A Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens crosses the Saronic Gulf to three islands and returns to the mainland the same evening. For a longer holiday, the homepage lists further tours in Greece to compare.
The sections below follow the day in order: the inclusions, the length and the departure port, Hydra and why it has no cars, free time in Hydra town, Poros and the view from the boat, Aegina and the Temple of Aphaea, what to wear and bring, and the questions travellers ask.
What does a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens include?
A Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens includes a buffet lunch and a Greek folklore show. One tour operator also lists the sail and multilingual escorts on board. Hotel pickup depends on the option you choose.
That operator also organizes the coach ride from Athens to the port, so you need no transport of your own. A second operator offers pickup and drop-off at selected Athens hotels. Check which option your ticket covers before the day.
Each island gets free time ashore. One operator includes an audio tour of Hydra that you follow at your own pace. Life on board differs by operator. One lists a live orchestra, cocktails and a Greek dance lesson. Its buffet serves Greek and Mediterranean dishes while the ship sails between islands.
Another operator offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals if you ask in advance. It also lists free internet on the second deck of its ship.
Know what a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens leaves out. One operator says its regular cruise has no stops for swimming or snorkelling. A day-trip blog lists drinks, temple entry fees and optional island tours as extras. A third operator sells walking, swimming and panoramic tours on board.
The trip to the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina is optional. The first operator says it is paid for separately, and the entry ticket is bought on the spot.
How long is the cruise, and where does the boat leave Athens?
The Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens takes about 12 hours, says a day-trip blog. One operator lists 11.50 hours. The blog puts boarding between 7 and half past 7 in the morning, at a marina on the Athens coast.
The departure point differs by operator. The blog names Flisvos Marina, Marina Delta Kalitheas and Trokadero Marina. It says tram or taxi from central Athens reaches all three. Another operator runs a transfer to and from the port of Marina in Kallithea.
Here is one operator’s timetable for the Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens. The ship leaves at 8 in the morning and reaches Hydra at a quarter past 11. It sails on at a quarter to 1 and reaches Poros at 2 in the afternoon.
It leaves Poros at ten to 3 and reaches Aegina at 4. It sails home at 6 and is back at a quarter past 7 in the evening. That makes the whole Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens a long day on the water.
Time on land is short on this trip. A different operator gives about 50 minutes on Poros and about 1.5 hours on Hydra. It says the order of islands can change, but the length of each stay does not. After the last stop it lists an hour at sea for the sail back.
The blog gives 1.5 to 2 hours on Hydra and Aegina, and about 45 minutes on Poros. It adds that other boats reverse the order, with Poros first and Aegina last.
What is Hydra, and why are there no cars on the island?
Hydra is part of the Saronic group of islands, and cars and motorcycles are illegal there. The Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens stops in a town that runs on feet, hooves and boats.
The ban reaches further than cars. Scooters, bicycles and e-bikes are out too, so no wheeled vehicle is allowed. The sole motorised traffic is the rubbish truck. Public transport means a horse, a mule, a donkey or a water taxi. Even so, the built-up area is compact, and people walk to every errand.
The island sits in the Aegean Sea, and a thin channel divides it from the Peloponnese. Its main town, Hydra port, counts about 1,900 residents. The name echoes the old Greek word for water, after the island’s natural springs.
Restaurants, shops, markets and galleries wrap around a crescent-shaped harbour, while steep stone streets rise from the quay. Visitors on the Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens arrive here. One operator calls the port an amphitheatre that once sheltered pirates.
Sea captains built the town’s wealth. One tour operator says their mansions doubled as fortresses against pirate raids and in the war of independence. Other mansions display eighteenth-century island furniture.
On the Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens, the Tsamados mansion stands left of the harbour entrance. It now houses a maritime academy. The National Museum of History runs the Kountouriotis mansion as an extension.
How do you spend the free time in Hydra town?
On the Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens, spend your free time in Hydra town on foot. Stroll the waterfront, wander the stone lanes, enter the cathedral or sit down for a coffee. The stop is brief, so pick a couple of sights and enjoy them.
Start at the waterfront, where cafes serve coffee, ouzo and other drinks. Narrow lanes behind the harbour hold art galleries and craft shops, because Hydra has a name as an artist’s haven. A short walk from the busy boulevard, quiet back alleys wait. A museum beside the ferry dock covers the seafaring past of the islanders.
The cathedral began as a monastery dedicated to the Virgin’s Dormition and stands on the quayside. Wealthiest of the island captains, Lazaros Kountouriotis rests in a tomb inside. He spent his entire fortune on the Greek War of Independence. Spot the bell tower and the small sign for the Ecclesiastical Museum. The courtyard stays open.
On one operator’s Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens, a walking tour is sold on board. It is not part of the ticket and lasts about 45 minutes. The route begins at the statue of Miaoulis, near the eighteenth-century Merchant Marine Academy. It continues past one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, a monastery and the island’s cannons.
Hydra has little sand, only smooth rocks and pebbly bays. For a quick swim, follow the coastal road west to Spilia, a rocky shore beside town. Ladders on the sea wall help swimmers in and out, so watch for sea urchins. Real beach time needs more hours than a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens allows.
