Last month we shone the spotlight on one of our favourites - the lovely Greek island of Poros. This month, we will travel a bit further south to another little paradise - Hydra. Hydra is one of the most romantic destinations in Greece and it is worth a visit, even for a single day trip.
Imagine a place where cars are banned and donkeys and taxi boats are the main means of transportation. Now imagine drinking your morning coffee while sitting in a traditional stone mansion with a beautiful sea view. You hear a cracking sound from the narrow cobblestone street. Curiosity takes the best of you and peer out into the street to see one of the locals pushing a cart full of oranges. You find yourself wondering how many times he has to do this during the day… He leaves the oranges (the best oranges you’ve ever seen!) in the shop nearby and then he takes the luggage of some random tourists passing by on his cart to help them carry it back down to the port. This exchange makes you appreciate how much of your typical daily life is dependent on a means of transport and allows you to let go and embrace the nature of the island in its entirety.
There is a reason why a simple walk around this island is like walking in 10 distinctly beautiful places at once. Behind every corner - there is a new dose of serenity and splendour to amaze you. As you walk along the waterfront, the heart of the town, you encounter colourful squares with tourists and souvenir shops, small open cafes and traditional cosy restaurants, monuments, canons, old impressive mansions, while picturesque winding streets lead you to neighborhoods located at the upper part of the town.
The fact that such a tiny island is a yachting paradise is rather impressive. It also means that every summer groups of sailing boats moor at the harbour, where they are joined by dozens of sensational motor boats and yachts. We should also not forget to mention that Hydra became famous all over the world thanks to the film “Boy on a Dolphin”, shot on the island in 1957 with Sophia Loren leading the starring role!
Here are a few amazing memories and recommendations from our stay in this little paradise.
And let’s not forget about some of the island’s notable beaches…
This small beach, by the name Avlaki, is fantastic as it offers an amazing natural light show due to minerals in the pebbles that glow. The lovely blue-green water will seduce you to take a swim. We were also lucky enough to see an amazing underwater art installation by Hortense le Calvez and Mathieu Goussin!
Another beautiful beach to visit is Vlichos beach, a small-pebble beach with crystal clear waters. It is very quiet and can be reached via a 40 minutes’ walk along Hydra’s stunning coastline from the port or with a taxi-boat.
Keep walking... the same beauty is everywhere
Close your eyes and feel the sunshine on your skin
It's easy to make new friends weaving through the port
Embrace the nature of Hydra, a place where donkeys are the main means of transportation
Appreciate the little things in life
The experience can be even better if you are with the right people
A simple walk around this island is like walking in 10 distinctly beautiful places at once
Play hide and seek in one of the narrow streets in the neighbourhood
The sky in Hydra is always blue and clear
So how do you get to this amazing little island? You can reach Hydra by a flying dolphin ferry. They depart daily from the port of Piraeus (travel time is approximately 1h and 30 min). An alternative option is to stay at Live-Bio in Poros and go on a daily sailing trip with Periklis and Magdalena on their lovely boat Naziara. Our #treebenchadventures series highlights some of the amazing places we’ve been to and people we’ve connected with over our travels. Get in touch with us for more exciting videos of our adventures or check out our treebenchadventures channel for more inspiration.
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