What to see in Hydra
Hydra's sights are not really monuments, they are the town itself. The stone mansions stacked around the harbour were built by shipowning families who broke the Napoleonic blockade and then handed their fleet to the revolution in 1821, and two of those houses are now museums that between them explain the whole island in an afternoon. Beyond the waterfront the interest is in the walking: a stiff climb to the monastery on the ridge, the coastal path west through Kaminia to the hamlets, and the fortified bay at Mandraki. The caveat is physical rather than cultural. There are no cars, the town is a staircase, and almost everything worth seeing here involves a steep climb in full sun. Sensible shoes matter more than an early start.
Places of interest
Hydra Town
The island's only town, with a semicircular harbour ringed by the eighteenth century mansions of shipowners. No cars, no motorbikes: donkeys, boats and your own two feet. The most distinctive atmosphere in the Saronic islands.
Kaminia Village
A small fishing village a 15 minute walk west of the main town. Authentic and quiet, with tavernas by the sea where the Hydriots themselves eat. Ideal for escaping the port.
Mandraki
A 25 minute walk east of the port. This is where the historic shipyards stood that turned Hydra into a maritime power in the 18th century. Today it holds the island's only sandy beach.
Monastery of Profitis Ilias
An 18th century monastery for monks high on Mount Eros (500 m). The walk up takes about 2 hours but the views over the Aegean, the nearby islands and the Peloponnese are worth every step. Active monastic community.
Museums and archaeological sites
Historical Archives Museum of Hydra
A museum on the eastern quay of the port with manuscripts, flags, weapons and memorabilia from the Greek war of independence. A full run through the island's naval history.
Lazaros Koundouriotis Historical Mansion
The house museum of the shipowner and revolutionary hero Lazaros Koundouriotis, built in 1780. Furniture, costumes, icons and 19th century Greek art in a three storey mansion above the port.