Methana

Methana is technically not an island at all but a volcanic peninsula, joined to the Peloponnese by a narrow neck of land and jutting into the Saronic Gulf opposite Aegina and Poros. It behaves like an island, though, and is served by the same ferry lines: boats from Piraeus take around two hours, usually calling at Aegina on the way, while the quick hop from neighbouring Poros is a matter of minutes. That ambiguity, part island, part mainland, is fitting for a place shaped entirely by fire.

The peninsula is dense with volcanic history, home to more than thirty craters and lava domes formed over successive eruptions, the most famous of which was described by ancient geographers. A path from the village of Kameni Chora climbs to the rim of a striking black lava crater, one of the most accessible volcanic walks in Greece and rewarded by wide views over the gulf. The volcano is dormant but not dead, and its heat still surfaces in the springs below.

Those thermal springs, rich in sulphur and salts, gave Methana its long life as a modest spa resort. The little port town retains a faded early-twentieth-century elegance, with bathhouses and a seafront where the sulphurous tang of the water is unmistakable. It draws Greeks seeking the waters' reputed benefits for skin and joints rather than international crowds, and the atmosphere is unhurried and old-fashioned.

Methana rewards the curious traveller who wants something genuinely off the standard trail. Its combination of geology, walking, quiet swimming coves and gently therapeutic waters makes it an unusual stop, easily paired with Poros across the water. The interior lanes wind past small villages and chapels with wide views over the gulf, and the roads are quiet enough to make exploring by car or scooter a pleasure. Come for the crater, the springs and the pleasure of a corner of the Saronic that almost nobody visits.