Hydra is a small, rocky island in the Saronic Gulf whose only town is built like an amphitheatre around a horseshoe-shaped harbour. More about Hydra Island →
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Thousands of people in port, guests plus crew. Crowd level compared with a typical Hydra Island day.
The crowd calendar shows every ship and how busy the port is, hour by hour, plus the quietest and busiest days for the next 90 days.
Cruise ships anchor off Hydra Town and bring passengers by tender into the horseshoe-shaped harbour, the heart of the town. The Historical Archives Museum is about 0.4 km (5 minutes) on foot along the harbour front, the Cathedral of the Assumption is on the quay itself, and the swimming rocks at Spilia are about 4 minutes away. The island is car-free.
0.4 km · ~5 min by car
Museum on the eastern side of the harbour.
Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.
Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.
Hydra is a port of call where ships anchor and passengers come ashore by tender into the harbour of Hydra Town. Cars, motorcycles and even bicycles are not allowed on the island, so visitors get around on foot, by donkey or by water taxi. There is no shuttle.
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The horseshoe-shaped harbour of Hydra Town, where cruise ships anchor and bring passengers ashore by tender. The town is built around the harbour, and its shops, tavernas and museums are a short walk from the quay. There are no cars on the island.
Meal prices are approximate per-person ranges at harbour-area restaurants and tavernas.
Cafes and tavernas lining the quay where the tenders land.
Lane just above the harbour with tavernas and small restaurants.
Street leading inland from the harbour with tavernas.
Seaside path west of town with restaurants looking out to sea.
Hydra is a small, rocky island in the Saronic Gulf whose only town is built like an amphitheatre around a horseshoe-shaped harbour. The island grew rich from its merchant fleet, and its leading families gave ships and fortunes to the Greek War of Independence; their stone mansions still rise above the quay. Cars, motorcycles and even bicycles are banned, so people get around on foot, by donkey or by water taxi. Cruise ships anchor off the harbour and bring passengers ashore by tender. In a day ashore, visitors can see the Historical Archives Museum and the Koundouriotis mansion, swim off the rocks at Spilia, walk the coastal path to Kamini or climb to the Monastery of Prophet Elias.
Housed in a modern building on the harbour, the museum keeps the archive of the island's community and tells the story of the island's naval power, which served as a benchmark for the British Admiralty and Napoleon's admirals. Its two floors display ship figureheads, flags, weapons and uniforms, the Charta of Rigas and the silver urn holding the embalmed heart of Andreas Miaoulis.
Built in the late 18th century, when Hydra's merchant fleet made the island rich, this mansion on the west side of the harbour belonged to Lazaros Koundouriotis, who gave his ships, crews and fortune to the Greek War of Independence. Important meetings were held here, and it is now a branch of the National Historical Museum. Tickets EUR 10, reduced EUR 5 for students and over-65s, free under 18.
The island's cathedral stands in the middle of the harbour front, inside a former monastery complex now also used by the town hall. It is a basilica with rows of columns, a marble icon screen and chandeliers still lit by candles or oil, and two marble bell towers, one with a clock. A small Ecclesiastical and Byzantine Museum displays vestments, relics and old icons.
Cannon bastions stand on both sides of the harbour entrance, where they once protected the town. Below them, a few minutes on foot from the quay, Spilia is a rocky area with deep blue water used for swimming and diving, with rocks for sunbathing; the neighbouring Hydronetta lies on the rocks under the cannons. Spilia is also a spot to watch the sunset over the harbour.
West of the town along the coastal path, Kamini is a small natural harbour full of fishing boats. Right next to it is Small Kamini, a little pebble beach suited to children, and the village has rooms to rent and tavernas. The walk from the harbour takes about 20 minutes.
Founded by monks from Mount Athos, the Monastery of Prophet Elias stands in the centre of the island on the slopes of Mount Eros, at more than 450 m. A mosaic of the prophet decorates its gate, and the church has a carved wooden icon screen and old icons; during the War of Independence the monastery served as a prison. It is reached on foot by a steep path through pine forest, about an hour from the church of St Constantine above the town.