Hydra

Introducing Hydra

Hydra (ee-dhr-ah) is the showcase of the Saronics and still wears its celebrity with style. The island’s picturesque harbour attracts throngs of tourists, cruise passengers, yacht crews and the occasional celebrity on their way to hidden holiday homes among the tiers of picturesque buildings that rise above the harbour. You pay for the privilege of visiting, with inflated prices throughout, but the deal is still worthwhile.

An undoubted bonus, for modern Greece, is the absence of scooters and screeching motorbikes from Hydra Town. The island has no motorised transport, except for sanitation and construction vehicles. Donkeys and mules are the main means of transport.

Hydra suffered from devastating wildfires during the searingly hot summer of 2007. Most of the area to the east of Hydra Town was affected and there has been substantial tree loss. Hydra Town itself was untouched.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009