Saronic, Argolic & Athens sailing holidays

The Peloponnese - and with it the Argolida - was once linked to Attica by the Isthmus of Corinth and now breached by the Corinth Canal and is a vast and mountainous peninsula that was known in the Middle Ages as Morea. These two landmasses enclose the Saronic Gulf, which is by far the most famous sailing and charter area in Greece due to its proximity to Athens. A second excellent yachting area is the Argolic Gulf (see map below).

Methoni Fortress

The Peloponnese landmass itself is made up of high peaks, inland basins caused by subsidence and irrigated coastal plains.
At the centre, between 600m and 800m - above sea level, lie the pasture lands of Arcadia.
The eastern coastal plain, the Argolida, Argolis or Argolid, which is dominated by the citadels of Argos and Mycenae, is devoted to cereals, as well as orchards and market gardens.
The southern coast is split into three promontories; the longest, an extension of the Taygetos massif, is Mani , a wild limestone region inhabited by people of spirit.
Taygetos is flanked by alluvial plains, free from winter frost: Lakonia round Sparta and Messinia round Kalamata. The smiling fields produce grain and early vegetables while the figs and olives of Kalamata are well known for their quality.
Argolida

Sailing areas

Argolic gulf
Spetses island
Hydra gulf
Poros island
Aegina island
Saronic gulf - Athens
The charts should not be
used for navigational purposes.

Sailing routes

Sailing itineraries
Argolic & Saronic gulfs

Archaeology

Corinth canal
Acropolis
Tower of the winds

History

The Argolida was the heart of Greece from 1600 to 1100 BC under the Mycenaeans. With their decline, the Dorians controlled the fate of the region until the conquest of the country by the Romans. During the Byzantine era the Argolid shared the fortune of the rest of the Peloponnese. It was ruled by the Franks and surrendered to the Turks in 1460, Navplion, however, remained in Venetian hands until 1540. Navplion was the capital of the newly formed Greek state from 1828 to 1834, when this role passed to Athens.
Click on the thumbnails to see a larger image. The satellite images are active maps: mouseover to see the names of cities and islands of the Argolida and Saronic Gulf.

Imray Tetra chart G14
Saronic and Argolic gulfs
Great to plan your holiday with: covers the whole Saronic (Aegina, Methana, Poros, sounion) and the best part of the Argolic (Spetses, Navplion, Astros and Leonidio).
Plans Marina Alimos, O. Falirou, Limin Porou (N. Poros), Steno Spetson (N. Spetsai), Limin Aiginis (N. Aigina).
Scale 1:189,000

Sailing map and nautical charter of the Saronic and Argolic in Greece

Greek Waters Pilot - Amazon.co.uk
Greek Waters Pilot - Amazon.com
The brand new 10th edition - 2008 - of this classic and indispensable pilot, which completely covers Greece, the Aegean Sea and the Cyclades in great detail. Hundreds of maps and sketches covering ports and anchorages. Weather patterns, currents, animal life etc. As well as in-depth cultural and historic background information.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you want to know more about sailing Greece and reliable yacht charters in this area...

Saronic, Argolic and Athens

Argolic Gulf
Spetses island
Hydra Gulf
Poros island
Aegina island
Saronic Gulf - Athens

Charter guide
Yacht charter companies
Saronic sailing routes

Greece :

Ionian Islands
Dodecanese Islands
Cyclades Islands
Northern Sporades
Peloponnese – Athens

Turkey :

Izmir – Bodrum
Bodrum – Marmaris
Marmaris – Fethiye
Fethiye – Antalya

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