Ferry to Hydra island

The most convenient ferry to Hydra is from Piraeus. There may be the regular ferry (2 hrs.) or Flying Cat (1 hr. 30 min.) depending on what's running that time of year.

Hydra is more of a day trip experience. It has one of the most beautiful waterfronts and towns in Greece with most activity taking place along the waterfront. Not really much for beaches, has some nice walking through the interior and along the coast from the main town but it's mostly a nice place to hang out for the day. Some may like it for a couple days.

I've only been there in early October so can't say how the water temperature will be but since it's not really a beach island it may not matter.

There are ports down in the Argolis Peninsula if you want to drive there and take a ferry from Hermioni, Poros or Porto Heli. Depends on where you are and when you want to go to Hydra. The ferry ride will be very short to Hydra.

Hydra is a nice overnight getaway. The best beaches are a very pleasant hike away. At night, when the day trippers have departed it’s delightful. You should be able to swim that time of year.

I stayed in Hydra at the end of May one year. The weather was quite nice and it wasn't yet crowded. While I don't recall the exact water temperature, I don't remember it being really cold. Hydra is definitely worth an overnight as it's very pleasant in the evening.

There's catamaran service between Ermioni and Hydra that I used on my way to Nafplio, and the catamaran trip wasn't terribly long. Ermioni is about 1.5 hours by car from Nafplio and on a peninsula, so that option may or may not work for you depending upon where else you plan to visit in Greece. Note that Ermioni is probably a spelling variation of Hermioni mentioned above.

There's a 30 minute water taxi from Metochi (it's actually outside of the town/city about 15 min.); a parking lot (inexpensive) is available. We had been staying in Napflio and added two days/two nights on Hydra before returning our rental car in Athens. Often Rick's tours call places like Hydra "a vacation within a vacation" and it certainly was! The Mistral Hotel was a delight.

Thanks for helpful information

Is it necessary to book ferry reservations to Hydra in advance? End of March.

What is the difference between the AK1 and AK2 seats?

No you don't have to book until you get to the port, in April...

Once on a trip to Greece, we added an unexpected overnight in Hydra. It ended being my favorite island on that trip. I loved the fact that there were no cars and that there was a long trail along the water, you could walk for a long time and decide where to swim... I wish I had more time there!!