What makes Hydra Island unique and everything you need to know before visiting it

Hydra on Google Maps

How to get to Hydra

Hydra is located in the Argo-Saronic gulf, at a 1.5 hour distance on a high speed ferry from the port of Piraeus. The ticket costs around €30 one way and the route it follows is Poros-Hydra-Spetses.

I have visited Hydra many times and I would happily do it again, since it is such a beautiful place and so convenient to visit. Once I visited the island with a Spanish friend, N., with whom I travelled to Hydra and then Spetses. Though she only had less than one week of holidays, that way she was able to experience the island-hopping in Greece due to the close proximity of the Argo-Saronic islands to Piraeus and to each other.

An alternative route to Hydra is to drive to Ermioni or Porto Cheli (it takes approximately 2.5 hours by car), in the Peloponnese (Argolis) and hope on a ferry or water taxi to Hydra. It takes about 20 minutes from Ermioni to Hydra and it costs around 20 euros for a return ticket. This route could be combined with a visit to Nafplio and/or the ancient theater of Epidaurus.

The flying Dolphin

So, what is really special about the island of Hydra? Henry Miller, a famous American writer, is one of the many writers and artists who after visiting the island of Hydra have been enchanted by its beauty. Miller wrote:

This rock is a living rock, a divine wave of energy suspended in time and space, creating a pause of long or short duration in the endless melody. Hydra was entered as a pause in the musical score of creation by an expert calligrapher.

~ Henry Miller: The Colossus of Maroussi (1941)

Every time I visited Hydra it was for a long weekend. I’ve visited the island in the autumn, spring and summer, and each time it was with a different friend or group of friends.

A Car-Free Island

One thing I totally love about Hydra is that no cars or motorcycles are allowed on the island and in fact, there aren’t any streets for cars either. When you stay in a big and loud city like Athens you get used to the noise of the city: speeding motorcycles, horns, building reparations. The moment you step your foot on Hydra you realize how relaxing it is to listen only to the sounds of nature: the sea waves hitting on the port, people talking, kids playing. While in Hydra, in just a few minutes, you start to breathe in serenity and travel back in time.

Donkeys of Hydra

But how do people commute and carry things around Hydra island? The answer is that in some cases, especially if you want to visit one of the villages located a bit far away from the capital of Hydra, the port, and is accessible by the sea, you can take a boat taxi. Alternatively, and besides the obvious solution of walking, you could take a bicycle or a donkey. Once you get off the high-speed ferry, one of the first things you’ll notice is the boat taxis and the donkeys.

In the Greek countryside, before cars became mainstream, it was very common to use donkeys as a means of transportation for both goods and people. In Hydra, the locals still use donkeys: there are over 500 donkeys on the island. When the commercial boat called “Georgia” brings goods to the island, people would go inside the boat with their donkeys to load the goods and then carry them back to their businesses (shops, super markets, tavernas and so on). Once I ran into a group of five donkeys carrying boxes with pieces of furniture to be assembled.

There’s a Greek proverb that says: “Better to be tying up a donkey than looking for one”,or it’s better to take the time to tie up your donkey than to spend time looking for it, which I find very funny. While in Hydra, you’ll clearly see how people were inspired by their everyday life and imagine how this proverb must have been created after some poor guy had to chase his donkey. I like proverbs because they are simple forms of sharing common wisdom. The meaning of this particular proverb is that it’s better to spend time preventing a problem than solving one.

Cats of Hydra

Continuing with the animal kingdom, though I’d say I’m more of a dog person, I love the fact that Hydra is full of cats. No matter where you are, there will always be a cat next to you, stretching, purring or just staring at you.

Gorgeous Strolls: Island Architecture and the Sea

One thing I can never get bored of doing while in Hydra, is walking around the island. The streets of Hydra are covered with cobblestones, small and big. I love strolling around Chora: taking the narrow streets that start from the port and lead up to the slope above it where the village is built; going around the traditional and elegant stone mansions with the red tiled roofs that overlook the port and the sea. Another thing I always do while in Hydra, which I consider a must, is walk along the pathway heading west and towards the other, smaller neighborhoods/villages like Kamini and Vlychos. This path is on the edge of a cliff so you get to see some amazing views of the sea and during spring or autumn you can also enjoy the mild warmth of the sun. When I visit Hydra during the warm summer months, I prefer doing this walk in the afternoon when the sun is not so strong.

