas) – Pebbled, harbour, located 500 metres from Spetses Town
- Vrellos Beach – Pebbled, family friendly, located 6 km northeast of Spetses Town
- Zogeria Beach – Sandy, secluded, located 9 km northwest of Spetses Town
Spetses Village Guide
- Spetses Town – located on the eastern side of the island with a picturesque port and beautiful architecture. No vehicles, except bicycles and motorbikes are allowed in the town. You can reach other parts of Spetses by boat, bus or rented car.
- Baltiza – is located 1 km from Dapia harbour in Spetses Town. It is the old port of the island, in walking distance from the main harbour Dapia.
- Dapia – is the main port of Spetses, also known as the new port of the island. It is a very picturesque port.
- Kasteli – is located 1 km from Spetses Town. It is a suburb of Spetses Town.
- Kounoupitsa – located 1 km from Spetses Town – yet another picturesque neighborhood of Spetses Town.
- Analipsi – located 1 km from Dapia harbour, a neighborhood of Spetses Town.
Spetses – Weather and climate
| April | May | June | July | August | September | October | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | 16° | 21° | 25° | 28° | 29° | 25° | 19.5° |
| Sea | 15° | 18° | 22° | 24° | 25° | 24° | 22° |
Spetses has a mild and warm Mediterranean climate with sunshine and temperatures ranging from 25 to 38°C during spring and summer. Winters too are mild with just a little rainfall and low humidity. Temperatures rarely drop below 0°C. Spring is the best season for visiting Spetses Greece with temperatures ranging from 15 to 25°C. Autumn too, is a pleasant season to visit the island of Spetses with warm temperatures both in air and in sea, about 25°C. High season during summer is really hot and with many guests, especially during weekends as Athenians use Spetses Greece as a weekend getaway. During winter January is a nice month, often sunny and rather warm. Snow is a rare phenomenon in the island and when it occurs it is only in the mountains.
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How to get to Spetses Greece?
Ferries and high-speed hydrofoils arrive regularly from Piraeus, almost 5 times per day. The ferry ride lasts about 3 hours with the high-speed hydrofoil. Spetses also has ferry connection with Poros, Hydra and some villages on the coast of Peloponnese, for example Porto Heli and Ermioni.
Spetses island has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”, receiving domestic as well as international flights all year. If you fly to Athens, you will need to reach the port of Piraeus and from there to embark on the ferry to Spetses island.
Facts about Spetses
In ancient times, it was known as Pityoussa, and later as Petses. The town of Spetses with a population of almost 4000 is the only large settlement on the island. Also, part of the Municipality of Spetses are the islands of Spetsopoula (very few inhabitants) and Velopoula (uninhabited).
World record free-diving attempts frequently take place
around Spetses island.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the island attracted a number wealthy Greek vacationers from Athens and elsewhere, owning villas or living on large yachts in the port. From the 1980s, these were often supplanted by north European tourists, especially from Britain, who were attracted by the low cost of a holiday. Since package tours were actively discouraged by the island in the early 1990s, the holiday clientele of Spetses island remains more upmarket and largely Greek.
