Planning a Trip

Getting There

Daily hydrofoil and ferry service to Hydra and other Saronic Gulf islands is offered by Hellenic Seaways (tel. 210/419-9200; www.hellenicseaways.gr). Saronikos Ferries (tel. 210/417/1190) takes passengers and cars to Aegina, Poros, and Spetses; cars are not allowed to disembark on Hydra. Euroseas (tel. 210/411-3108) has speedy catamaran service from Piraeus to Poros, Hydra, and Spetses. For information on schedules for most Argo-Saronic ferries, you can try one of the various numbers of the Piraeus Port Authority: tel. 210/412/4585, 210/422-6000, or 210/410-1480, but phones are not always answered. On Hydra, try tel. 22980/52-279. Reservations are a must on summer and on holiday weekends.

Visitor Information

The free publications Holidays in Hydra and This Summer in Hydra are widely available and contain much useful information, including maps and lists of rooms to rent; shops and restaurants pay to appear in these publications. Saitis Tours (tel. 22980/52-184), in the middle of the harborfront, can exchange money, provide information on rooms and villas, book excursions, and help you make long-distance calls or send faxes. For those wanting to pursue Hydra's history, we recommend Catherine Vanderpool's Hydra (Lycabettus Press), on sale on the island. You may also want to check www.greeka.com/saronic/hydra or www.hydradirect.com.

Festivals in Hydra -- On a mid-June weekend, Hydra celebrates Miaoulia, honoring Hydriot Admiral Miaoulis, who set much of the Turkish fleet on fire by ramming it with explosives-filled fireboats. Celebrations include a reenactment of the sinking of a model warship. In early July, Hydra has an annual puppet festival that, in recent years, has drawn puppeteers from countries as far away as Togo and Brazil. As these two festivals are not on set dates, check for schedules with the Greek National Tourist Office (tel. 210/870-0000; www.gnto.gr) or the Hydra tourist police (tel. 22980/52-205).

Getting Around

Walking is the only means of getting around on the island itself, unless you bring or rent a donkey or a bicycle. Caiques provide water-taxi service to the island's beaches (Bisti has extensive watersport facilities) and to the little offshore islands of Dokos, Kivotos, and Petasi, as well as to secluded restaurants in the evening; rates run from around 10€ ($13) to outrageously steep amounts, depending on destination, time of day, and whether or not business is slow.

Fast Facts

The National Bank of Greece and Commercial Bank are on the harbor; both have ATMs. Travel agents at the harbor will exchange money from about 9am to 8pm, usually at less favorable rates. The small health clinic is signposted at the harbor; cases requiring complicated treatment are taken by boat or helicopter to the mainland. The police and tourist police (tel. 22980/52-205) share quarters on the second floor at 9 Votsi (signposted at the harbor). The port authority (tel. 22980/53-150) is on the harborside. The post office is just off the harborfront on Ikonomou, the street between the two banks. The telephone office (OTE), across from the police station on Votsi, is open Monday through Saturday from 7:30am to 10pm, Sunday from 8am to 1pm and 5 to 10pm. For Internet access, try HydraNet (tel. 22980/54-150), signposted by the OTE.