Athens as a Base: 2 Days on a Budget
Two days: one to settle in, one to leave the mainland
With only 2 days, treat Athens purely as a base: day 1 gets your logistics sorted, day 2 puts you on a Piraeus ferry to an actual Greek island. This is not a city itinerary; for the Acropolis-and-museums version, see the 2-day in-city itinerary instead. Longer versions of this trip: 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7 days .
Book these before you go:
- Piraeus-Aegina ferry ticket , 9-20 EUR one-way depending on boat speed; peak-season sailings fill up.
- Athens hotel near Monastiraki or Omonia , both sit on Metro Line 1 to Piraeus.
| Day | Focus | Distance / travel time from Athens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athens: arrival and logistics | base |
| 2 | Aegina (Saronic island) | ~40 min-1h15 by ferry |
Day 1: Athens, logistics only
Land at Athens International Airport (ATH), about 27km southeast of the center. Metro Line 3 reaches Syntagma or Monastiraki in roughly 40 minutes for 9 EUR full fare; the X95 bus runs the same route for about 5.50 EUR but takes 60-90 minutes in traffic. Grab a standard transit ticket, 1.20 EUR, valid 90 minutes across metro, bus, and tram.
Base yourself near Monastiraki or Omonia rather than deeper into Plaka. Both sit directly on Metro Line 1 (green), the line that runs straight to Piraeus in about 25 minutes, which matters tomorrow morning when you need to catch a ferry. Buy your Aegina ferry ticket online today rather than at the port tomorrow, and check the OASA transit site for any service disruptions before you settle in.
If you have energy left, walk toward the Acropolis promenade for a free look at the hill from below; the full climb and ticket belong to the in-city itinerary , not this one.
Day 2: Aegina, an actual island in a day
Aegina is the closest Saronic island to Piraeus and the cheapest, most frequent crossing: a conventional ferry runs 70-75 minutes for roughly 9-14.50 EUR, or a high-speed catamaran covers it in about 40 minutes for 15-20 EUR. Check current Saronic route schedules before you lock in a sailing. Walk the harbor town, pick up a bag of the local pistachios, and see the Temple of Aphaia if you have time before the last boat back.
Poros and Hydra are also genuine day trips (Poros fares from about 17 EUR, Hydra from about 35 EUR), but Aegina’s price and frequency make it the default pick on a short trip. Confirm your return sailing time before you leave the dock; schedules thin out sharply on Sundays and in the off-season, and missing the last boat means an unplanned, unpacked-for overnight.
Which Saronic island should you pick for a single day?
Aegina, if budget and simplicity matter most: it is the cheapest crossing, the most frequent schedule, and close enough that a slow boat still leaves a full afternoon on the island. Hydra is prettier (no cars, stone harbor, donkeys instead of taxis) but costs more and eats more of your one day in transit. Poros suits a Peloponnese-leaning trip better than a 2-day city break.
Can you fit Santorini or Mykonos into this trip?
No. Even Mykonos’s fastest catamaran averages close to 3h49 one-way, and Santorini’s fastest run is 4h50-5h, so a round trip by sea eats an entire day before sightseeing starts. With only 2 days total, neither island is realistic without turning your whole trip into a single rushed flight-in, flight-out visit. Save the Cyclades for a return trip with at least 2 spare nights.
Pack for a boat, not a museum: deck shoes that dry fast, and euros in cash for the smaller Aegina tavernas that skip card readers.