Kamini, a village about a kilometre west of the port, is far less touristy.
What is Poros, and what do you see from the boat?
Piraeus lies 58 km north of Poros, which belongs to the southern Saronic Gulf. Your Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens reaches a harbour under a clock tower.
Two islands make up Poros, linked by a small bridge across a narrow strait. Sphairia, the southern one, has volcanic rock under it, and the town stands there. The northern one, Kalaureia, is the bigger of the pair.
Only 200 m of water divides Poros from the Peloponnese. Across that channel you see the mainland town of Galatas. In ancient Greek, the word poros means a small sea passage, so the name fits the view.
The clock tower dates from the nineteen twenties and stands on top of the town hill. As your Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens draws close, it is the first landmark you spot. Pine trees and prickly pear surround it.
Pines grow down to the shore. Old forests of them cover wide parts of the south and centre. The old town is a protected settlement with grand mansions and cobbled streets.
The ancients called Poros the island of Poseidon. Ruins of his sanctuary survive on a hilltop near the town. One operator also names the Russian Dockyard and a lemon forest as places to visit.
What does Aegina offer, from pistachios to the Temple of Aphaea?
Aegina lies only 27 km from Athens, and pistachio nuts and the Temple of Aphaea put it on the map. Your Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens docks in its port town.
Pistachio is the crop that defines Aegina today. The northern and western plains are stony but fertile, and they also grow vines, almonds, olives and figs.
On a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens, you can buy the nuts in the port town. A travel blog says they hold protected PDO status. One operator says pistachio trees line both sides of the road on its island drive.
The Temple of Aphaea rises on a pine ridge in the east, 160 m above the sea. From the main port, the road to it runs 13 km. The Doric building dates from around 500 BC and replaced an older temple lost to fire. Aphaia was a local goddess, and this hilltop held her only shrine.
The temple visit is an optional extra on a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens. A travel blog says the bus ride takes about 1 hour of your time ashore. Plan the stop with that in mind.
On a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens, the capital, Aegina town, is where the boat ties up. It occupies the north-west tip.
Its neoclassical houses, with a strong folk touch, were built in the nineteenth century. An operator says Aegina was the first capital of the newly founded Greek state. Ioannis Kapodistrias lived there as the first Governor of Greece.
A single standing column on Kolona headland, 500 m north of the harbour, once served ships as a daymark. Inland, a path leads from the church of Saint Nektarios up to Paleochora. This earlier island capital keeps its Byzantine architecture.
What do you wear and bring for a Saronic Gulf cruise?
Wear comfortable walking shoes and light clothes. Carry a camera and cash on a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens. The ship has sunny open decks, and the island streets are made for walking.
Shoes matter more than any other item. Hydra has narrow, stone-paved streets, and visitors explore them on foot. Choose comfortable shoes that stay firmly on your feet, so the lanes and the harbour front are easy to cover.
One operator describes sunny decks, a main lounge and spacious open decks on its ship. A travel site on Greece says the midday sun gets very strong from mid-July to mid-August. In that period a hat and sun cream protect you on deck.
The same site calls coastal areas on the islands quite breezy. Pack a light jacket for the open deck. Layers suit a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens better than one heavy item.
One operator tells passengers to bring a camera. A travel blog adds a rule about money. Bring cash, because island shops, tavernas and temple entrances can be cash only. Pack everything in one small bag that is easy to carry ashore.
What else do travellers ask about a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens?
What are the Saronic Islands?
The Saronic Islands form an archipelago close to the Greek mainland, and the Saronic Gulf gave the group its name. Poros, Aegina, Agistri and Salamis are the main inhabited ones. Hydra and Dokos are sometimes counted in the group too. A Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens therefore calls at islands that belong to one family.
What is Piraeus, and how far is it from Athens?
Piraeus, a port city in the Attica region, serves as the harbour for Athens. It lies beside the Saronic Gulf, 8 km southwest of central Athens. Regular ferries serve the Saronic Islands from this port. It is the fourth largest municipality in Greece.
Is the sea rough on the Saronic Gulf?
The mainland of Attica gives the Saronic Gulf partial cover against the summer Meltemi. Further east among the Aegean islands, it blows up to Force 7 and above. Poros and Aegina, two stops of a Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens, both lie in this gulf. One operator says its crew adjusts the route in rough seas.
Can you visit just one island instead?
Yes, because ferries run from Piraeus to each island. Aegina is 40 minutes away by ferry, and Hydra is one to two hours each way. A full day on Aegina leaves time for beaches and a proper lunch. A Hydra Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens is the choice for a taste of three islands.
What else lies in the Saronic Gulf?
Another name for the Saronic Gulf is the Gulf of Aegina. The gulf belongs to the Aegean Sea. Two peninsulas, Attica and Argolis, frame it, and the Athens urban area lies along its northern coast. Short-beaked common dolphins congregate in the gulf, one of their gathering areas in the Aegean Sea.