Results of a molecular dynamics study of aqueous solutions of LiJ, LiCl, NaCl, CsCl and CsF are reported. The basic periodic box contained 200 water molecules, 8 cations and 8 anions, equivalent to 2.2 molal solutions. Static properties of the first hydration shells of the ions are discussed in detail on the basis of radial pair correlation functions, average potential energies of the water molecules and pair interaction energy distributions. The calculations lead to the conclusion that in the first hydration shells a lone pair orbital of the water molecule is directed towards the cation while a hydrogen atom points towards the anion. In the five alkali halide solutions investigated ion pairing occurs only with CsF. The hydration numbers, when defined as the volume integrals of the ion-water radial pair correlation functions up to the first minimum, increase with increasing ion size and depend on the size of the counterion. The water-water interactions in the solutions show not only features of pure water at elevated temperatures but also of pure water under compresion. The agreement between calculated and measured self diffusion coefficients is still insufficient.