Palaia Salamina (Ampelakia)
The old settlement on the east coast of Salamis, above the bay where much of the Greek fleet is thought to have been drawn up in 480 BC. Modest to look at, historically the most important spot on the island.
Palaia Salamina, usually called Ampelakia, is the old settlement on the eastern side of the island, a few kilometres south of the ferry terminal at Paloukia. The name means “old Salamis”, and it is old in a literal sense: this is where the ancient town stood, and it remained the island’s main settlement until the population drifted inland to what is now Salamina town.
Its importance is entirely underwater and entirely in the past. The bay below Ampelakia is where most historians place the main anchorage of the Greek fleet before the battle in the straits in 480 BC. If you want to stand somewhere on Salamis and feel that you are in the right place, it is here.
What there is to see
Honestly, not a great deal above ground, and it is better to know that before you drive down.
Ampelakia today is a modest coastal settlement: a bay with fishing boats and small craft, houses on the slope behind, a waterfront with places to sit and eat, and a good deal of ordinary Greek suburban life going on around it. It is pleasant enough in an unremarkable way. What it is not is a preserved historic quarter. There is no old town in the sense that Hydra or Nafplio have one.
The archaeology is real but it is not laid out for visitors. Remains of the ancient town, including harbour works now partly submerged, have been identified around the bay, and underwater survey work in these waters has continued in recent years and drawn a certain amount of attention. What that means on the ground is that you may see fenced ground, a scatter of stonework, and very little in the way of explanation. Finds from the area end up in the Archaeological Museum rather than staying here.
The genuine pleasure of Ampelakia is the water itself. From the shore you look out across the channel towards the Attic mainland and the Kynosoura peninsula that closes the bay to the south. That is the geography of the battle, visible in one glance, and it explains the tactics better than any museum panel would.
And now the honest part
Set your expectations low. Visitors who arrive expecting a site, with a ticket office and a marked route, leave disappointed. There is nothing of the kind. This is a working coastal neighbourhood that happens to sit on top of something important.
Signage is poor to non-existent. In our experience you are largely on your own to work out what you are looking at. Read up before you come, or the visit will amount to standing on a seafront.
The setting is industrial in places. You are still on the eastern side of Salamis. Depending on which way you look there are shipyards, moored hulls and naval facilities in view, and the water in this part of the gulf is not for swimming. Save that for Kanakia on the far side of the island.
Not everything is accessible. Some of the archaeological ground is fenced off or on private land, and the underwater remains are, obviously, underwater. Do not go looking for a way in.
Practicalities
It is a short drive or a local bus ride from the Paloukia ferry terminal, and if you have come over as a foot passenger this is the easiest historically significant point on the island to reach without a car. There is nothing to pay, because there is nothing formally to enter.
Give it an hour, including time on the waterfront. Combine it with the straits and the museum as part of a self-guided day following the battle, which is the only way this place really makes sense.
For all its plainness, Ampelakia is the reason to come to Salamis at all. You will not be impressed by what you see. You may well be affected by where you are standing.