I'm taking a small group of 5 retired teachers (I'm beginning to thing students would be easier!) and they want to go to an island but we have limited time. I like Aegina but I've never been to Hydra. They might want to swim a bit at a beach. Of the two, which island do you recommend?
Posted by
Crete
1 posts
Hi
Aegina has more choices in terms of beaches,which are also easier accessible.Its main town is not bad also
Hydra is more interesting in terms of architecture but as far as I know more rocky,so choices for swimming fewer.
Posted by
NH (USA)
1222 posts
I would recommend Aegina as it's larger, has more villages, real beaches, archeological/historic sties, ancient olive grove, abandoned Byzantine village and is known as the Pistachio Capital of Greece.
Hydra has one of Greece's nicest waterfronts with it's village cascading down to the harbor but is more of a people watching island and a place to hang out, eat with the best thing about it is no vehicles are allowed so you'll get an idea of the "old" Greece but Hydra is far from the Old Greece.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7158 posts
Hydra is quite rocky and most of the beaches aren't soft sand beaches and none of them are really near the town and port of Hydra. You may need to take a short boat ride around the island to a beach. Aegina has more sand beaches with more tourist facilities.
Posted by
4 posts
I have not been to Aegina, but Hydra is very pretty and relaxed and super charming. It has some lovely beaches, but, as others have said, they tend to be more rocky (pebbly, really). We had no problem with the pebbly-ness, but I imagine most people's idea of "beach" would tend towards white sands.