JULY 2023
You probably know about my love for the Greek islands and I would preferably visit them each year. This year I went on a road trip on the mainland of Greece and kept thinking how I could sneak in one island into our itinerary. When I discovered that Hydra is actually located closely to the mainland, I knew there had to be a way to visit it on our road trip. In this blogpost I will explain how we had the perfect day trip to Hydra!
Ferry rides to Hydra
Hydra is very easy to visit on a trip to Greece as there are many ferries serving the island. We took the ferry from Ermioni, which is on the south end of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ferry ride from Ermioni is just over 30 minutes, making Hydra a perfect easy day trip. By making Hydra into a day trip we had about 7 hours to spend on the island, which was perfect to explore the main village. We traveled in May, booked in March and paid € 11,50 for a one-way ride. The ferry was not fully booked at all and there were still lots of seats. I must say that I did not encounter a Blue Star Ferries office in Ermioni at all, so it is safest to book online. In the Ermioni port there was no signing about where to board at all, but the harbor is small and you will see the boat arriving on the main dock. During summer there is also ferries going from Porto Heli, which is near Ermioni. You can even take a ferry from Athens, the ride is about 2,5 hours, so you can even visit the island during a city trip to Athens.
What makes Hydra so special?
One of the reasons I wanted to visit Hydra is because it is a car free island and because transport is still being done by donkeys. I saw so many donkeys passing, carrying luggage or deliveries for restaurants, it is super charming.
The other reason I wanted to visit was because of the colorful houses and bougainvillea in the harbor town and that definitely did not disappoint.
We visited in the beginning of May and I was surprised by the amount of bougainvillea already in full bloom!
What I did not expect is that Hydra would be incredibly quaint and quiet on a Friday in May. If you would venture only one street of the main road, you would already find yourself in serene streets, able to take these in in all quietness. All the houses and streets in Hydra are incredibly well maintained, every corner is picturesque and you will hardly run into other tourists. On the other hand, if you go for lunch on the main square, there is just enough bustle to keep you entertained.
Apparently it can get busy on weekends, with Athens inhabitants visiting, but we did not notice that on Friday at all. Hydra is a little bit of a fancy island, which you could mostly feel at the prices in the stylish clothing stores. However, the prices in restaurants were much more reasonable than in Mykonos. If you want to do swimming, you can also do this in Hydra. You can hike to some beaches, but you can also choose to take a water taxi (which costs about € 20 per person depending on where you want to go). The water in Hydra is one of the bluest I have seen. Concluding: if you get the opportunity to visit Hydra on your Greece itinerary, it is definitely worth your time. If you can stay the night, that would be even better.
