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Voykit pocket guide · Greece
Spetses
Σπέτσες
Go for 2 nights, car-free: walk Dapia to the Old Harbour (30 min), swim at Aghioi Anargyroi, and book beds weeks ahead for Easter or Armata.
Spetses is a small, pine-covered Saronic island with no private cars, a horse-and-buggy town and a walkable waterfront. It is an Athenian weekend island, so beds and ferries tighten on summer weekends, Easter and the Armata festival in September. Two nights covers the town, the Old Harbour and one beach day; three if you want a boat trip or the Prophet Elia climb.
- Country
- Greece
- Local name
- Σπέτσες
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, crowds, weekend ferry pressure), Easter and Armata weekends for beds
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards are widely accepted; card terminals are required in many businesses.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–100 excl. bed · Mid €100–170 excl. bed · High €170+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at the airport; a passport is needed to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency 112 · Police 100 · Ambulance 166 · Tourist police 1571 · Coast guard 108
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European round two-pin plugs.
- Tipping
- Café: Leave the coins, €0.50–1.; Taverna or restaurant: 5–10% in cash on the table; not expected at gyros shops.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night.; Boat crew or guide: €5–10 per person for a day trip.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in Athens, Thessaloniki and most of the mainland. On many islands it is desalinated or hard: ask locally and buy bottled if unsure.
- Toilets
- Use cafés (buy something), museums and sites. Paper goes in the bin, not the toilet, in most places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €3–5 |
| Fish taverna main | €12–22 |
| Amygdalota (almond cakes) | €5–10 per box |
| Museum entry | €3–5 |
| Bike or scooter hire, per day | €15–35 |
| Water taxi to a beach | €20–60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ATH · Athens Eleftherios Venizelos
- Then bus or metro to Piraeus port for the ferry; or drive to Kosta and cross by boat.
Typical fares
- Piraeus → Spetses, hydrofoil or catamaran
- about €35 one way, 1 h 45 min–3 h 15 min (check)
- Kosta → Spetses ferry
- about €3, 15 min (check)
- Kosta → Spetses sea-taxi
- about €23, 5 min (check)
Get around
Private cars are banned from the island, so you walk, cycle or take the seasonal bus, four taxis, horse-drawn buggies (high season) or water taxis. The coastal road to the Old Harbour closes to vehicles in summer evenings. Water taxis run year-round but are expensive; low season leaves only water taxis and the four land taxis.
See and do
Known for
- Car-free Spetses Town and Dapia harbour
- Old Harbour mansions and the 1837 lighthouse
- Bouboulina and Hadjiyannis Mexis museums
- Panaghia Armata festival in September
- Amygdalota almond cakes
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hydra | Ferry or hydrofoil from Dapia, often via Ermioni or Porto Heli | About 1–2 h each way |
| Poros | Ferry or hydrofoil from Dapia | About 1–2 h each way |
| Ermioni or Porto Heli (Peloponnese) | Ferry or hydrofoil across the strait | About 30–60 min each way |
| Aghioi Anargyroi and Bekiris Cave | Seasonal bus or tourist boat from Spetses Town | About 20–30 min |
Sleep
- Dapia harbour area
- Steps from the ferry, cafés and shops; convenient but the noisiest at night.
- Kounoupitsa / west of Dapia
- Quieter shore strip near Kaiki Beach and the fish tavernas; 10–20 min walk to the port.
- Old Harbour side
- More atmosphere, bars and yachts; about a 20–30 min walk east of Dapia.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Γεια σαςYAH sas |
| Thank you | Ευχαριστώef-kha-ree-STO |
| The bill, please | Τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώton lo-gha-ree-a-SMO pa-ra-ka-LO |
| How much is it? | Πόσο κάνει;PO-so KA-nee |
| Can I pay by card? | Μπορώ να πληρώσω με κάρτα;bo-RO na plee-RO-so me KAR-ta |
| Where is the beach? | Πού είναι η παραλία;poo EE-ne ee pa-ra-LEE-a |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'kaliméra' (morning) or 'kalispéra' (evening) on entering shops and tavernas; avoid: Launching straight into a question
- Hospitality: Accept offered coffee, sweets or raki; it is part of the welcome; avoid: Refusing flatly — take a little
- Churches: Covered shoulders and knees; quiet voices; a small candle donation; avoid: Turning your back on the altar for photos during a service
- Gestures: Wave with the palm turned towards yourself; avoid: The open palm pushed forward (moutza)
- Conversation: Family, food and football are easy topics; avoid: Lecturing on the debt crisis, Türkiye or the name of North Macedonia
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries or wine; arrive a little late; avoid: Leaving food on the plate if you have been served more
- Dress: Casual; long trousers or skirt for monasteries; avoid: Swimwear in town, shops and churches
Scams and watch-outs
- Book beds and ferry seats well ahead for Easter, summer weekends and the Armata festival in September.
- Winter ferries are few and can be cancelled in bad weather.
- Water taxis and beach boats are costly; agree the price before boarding.
- The town beach at Aghios Mamas is crowded and not the cleanest; walk further west instead.
- Mobile signal is patchy outside Spetses Town.
Spetses is a low-crime island and safe for tourists; the real issues are summer heat, rough water on the north beaches when the wind is up, scooters on narrow lanes, and ferry cancellations in bad weather.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Spetses yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Car-free Spetses Town and Dapia harbour
- Old Harbour mansions and the 1837 lighthouse
- Bouboulina and Hadjiyannis Mexis museums
- Panaghia Armata festival in September
- Amygdalota almond cakes
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Municipality of Spetses: spetses.gov.gr/
- Hellenic Seaways: www.hellenicseaways.gr/
- KTEL Argolida (buses to Kosta and Kranidi): www.ktelargolida.gr/en/homepage-en/
- Bouboulina Museum: bouboulinamuseum.com/en/museum/
- Wikivoyage: Spetses, revision 5114269 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5114269
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
SpetsesΣπέτσες
Σε αυτή τη διεύθυνση, παρακαλώ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on the island; the US embassy and most others are in Athens. Consular help for EU citizens is via their own embassy in Athens.
Carry cash for small tavernas, water taxis and the Kosta ferry.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/spetses). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.