Salamis - Blue Guide Chapter

Salamis is inseparably linked with the naval battle in the autumn of 480 BC, in which a fractious alliance of Greek city-states defeated Xerxes, King of Persia - a victory whose far-reaching significance even they could not fully comprehend. Today, the island, overlooked by the most industrialised stretch of the mainland coast, has essentially become a suburb of Athens. Fortunately, Salamis is large enough to have preserved some corners of tranquillity - even beauty - as well as a number of interesting archaeological sites and churches. It is probably best visited as a day excursion from Athens.


This is a chapter from Blue Guide Greece the Aegean Islands: what to see, where to stay and eat, history, archaeology, art, culture, leisure. With superb, award-winning maps. Written and edited by a team of three experts: historian, art historian and archaeologist, two of whom lead cultural tours in Greece. "Blue Guides still hold the cultural high ground" Sunday Times.