Marathonas Beach B, Aegina: The First Governor of Independent Greece Landed in This Exact Bay in 1828

Greece | Marathonas | Aegina, Saronic Islands

I hadn’t expected, wading into the genuinely knee-deep water at Marathonas, that I was standing in a bay with two distinct claims on Greek national history rather than just a pleasant family beach. In 480 BC, following the naval victory at Salamis that broke the Persian fleet, the Greek ships gathered in this exact bay to regroup. Considerably later, on 11 January 1828, Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of newly independent Greece, disembarked here, at the point when Aegina briefly served as the country’s first capital before the seat of government moved elsewhere. Both events are commemorated locally, though neither is the kind of thing a visitor would necessarily guess from the beach umbrellas and the children splashing in the shallows today.

Marathonas is actually two adjoining beaches, A and B, separated only by a short stretch of coast and sharing the same lush vegetation of eucalyptus, reeds, and bushes that gives the whole bay its specific green character. Marathonas A, closer to the village, draws the livelier crowd with its denser run of tavernas; Marathonas B, a little further along, is the quieter sibling, better suited, by most accounts including my own, to a day spent reading rather than socialising. Both are organised, both offer free sunbeds to anyone eating at the adjoining restaurants, and both look out toward the same trio of landmarks — the islet of Moni, Agistri, and the mountains of the Peloponnese beyond — that make this one of the more reliably photogenic sunset spots on the island, particularly once autumn arrives and the sun drops directly behind Moni.

Getting There: Four Kilometres From Aegina Port, on the Road to Perdika

The drive from Aegina Town covers roughly four kilometres south along the coastal road toward Perdika, taking under ten minutes, with Marathonas A appearing first and B a short distance further on. Free parking is generally available along the road or in nearby lots, though I’d arrive early in peak season, since the beach fills steadily from mid-morning onward.

The local KTEL bus toward Perdika departs frequently from the port and stops at Marathonas, the fare around two euros, though I found the service can get crowded at busy times. A taxi from the port square runs roughly eight to fifteen euros depending on the source consulted, a straightforward option for a direct transfer.

The Beach: Shallow Sandy Water, Free Sunbeds With a Meal, Sunsets Behind Moni

The water at Marathonas B stays shallow for a genuinely long stretch, fine golden sand continuing underfoot well out from shore — the specific quality that makes this one of the most consistently recommended Aegina beaches for families with toddlers. I arrived around nine in the morning on the advice of a local account I’d read beforehand, and had the beach largely to myself until the crowds built up around eleven, the water at its clearest and bluest before the day’s activity stirred it.

Sunbeds and umbrellas are free with a meal at the tavernas lining the shore — Ammos and La Palma are two names that come up repeatedly as among the best of these — and a wooden canteen sits roughly in the middle of the second beach for anyone not eating a full meal. The dirt road running along the back of the beach has its own quiet charm: children running barefoot, fishing off the rocks, splashing until the light fades, the specific unhurried rhythm that several accounts of Marathonas single out as much as the water itself.

Marathonas Beach B on Aegina sits in the bay where Greek ships regrouped after the 480 BC Battle of Salamis, and where Ioannis Kapodistrias landed in 1828 during Aegina’s brief period as the first capital of independent Greece. The beach itself is the quieter half of the Marathonas A/B pair, shallow sandy water well suited to families, free sunbeds with a meal at the adjoining tavernas, eucalyptus shade, and sunsets behind Moni islet that are particularly striking in autumn. Four kilometres from Aegina port on the road to Perdika, with Sarpa Beach Perdika Aegina Greece, a short distance further along the same coastal road.

Drive or take the bus toward Perdika. Arrive before eleven for the clearest water and a quieter beach. Eat at one of the tavernas for the free sunbed, and stay until the sun drops behind Moni.