Souvala sits on the north coast of Aegina, roughly 12 kilometres from the main port by road, and receives a small number of ferries from Piraeus that most tourists overlook entirely. As a result, it has the feel of a working Greek seaside town rather than a tourist resort — something increasingly hard to find on islands within easy reach of Athens.
The waterfront is lined with tavernas and cafés that cater mainly to Athenian weekenders with summer houses in the area. The pace is slow, the prices are a little lower than the main port, and the small beach just north of the harbour is pleasant without being spectacular. If you rent a scooter and follow the coast road eastward from Souvala, you pass a series of small coves and the village of Vathy, which has a narrow beach and one of the best fish tavernas on the island.
Souvala also has thermal springs — the town's name derives from the Greek word for thermal waters — though the old spa facilities are no longer in operation. The mineral-rich water still seeps into the sea near the harbour, and locals will point out the warmer patches near the shore.
There are buses from Aegina town to Souvala several times a day; the journey takes about 20 minutes. If you are coming specifically for a meal and an afternoon swim away from the crowds, a taxi there and back is straightforward and the cost shared among two or three people is very reasonable.
Photo: Zde / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)