Hydra
Car Free Saronic Island Of Stone Captains' Mansions Around An Amphitheatre Harbour, Where Donkeys And Water Taxis Replace Traffic · Hydra, Attica
Hydra is a rocky, mostly bare island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1.5-2 hours by fast boat from Piraeus, and its whole life happens around one harbour. Stone captains' mansions, built with the fortunes of the island's merchant fleet that fought in the War of Independence of 1821, rise in an amphitheatre above the quay. There are no cars or motorbikes, only a few service vehicles; donkeys and mules carry luggage and water taxis carry people to coves. It has long drawn artists and writers, including the songwriter Leonard Cohen in the 1960s, and it still has a summer art scene. People come for the harbour at dusk, swimming off the rocks, walks to little bays and a quiet, handsome town without traffic. The honest caveats: there are few real beaches, most swimming is from rocks and platforms, the lanes are steep stairways, prices are high, and day-cruise passengers crowd the quay at midday. Staying overnight is the point: after the last boat leaves, the island becomes itself.
Hydra, Saronic Gulf; the harbour town of Hydra is the only port; fast boats from Piraeus in about 1.5-2 hours, Hydra, Attica, Greece
The island is open all year; many rooms, bars and water taxis are seasonal, roughly April to October, and winter is quiet with some places shut. Fast boats from Piraeus run several times a day in summer (about 1.5-2 hours) and fewer in winter; book ahead for summer weekends, holidays and the late-June Miaoulia festival, and expect cancellations in strong wind. A small boat also crosses from Metochi on the mainland opposite (about 15-20 minutes). The Historical Archives Museum and the mansion museums keep their own days, often closed one weekday and shorter in winter - confirm current hours.