Hydra Island with its grey, white and blue colours over the blue sea is an example of magnificent architecture and aesthetics. The city on Hydra Island, which is the centre of the whole island, is built amphitheatrically around the port, combining nature and architecture.
Sail across the Aegean Sea and come ashore to explore Hydra – an ancient port of call where cars and motorbikes are banned. Donkeys are the most common transport on Hydra, and you’ll see them lined up like taxis.
Bisti Beach
Bisti Beach is a peaceful beach characterized by a rugged landscape that includes rocky cliffs and clear turquoise water. Visitors can relax on the pebbled coast, take a refreshing swim and enjoy undisturbed peace.
Vlychos Plakes Beach
Vlychos Plakes Beach is a popular tourist attraction, known for its natural beauty, including its distinctive grey pebbles and clear waters, as well as its long stretch of sand. There are many ways to get to Vlychos Plakes Beach. One option is a leisurely 1.5 km walk along the coast from Hydra Port. From the port, you can take a boat to the beach, as well as other transport services such as sea taxis.
Mount Eros
A walk up Mount Eros is one of the things you shouldn’t miss while staying here.
The hike to Mount Eros is actually part of a monastery walk. As you hike to the Profitis Ilias Monastery the path will eventually lead you to a place with a sign that says, Mt. Eros. If your goal is to climb this mountain, you should take this path.
Lazaros Koundouriotis Historical Mansion (National Historical Museum)
Hydra’s star cultural attraction is this handsome ochre-coloured arhontiko (stone mansion) high above the harbour. It was the home of one of the major players in the Greek independence struggle and is an exquisite example of late-18th-century traditional architecture. It features original furnishings, folk costumes, handicrafts and a painting exhibition.
Historical Archives – Museum of Hydra
The museum hosts the historical archives that were kept for years inside the Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary. These archives include educational, administrative, and religious archives, manuscripts from the Greek Revolution, old books, maps, and others. The museum also exhibits relics from the Balkans Wars and the two World Wars, traditional costumes, carvings, naval instruments, and painting works.
Prophet Elias Monastery
Prophet Elias Monastery is located approximately 2.5 miles and almost 1,700 vertical feet above the harbor on the island of Hydra in Greece. The hike is a strong intermediate hike with a significant amount of climbing, but mostly on stone stairs and paths that are well maintained and even. If you’re making this hike in the Summer, make sure you bring plenty of water. We didn’t see any places to refill ours on the way up to the monastery.
The stairs and paths are a combination of old and new, and are clearly the product of an amazing amount of manual labor moving a huge amount of stones up the mountain and into place on the path. You can easily imagine the countless monks and pilgrims who have traversed these trails over the last 200+ years.
