Poros by land, you leave the car in the Peloponnese and cross the channel by boat.

Poros is usually reached by ferry from Piraeus, with more than five hours of boat in the day. By land there is another way: you drive to Galatas, on the Peloponnese coast, leave the car there and cross the channel on a five-minute boat. This Sunday makes the most of both shores: in the morning, the Galatas lemon grove; at midday, the village of white steps below the clock tower; lunch, in a casserole taverna on Neorio beach, and the afternoon, among the pines of the sanctuary of Poseidon.

The day, hour by hour

7:30 · Leave Athens. Motorway to Corinth, the Epidaurus road and the Methana coast to Galatas. About two and a half hours.

10:00 · The lemon grove. About 3 km from Galatas, the Lemonodasos is a forest of lemon and orange trees at the foot of the mountain, among irrigation channels and dirt tracks. In March and April, when they blossom, you can smell it from afar. A gentle walk of an hour and a half, with little shade: bring water.

11:45 · The boat and the clock tower. You go back to Galatas, park near the quay and cross by boat: Poros village is opposite, 200 metres away. From the quay, climb the steps between whitewashed houses to the clock tower, with the channel and Galatas below.

12:45 · The Archaeological Museum. On Korizi Square, five minutes from the harbour: the Mycenaean finds of the district opposite. €5; open Wednesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 15:00.

14:00 · Lunch at Vassilis. A taxi drops you in ten minutes at Megalo Neorio beach, although a boat also leaves the old harbour every hour. Vassilis Taverna has been open since 1939 among pines, facing the water: stews of the day that you choose from the trays, moussaka, lamb kleftiko, giant beans, grilled meat and fish. Afterwards, a swim on the same beach.

16:30 · The sanctuary of Poseidon. At the top of Kalaureia, among pines, the stones of the temple where Demosthenes took refuge fleeing the Macedonians and where he poisoned himself in 322 BC. There is little left standing, but the place and the view over the gulf deserve the climb.

18:00 · Return. Taxi to the quay, boat to Galatas and car via Methana and Epidaurus. In Athens around 20:45.

If you change something

In summer, swap the sanctuary for an afternoon swim at Askeli beach. Outside Vassilis's season, eat on the harbour promenade, at Poseidon, run by a family of fishermen, with a children's menu. And if you want to stay, Manessi has rooms with balconies over the channel, below the tower.