The Saronic Gulf Islands are a group of islands that are situated very close to Athens. They consist of the islands of Aegina, Hydra, Agistri, Spetses, Salamina, Poros and the small peninsula of Methena.All of the Argosaronic islands have daily and frequent connections with Pireaus Port, and with Athens being only a breath away, they attract a lot of visitors for weekend breaks.The island of Aegina is only 1½ hours away from Pireaus and attracts a lot of visitors that come here even for just a day. There are a lot of Fish restaurants, bars, cafes, and there are also a lot of beaches that make this island ideal for family holidays.
The islands connected their progress and course with sea. They flourished in the 6th century B.C. and they achieved an especial development in commerce and navigation. Their flourish reduced when Athens made known as a great marine power, after the end of the Persian wars, in which the islands took part and the most important naval battle between Greeks and Persians took place in the Salamina’s narrow in 480 B.C
At that time, they accepted Athenians possessors by allotment. Following, they passed in Macedonian’s domination and later on, they submitted to Romans. In the Byzantine era they experienced repeatedly destructions by piratical raids. Very important was also their contribution to the Greek Revolution of 1821.