The Chains in the Port

The thick chain that used to prevent enemy ships entering the harbor.

Swim and Sunbathe in Hydra

Another thing I always do if I visit Hydra in the summertime is swim at the beach. Within walking distance, there are a few choices for swimming. At Hydronetta Café, which is located west from the port, there’s a dock from which you can jump right into the sea and then climb back up again via a small stairwell. Alternatively, you can walk to the pebbly beaches of Kamini or Vlychos and have a swim there. In all fairness you wouldn’t choose to visit Hydra for its long sandy beaches. But still the island offers some beautiful deep crystal-clear waters.
A third beach option in Hydra is Bisti, a sandy beach located on the other side of the island, which can be reached by a boat taxi. Last time I checked, the return ticket cost 15€. Once I was told by some locals that it’s really worth exploring the beaches and swimming on the island’s southern coast something you can only do if you hire a private boat. Some friends (a group of around 10 people) did it and confirmed that it was really beautiful and they had a blast. They bargained with a caique (small wooden boat) owner and they hired his boat, with him sailing it, for the whole day. They brought along some food and drinks and spent the whole day going around the island and diving in some majestic bays with green-blue waters. It cost them around 200€, about 20€ per person.

Hydra: Leonard Cohen and Other Famous Artists

Another reason I love going to Hydra is for its cosmopolitan yet authentic feel. Hydra has a long history of celebrities visiting the island and particularly it’s been a favourite destination for artists, writers and actors. Henry Miller visited the island in 1939. During the 60s and 70s, Hydra was visited by Melina Merkouri, Sophia Loren for the filming of the 1957 world-known movie “Boy on a Dolphin”, Brigitte Bardot, Jackie Kennedy, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Greta Garbo and many more. A couple of years ago some friends of mine run into Cat Power in Hydra. But probably the most famous relationship of an artist with the island is that of poet-musician Leonard Cohen.

Some people say, when you fall in love while in a foreign country, you experience a stronger connection with it. Cohen fell in love both with Marianne Ihlen and Hydra. Leonard Cohen met Marianne on Hydra while she was married to Norwegian writer Axel Jensen. When her husband left and Marianne stayed behind with their six-month old son, she and Leonard fell in love. Marianne has been Leonard Cohen’s muse and inspiration for many of his poems and songs. Cohen bought a house in Hydra and together they spent some years living on the island. The most famous of his many songs inspired by her is “So Long Marianne”. A rather intimate photo of her sitting relaxed in their house in Hydra, appears on the back cover of his second album “Songs from a Room”. When he was asked about his finest memory of Hydra, he replied:

“I remember Marianne and I were in a hotel in Piraeus, some inexpensive hotel and we were both about 25, and we had to catch the boat back to Hydra, and we got up and I guess we had a cup of coffee or something and got a taxi, and I’ve never forgotten this. Nothing happened, just sitting in the back of the taxi with Marianne, I lit a cigarette, a Greek cigarette that had that delicious deep flavor of a Greek cigarette, that has a lot of Turkish tobacco in it, and I’m thinking, I’m an adult. You know. I have a life of my own, I’m an adult, I’m with this beautiful woman, we have a little money in our pocket, we’re going back to Hydra, we’re passing these painted walls. That feeling I think I’ve tried to recreate it hundreds of times unsuccessfully. Just that feeling of being grown up, with somebody beautiful that you’re happy to be beside and all the world is in front of you.”

Leonard Cohen bought his house in Hydra in the 60s for just $1500. He restored it himself as the house was in need of several repairs. Nowadays, due to its proximity to Athens, Hydra’s unique atmosphere (takes you back in time) and its cosmopolitan history, Hydra is one of the most expensive places to buy a house in Greece. The price of a large, renovated mansion in Hydra today could easily cost up to a million euros and a small apartment would cost no less than €250,000, which is rather expensive when compared to Athens or other regions in Greece.

