HYDRA ISLAND
One of our favorite day tours from Athens. Hydra Island is only two hours from Athens, which makes it the ideal day trip. Completely car-free, this charming port town is lined with magnificent 18th-century mansions, history and cultural charm.
At the port of Piraeus, you’ll board the Flying Dolphin for a quick and comfortable hydrofoil ride to the harbour town of Hydra. Once you reach the island, you’ll be amazed by the local landscape that has made it a favored retreat of jet setters and celebrities such as Maria Callas, Leonard Cohen, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Picasso and many more.
Then it’s time to saddle up for a family-friendly ride through the town’s different neighborhoods because the best way to explore Hydra is on horseback – the island’s traditional means of transportation. After your ride through town, you’ll return to the harbor to board one of the island’s famed water taxis, the easiest and most exciting way to reach the island’s best beaches. Lunch will follow in one of the many picturesque taverns either by the sea or in town. Following lunch, you can enjoy a walking tour, down the maze-like side streets and by-ways where you’ll spot artists’ workshops, stylish boutiques and a number of well-preserved historic residences, some of which were once owned by important figures in Greece’s 19th-century struggle for independence, and are now museums. Your tour will end at a family-run pastry shop that’s famous for the local sweet amygdalota, a type of almond cookie, and for its rich and delicious homemade ice cream.