Hydra

Hydra

One of the fabulous Saronic islands and less than 2 hours from Athens by boat, Hydra is an incredibly picturesque island with beautiful white-washed old houses built in narrow cobbled backstreets down the hillside.  One thing that is so magical about Hydra, is that there are no vehicles on the island, and to get around you either have to walk, or travel by a trusty mule.

The pretty harbour is a great spot for people watching whilst enjoying an ice-cold frappe and watching array of boats, from the modest fishing boats going about their daily business to the swanky yachts sailing in for a stopover.

There is a great choice of cafés, restaurants and tavernas by the harbour and dotted around the pretty backstreets of the island.  There is also a great selection of shops, of course your standard souvenir shops and mini-markets, but there are also some rather fashionable boutiques offering a range of items, from clothes and jewellery to hand-made ceramics.

Due to Hydra’s hilly terrain, its ideal for keen walkers who love exploring the beautiful, but rather steep lanes.  There are also several marked trails across the island, taking you off the beaten track, and the views are absolutely breath-taking, and make the sore muscles worth the pain!

But its not all about the hills in Hydra, its coastline is just as beautiful and if you don’t fancy any more walking, the are reasonably priced water taxis to whisk you around the bay to pebble beaches of Kamini, Vlyhos and Plakes.

We think Hydra is just perfect as a twin centred holiday with bustling Athens at any time of year, enjoy a busy city break and then hop over to Hydra on one of the regular high speed ferries from Pireaus.  Or for slower-paced summer holiday, the neighbouring island of Spetses is just 40 minutes away on the flying dolphin catamaran.