Idra, Greece
The island of Hydra’s claim to fame is that it’s the only
significant populated Greek island that is completely free of motor
vehicles. Yes, it’s true – not even
delivery vehicles. What is needed to be moved around, including visitors and
their bags, is by donkey or hand cart.
The quiet of a place without the constant roar of internal combustion
engines is a large part of Hydra’s appeal.
Hydra is only a short distance offshore from the Peloponnese
Peninsula but is considered one of the Saronic Gulf islands, that body of water
being the part of the Aegean Sea to the west of Athens. With several daily
direct ferries to Piraeus, most people visit Hydra directly from Athens. That
was my plan for my Covid-19-cancelled 2020 trip during which I was going to
spend a few days around Easter on the island.
Since John wouldn’t be going to any of the other Greek
isles, I thought a short daytrip from the mainland to Hydra would make for a
good island taster for him. And I still
wanted to see it as well. I looked into
accommodation for a night on the island, but it was all quite pricey, an issue
I surprisingly didn’t have when I booked for April 2020.
Thus, we stayed two
nights in the attractive port and resort town of Ermioni on the mainland and
took a small ferry over for the day.
The island of Hydra is a fraction of its former self despite
its significant tourist appeal. Supposedly the current 2,000 population on the
island is down from about 28,000 around the time of Greek independence two
centuries ago. The island’s main town now seems relatively quiet despite all
the travelers, but it once must have been a hub of commercial activity other
than just the restaurants and t-shirt shops that exist today.
Needless to say, the main town of Hydra is beautiful in its
sprawls up in three directions from the busy port. Supposedly there are great hikes on the
island to shrines in the hills, but in the hot weather we just settled for the
coastal path to Kimini, the very small village a 15-minute walk west from Hydra
town.
Most of Hydra’s small museums were closed on out Monday
visit, the exception being the Historical Archives Museum of Hydra, one of the
best small town local museums I’ve seen in Greece. Mostly, however, we just whiled away the day
in the manner that everyone else seemed to be doing – strolling through town,
eating a long lunch, taking a dip in the sea, and coffee or beers at a café. Hydra seems like a good place to hide out and
get away from it all. I’ll keep it in mind should that be the kind of vacation
I want someday.
2025-05-23