"Quiet and beautiful - that ..." a Hydra Island Travel Page by planxty

Hydra is perhaps one of the better known Greek islands, with a reputation for being a bit of an artists haven. Leonard Cohen was a long time resident there, and still has a house in the town, and various artists, poets and so on choose it as a home. If all this isn't your thing, however, don't be put off, the island retains a charm that many of the other Greek islands have unfortunately lost in the rush towards the tourist dollar / euro / pound.

I don't have a problem with island people making a living from tourism (there is little else for them), but I am a little saddened at the "Eurodisco" hedonistic culture that has overtaken some of the more popular islands.

Hydra is very keen to avoid all that. There are no roads to speak of (just a few tracks), and motor vehicles (including the scooter so ubiquitous in Greece) are banned. Actually, I have to tell you that despite what the brochures tell you, there ARE vehicles on Hydra! I know for a fact there are at least two dustcarts (I got friendly with one of the drivers who is a part-time musician like myself), and I did see a jeep with a hose rig on the back that passes for the local fire brigade.

So how do you get around? Three choices really. You walk (my preferred mode of transport), you get a water taxi (see seperate tip) or you ride a donkey. There are donkeys eveywhere on the island, and it is interesting to watch the ferries come into the harbour to be met by a string of them who then carry absolutely everything all over the island. I saw supermarket supplies loaded on them, and a lot of building materials being moved about not to mention tourist luggage and the odd intrepid tourist! The photo gives you some idea of what I'm talking about.

So what's to do there? Frankly, not an awful lot except totally relax and let yourself slip back into a near forgotten age. There are a couple of museums which are worth a visit and a few religious sites worth looking at, but the keyword here seems to be RELAX. If you want to walk off that delicious lunch you've just had, the island is certainly big enough to provide for some wonderful walking, but that's about it really.

I visited very early in the season when the place was still relatively uncrowded, but I believe it can become very packed during summer weekends due to it's relative proximity to Athens. Apparently, it is THE place for Athenians to go to escape the heat of the summer. I only spent a coule of days there, but I wish it had been a whole lot longer. Take my tip and include it on any Greek island hopping tour you are planning.