Agistri

Agistri is small enough to walk across, thirteen square kilometres of Aleppo pine sloping to a coast of pale pebble beaches and unusually transparent water; the shallows over white stone turn the sea the colour usually promised by brochures and rarely delivered this close to Athens. Three settlements hold almost everyone: Skala, where the ferries dock, with the island's one sandy beach; Megalochori, quieter, with a small harbour; and Limenaria on the far side, a farming village with a couple of tavernas and views to the Peloponnese. A road and a network of footpaths cross the pine forest between them, and bicycles are the sensible way around. Aponisos, a tiny islet joined by a causeway at the southwestern tip, has the clearest water of all.

What you actually see

• The pine forest - dense woodland covering nearly the whole island.
• Skala beach - the island's one stretch of sand, shallow and calm.
• Aponisos - a causeway islet with exceptionally clear shallows.
• The cross-island paths - walking and cycling routes between the villages.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn for warm water without the summer crowd; the island fills with Athenian weekenders in July and August. Winter is very quiet, with limited services.

Honest expectations

There is little to do beyond swimming, walking and eating, which is the point but disappoints anyone expecting sights. Most beaches are pebble; bring shoes. Accommodation is basic and concentrated in Skala.

Nearby

Aegina is twenty minutes away by boat; Moni islet and the rest of the Saronic Gulf lie beyond.