The Old Harbour

The Old Harbour, Palio Limani, is about twenty-five minutes’ walk east along the coast from Dapia, and it is the reason Spetses exists as anything other than a fishing village. This narrow natural inlet is where Spetsiot shipwrights built the merchant fleet that made the island rich, and then the war fleet that fought the Ottomans from 1821 onwards.

What makes it unusual among Greek historic harbours is that the work never stopped. There are still working boatyards along the water here, still hulls up on blocks, still the smell of timber and marine varnish, still men planing planks in the open air. Not a heritage demonstration. An actual trade.

What you are looking at

The inlet runs inland with quays on both sides. Along the north side you get the traditional boatyards, the karnagia, where wooden caiques are built and repaired using methods that have changed less than you would expect. Frames, planking, caulking, paint. You can stand and watch, and nobody minds, though it is a workplace so keep out of the way.

Above the harbour on the rise sits Agios Nikolaos Monastery with its bell tower, which is the view everyone photographs from the water.

Around the inlet are the old captains’ houses, some restored into hotels and restaurants, some still lived in, with pebble-mosaic courtyards and the shipowners’ architecture that runs through the whole of Spetses town.

The evening

In the evening this is where the island goes. Tavernas and bars open along both sides of the inlet, tables go out to the water’s edge, yachts and fishing boats are moored a few metres from where you are eating, and the whole thing is lit by the boats and the taverna lamps. It is the most attractive place to have dinner on Spetses and probably one of the most attractive in the Saronic.

We are not going to name restaurants, because they change hands and the good one this year may not be the good one next year. Walk both sides of the inlet before you sit down, look at what people are eating, and choose then.

The honest part

It is a walk, and the walk back is in the dark. Twenty-five minutes or so each way along the coast road from Dapia, largely flat, but with no proper pavement in places and with mopeds and the occasional service vehicle passing you. After dinner, in the dark, on a road with no lighting for stretches, this needs a bit of care. Take a phone torch, walk facing the traffic, and keep children on the inside.

Alternatively take a horse carriage or a water taxi, both of which run this route in the evening, and both of which cost more than you would like. Agree the fare first.

It is not cheap. The waterfront restaurants here are priced as the best location on an expensive island, and the fish especially is priced by the kilo in a way that catches people out. Ask what the fish costs per kilo and what your piece weighs before you agree to it. This is standard practice in Greece and asking is not rude.

There is no beach here. People do swim off the rocks and off the far side of the inlet, but this is a working harbour with boat traffic and fuel in the water. For a swim, walk back towards town and stop at Kaiki.

Out of season it empties. In winter and shoulder season a good number of these places are shut and the inlet is quiet to the point of being deserted, which is atmospheric but not what you want if you have walked out expecting dinner. Check before you set off.

The plan we recommend

Walk out from Dapia in the late afternoon, stopping at Kaiki for a swim on the way. Climb up to Agios Nikolaos for the view over the harbour with the light going. Come down, walk both quays, eat at the water. That is the best evening on Spetses, and it costs you a meal and a pair of comfortable shoes.