Hydra harbour with boats and stone houses

Hydra

Travelers with a taste for art and design wanting a car-free island with grand stone mansions.

Fitting Hydra into your route

Closest islands

Straight-line distance between main ports, not ferry time.

About Hydra

Hydra bans motor vehicles entirely — donkeys, mules and water taxis handle all transport, which has helped keep its stone harbor town largely unchanged since the 18th and 19th centuries, when the island grew rich from shipping. It has long attracted artists and writers, including Leonard Cohen, who had a house here.

Weather on Hydra

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Average temperature by month

AprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctober
18°C / 64°F22°C / 72°F26°C / 79°F28°C / 82°F28°C / 82°F25°C / 77°F21°C / 70°F

Average afternoon temperature, °C. Useful for spotting when it actually turns summer-warm.

Tips

  • Leave the car behind — vehicles aren't allowed; luggage travels by donkey or handcart.
  • Swim off the rocks near Spilia or take a water taxi to farther bays; the town itself has no sandy beach.
  • Visit in the shoulder season, as summer day-trippers from Athens crowd the harbor.

Islands near Hydra

Closest first, measured between main ports.

Poros town seen across the water

Poros

Weekenders wanting a small, walkable port town separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow strait.

CalmBeach
Narrow whitewashed lane with a footbridge in Spetses

Spetses

Travelers wanting a stylish, largely car-free island with neoclassical mansions and good beaches.

CultureBeach
Boats in the marina of Aegina Town

Aegina

Athens day-trippers and weekenders wanting ancient ruins and a working port town under an hour away.

CultureBeach
Aerial view of the harbour and mountains of Salamina

Salamina

History buffs and Athenians wanting an easy, uncomplicated island escape just outside the city.

CultureAuthentic

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