Nightlife in Hydra: Calm but Cool

Nightlife in Hydra isn’t crazy but certainly if you are up for it you can stay out till dawn. The night tour I’ve taken when I’ve visited Hydra starts from Amalour, continues at Piratis (the Pirate bar), with a possible return to Amalour then ends up at Papagalos where you can watch the beautiful sunrise until the bakery opens.

Hydra & Modern Art

During one of our visits to Hydra, my friends and I had the pleasure to visit a workshop/art exhibition called Eleventh Plateau Festival that was organised by one of our friends, a curator and art director. There were installations scattered around the island and alongside art performances taking place in the Historic Archives and Hydra Museum (IAMY).

In 2008, the municipality of Hydra donated the island’s old slaughter house to DESTE Foundation of Contemporary Art and since 2009 they’ve organised several contemporary art exhibitions. DESTE in Greek means “look” and if you are lucky you will stumble upon one of their exhibitions. Students of the Athens School of Fine Arts can stay in the island free of charge in the three-storey mansion that used to be the home of Iakovos Tombazis. Tombazis was an admiral of the fleet of Hydra that played an important role during the 1821 uprising against the Turkish occupation. In 1930, the mansion was converted into a school of fine arts, with the help of painter Periklis Vizantios who also taught there. It now belongs to the University of Athens and as it exhibits historical paintings from the Greek revolution of 1821, it is open to the public during certain hours.

Watch the Unique the Miaoulia Celebration

Before the revolution of 1821, Hydra had 28,000 residents (while in Athens the number of residents was under 10,000) and was flourishing economically from sea commerce. More than 150 commercial ships were used in sea battles against the Turks and many captains as well as boat owners from Hydra are famous and celebrated as heroes for their contribution to the revolution: Andreas Miaoulis, Laskarina Bouboulina, Lazaros Koundouriotis, Antonios Kriezis, Anastassios Tsamados and many more.

An event that unfortunately I’ve never had the chance to attend yet but I’d love to go to, is the Miaoulia. The name of the event derives from the name of admiral Andreas Miaoulis and it takes place every year during the last weekend of June. It is a celebration of the 1821 Greek fleet win, under the command of Andreas Miaoulis, against the Turkish fleet (which was almost double in size) at the Battle of Elder. During the Miaoulia weekend there are many happenings and celebrations including folklore dancing and boat races. On the last day there’s a reenactment of the battle with fireworks and an actual boat, representing the Turkish flagship, is sunk.

Up for a Sailing Race? Participate in One of Hydra’s Regattas!

If you are into sailing you could consider participating to Hydra Regatta, a sailing race from Faliro (south from Piraeus) to Hydra and back. The race is organised twice a year: once in spring, on the weekend before the Greek Independence Day on 25th of March, by the Hellenic Offshore Racing club and once in Autumn, last weekend of October, on the weekend before or on 28th of October (Greek national holiday known as “No Day”), by the Yacht Club of Greece.

Hydra and Island Hopping

A trip to Hydra can be very easily combined with a visit to the other two small islands in the Argo-saronic gulf: Spetses and Poros. The high-speed ferries that start from Piraeus first stop at Poros, then Hydra and finally Spetses. They return following the reverse route.

I recommend that you visit Spetses first (one-way tickets cost around 38€) which is further away and is about a 2-2.5-hour trip from Piraeus. Spetses is also very beautiful and in some ways similar to Hydra. For example, no private cars are allowed on the island and people move around on foot or with motorcycles, taxis, horse-drawn carriages and taxi boats.

After spending a couple of days in Spetses, you can take the high-speed ferry and arrive in Hydra in less than an hour (the ticket from Spetses to Hydra costs around 12€). From Hydra you can either return to Piraeus or visit Poros island! Poros is similar to the other two islands in some ways but has its differences. In Poros for example, cars are allowed so if you have one, you can visit most parts of the island. As you drive, you’ll be impressed with the island’s greenery. From Hydra you can reach Poros in half an hour on the high-speed ferry and it costs approximately 14€.

Finally, you can return to Piraeus from Poros either by high-speed ferry which will take you a bit more than an hour (tickets cost around 24.5€) or by conventional ferry which takes about 2.5 hours (tickets cost around 11.5€).