Hydra island holiday travel tips
If you’re searching for that classic Greek island where you can escape the noise, smell, hustle, bustle and pollution of your city lifestyle, look no further than Hydra for tranquil holiday travel.
No cars or motorbikes are allowed on this picturesque island in Greece so you can be assured that the pace of Hydra’s lifestyle is slow.
The lack of vehicles makes a Hydra holiday particularly appealing if you have children as it removes a major safety concern and allows you to take your eyes off the kids so you can fully relax and enjoy your island travel.
Absolutely everything makes its way around Hydra on the back of a donkey, creating a romantic, old-fashioned ambience that has barely changed in more than 200 years.
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Hydra holiday travel tips
Hydra island is located between the Saronic and Argolic gulfs some 65 kilometres from the Athens port of Piraeus, from whence it can be reached in less than three hours by ferry and about 90 minutes on the Flying Dolphin hydrofoil.
Catch bus E96 from Athens Airport to Piraeus, a journey that takes about an hour. A high-speed hydrofoil from Piraeus to Hydra cost about 25 euros for economy each way in 2011. Some ferries also sail from the port in Nafplion on the Peloponnese coast.
Hydra island covers about 90 square kilometres of fairly rocky landscape with plenty of hills and mountains - the Zogeri range to the south and the Ombari range to the north. Hydra has a 56 kilometre coastline and its tallest peak overlooking the town of Hydra is Mt Eros, home to the twin monasteries of St Eupraxia and Prophet Elias.
Pine forests used to carpet the island but these were destroyed by fire and by the boat industry during the Greek Revolution, the island having built a powerful merchant fleet during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Hydra holiday travel was “discovered” by high profile writers and Hollywood producers in the ’50s and ’60s, and the island has since retained a bit of a hippie reputation as a hideaway for artists. Canadian poet/singer Leonard Cohen owns a house on Hydra island.
Holiday travel prices on Hydra are usually comparatively high, although not as expensive as Mykonos. The island has long been a holiday travel hideaway for the rich and famous.
If you’re streetwise and can avoid the tourist hotspots to explore Hydra’s back alleys, you can find cheap accommodation including hotels and food at considerably lower prices.
Hydra is arguably the most beautiful of the Greek islands, having limited its holiday accommodation and other growth in tourist facilities to remain largely pristine.
Fishing remains a fairly important local industry but holiday tourism is the mainstay.
Hydra island holiday travel tips
Hydra was controlled by Venice from 1204 to 1566 and was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 to 1821. The island had about 27,000 residents by the time of the 1821 Greek Revolution, as well as a battle-ready fleet of about 150 warships which helped claim the eastern Aegean Sea from the Ottomans.
Housing architecture throughout Hydra is classically Mediterranean with both Greek and Italian influences. Tall narrow homes are the norm, most with white render or grey stone and tiled roofs.
Most have brightly coloured awnings, doorways and shutters, making up for the lack of flowers and gardens because of water shortages.
Hydra island has an extraordinary concentration of 18th and 19th century buildings, many being opulent mansions built by wealthy merchants. Local building heritage by-laws forbid the construction of modern designs that would spoil the old world charm.
Most of the island inhabitants have a rural, friendly warmth toward visitors and holiday travellers.
To enjoy Hydra holiday travel it’s crucial that you book hotels, hostels or other holiday accommodation well ahead, whether you’re hoping to stay on Hydra island overnight or for several nights.
It’s often impossible to book a hotel room without advance notice.
Hydra is close enough to Athens to allow a quick retreat back to the national capital if the weather turns sour or you’re looking for sweatier nightlife to spice up your holiday travel.
If you’ve had enough of the island’s picturesque natural attractions and historic charm, Hydra has more than enough shops to keep you busy, particularly on the waterfront, and plenty of bars.
The cafes are expensive but you can spend hours drinking coffee and watching glamorous island visitors, if that’s your preferred holiday pastime.
You can find places to swim on Hydra, mostly off rocks, but the island doesn’t have long, sandy beaches.
Mediterranean holiday cruise ships often dock briefly at Hydra, their passengers flocking through the town’s tourist and jewellery shops before the vessel resumes its voyage and another cruise ship drops anchor, disgorging yet another crowd of tourists.
This daily tourist turnover provides more than enough income for the island to prosper without infrastructure and building developments that would sacrifice its natural beauty.
Hydra holiday tips
Hydra has two museums and the island is dotted with churches and chapels.
Easter holiday celebrations on Hydra are great fun and notable for their loud fireworks over several days.
The island boasts a dazzling array of wildflowers during spring.
About 3,000 people live on the island, most concentrated into a few square kilometres surrounding the coastal capital of Hydra Town.
A fleet of water taxis is the only motorised transport in the town of Hydra.
The town harbour, about eight metres deep and encircled by shops, bars and restaurants, is one of the most picturesque in the Aegean. Much of the surrounding township consists of simple red-roofed houses dotted with mansions built by sea captains during past centuries.
Jewellery makers can be found everywhere in Hydra and it’s best to avoid the expensive harbourside boutiques. Instead, seek out the small jewellery workshops and studios that can be found in the backstreets.
Hydra holiday travel has become popular among wealthy Athenians seeking a weekend hideaway over recent years.
Hydra has various small settlements dotted around its small surface and you can walk to many of them within a day.
A common Hydra holiday travel tip is to walk west from the port of Hydra through the outer village of Kamini to the settlement of Vlichos, where you can find both solitude and cheap restaurants with quality meals.
Hydra has a hilly landscape laced with paths leading to numerous tiny settlements, churches and monasteries. The island is home to large numbers of stray cats which often laze about in squares and public courtyards.
Despite its tiny size, Hydra has raised five prime ministers of Greece.