Sights on Aegina

A must-see when visiting Aegina is the Temple of Aphaia (Afaia or Aphaea), built around 500–490 BC. It is one of Greece’s best-preserved Doric temples and bears a resemblance to the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, though it is significantly smaller. Unlike at the Parthenon, you generally do not have to jostle with crowds of other visitors. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Aphaia, who was worshiped on Aegina.

The Temple of Aphaia is located 12 kilometers east of Aegina Town and 3 kilometers north of the tourist resort of Agia Marina. Opening hours vary by season.

Temple of Aphaia.

Old and new in the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina.

The Temple of Aphaia is quite similar to the Parthenon Temple in Athens.

Temple of Aphaia one of Greece's best preserved Doric temples.

Don't miss this impressive temple when you are on Aegina.

Agia Marina seen from the Temple of Aphaia.

The Agios Nektarios Church is also worth seeing, not least for the unusual architecture that brings to mind Agia Sofia, the former Greek church in Istanbul (today converted into a mosque). I have never seen a monastery with such a strange architecture in Greece.

Agios Nektarios Church is located between Aegina Town and Agia Marina.

Greeks from near and far make pilgrimages to the Church of Agios Nektarios and the Monastery of Agia Triada to visit the saint. The monastery is primarily associated with Agios Nektarios (Saint Nektarios, 1846–1920), one of the Greek Orthodox Church’s most beloved modern saints. He had served as Bishop of Pentapolis and as head of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Athens. In 1904, he began rebuilding an abandoned monastery site on Aegina and founded a convent there dedicated to the Holy Trinity (Agia Triada). In 1908, he left his post in Athens and settled at the monastery, where he spent the rest of his life. The feast day of Agios Nektarios is celebrated annually on November 9. The monastery is located along the road to Agia Marina, approximately 6 kilometers east of Aegina Town.

Nektarios was canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1961. Within the Orthodox Church, he is regarded as a wonder worker and is particularly associated with the healing of the sick. This is why the monastery has become a major pilgrimage site for Greeks and Orthodox visitors from other countries..

The archaeological excavations of Kolonna are located to the left of the port of Aegina town.

The archaeological excavations in Kolonna are also worth a look. Kolonna is to the left of the port in Aegina town. If you want to see more, even more interesting, sights, take the ferrry over to Athens and revel in all that this amazing city has to offer. You have time to see most of Athens' historical sights in one day. Almost everything is within walking distance of the Plaka district.

Learn more about Aegina here »