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Salamis Island is the largest island in the Saronic golf and only 1 nautical mile from Piraeus.
Greece » Argosaronic
Why Visit
Transport to and from the island is the most consistent in Greece as Ferry boats link Salamis with the mainland every 15 minutes, also smaller cruisers board from Piraeus main port and arrive in Paloukia port Salamis in 40 minutes. Making Paloukia Port the second in consistency in Greece after Piraeus Main Port. Salamis Island is the birth place of mythical heroes like Aias or Ajax once the king of Salamis Island, Euripides the great poet and play writer. Also at Salamis bay the greatest navel battle in history took place determining the future of Europe at the time, The Great Battle of Salamis.

History
According to myths and legends Salamis is named after the Nymph Salamina the daughter of the Corinthian river Asopou and Koulouri from the ancient cape (Kolouris Akra) where the ancient city was built in 4thcentury. According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with Salamina and she gave birth to Cychreus the first king of Salamis who was half man half fish. The next king of Salamis was Telamon who married the daughter of Cychreus, Glauce. After her death he married Erivia or Periboea and the legendary AIAS (AJAX) was born, who was the leader of the Salaminian and Megarian army at the Trojan war. Ajax (Aias) had a half-brother from Hesione whose name was Teucros, they both took part in the great Trojan war having 18 ships under their command. After the Trojan war and the suicide of Ajax (Aias), Teucros along with the son of Ajax (Aias), Eurysaces, returned to Salamis and faced the anger of Telamon, because Teucros did not revenge the death of his brother, Ajax (Aias). Teucros abandoned the island and went to Cyprus were he established a new city, naming it after his birth place, Salamis. Salamis Island was inhabited from the Neolithic centuries, as the archeological findings reveal on the southern part of the coast of the island. Because of it’s geographical location it was the reason of many disputes from the larger cities that wanted to control the island. The greatest event of Salamis history is the great battle of Salamis, which changed the course of history at that time, where the Greeks defeated the Persians and ended the quest of the Asian barbarians to conquer Greece and Europe. On Salamis island at the time of the great battle of Salamis the three greatest play writers of all centuries met. Aeschylus, who took part in the Great Battle of Salamis and afterwards wrote it’s history, Sophocles, a teenager at the time, took part in the victory celebrations and last but not least comes the most tragic of the three Euripides, Who was born on Salamis on the day of the Great Historic Event.

Museums - Archeological
Salamis has a wide variety of community events hosted by the municipality and other organizations on the island. Events like the Fisherman’s celebration, The convent of the Virgin Faneromeni (22-23 of August) and special Summer community events that are held by the D.E.P.A.S. organization at The Euripides Theatre. Special Events like plays, concerts etc.

Salamina’s culture and tradition are kept alive through the centuries by the Museum Of Cultural Arts and Crafts, which is in charge of all cultural and traditional events.

Museum of Folklore Art and History of the Municipality of Salamis The folklore museum of the Municipality of Salamis is housed, since October 1998, in a spacious hall of the New Town Hall-Cultural Centre which bears the name of the Salamis ethnographer, researcher and classics scholar, Peter Fourikis, Manager of the Folk Archive of Athens Academy till 1936. In this museum there are lots of folklore objects of the daily life and local history of Salamis. Particularly impressive is the substantial collection of male and female local costumes which started being accumulated since 1962. The jerkin [zipouni/tzako] collection takes the visitors 300 years back in time, helping them reconstruct the past and appreciate the variety as well as aesthetic perception of the Salamis clothing. In the museum one can also find pieces of furniture from different time periods, looms, utensils, tools of various trades mainly agricultural ones (wooden plows, dried wheat cutters [dougeni], forks [dikouli], handmills etc.) as well as various everyday pottery and bronze objects in original designs. Models of commercial and fishing ships (fast sailboats [trehantiri], trawls etc.) as well as boat watercolors by the folk painter Aristides Glykas and others, remind the visitors of the sailing craft as well as the glory of the sailing life of Salamis. The arms of the Greek Revolution of 1821 (flint-guns, yataghans, pistols, swords etc.) and the silver-buttoned vest [fermeli] of General G.Karaiskakis highlight the glorious history of Salamis. The museum collections also contain icons of the post-byzantine period, ecclesiastical and hieratic objects (small plates [diskario], pyxs [artoforio], star-shaped metallic objects [asteriskos], grails, holy-water sprinklers [agiastoura], wooden seals, belts, buckles etc.) as well as rare manuscripts of the 18th and 19th centuries (dowry contracts, book covers, public documents etc.), abundant photo material since 1850 and paintings. This museum, together with the adjacent library, operates as an independent government-funded unit under the title “Library-Museum of Folk Art and History of the Municipality of Salamis.” It operates on a daily basis (Monday to Friday) between 9.00-16.00. For afternoon and weekend visits, please call to make an appointment.

Beaches
At Eandio there are the remains of ancient Telamon. Sandy beaches are at Kaki Vigla, Moulki, Kanakia, Kaminia and Peristeria which is also well-known for its numerous taverns serving delightful Greek delicacies. No large hotels exist on this island as the port of Piraeus just opposite links this island with very frequent ferry shuttle services.