Hydra Island

Positioned in the Saronic Gulf between the Myrtoan Sea and the Argolic Gulf, Hydra, also spelled Ydra, takes its name from the ancient Greek word for water, a reference to natural springs that once made the island a stopover for passing ships. The municipality today covers 64.4 square kilometres, including the neighbouring islet of Dokos, and recorded a population of 2,070 in the 2021 census.

Hydra's importance in Greek history has little to do with its size and everything to do with its ships. Under Ottoman rule the island built an unusually large merchant fleet: by 1771 up to fifty vessels from around Greece were anchored in its harbour, and within a decade the island had fitted out around a hundred ships of its own. That fleet became a decisive asset during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), when Hydra contributed roughly 150 ships to the revolutionary cause. The Hydriot admiral Andreas Miaoulis used fireships to devastating effect against the Ottoman navy, while local sea captain Lazaros Kountouriotis gave away his entire personal fortune to help finance the war. His descendants went on to shape modern Greek politics and the navy: Georgios Kountouriotis later served as Prime Minister, and Pavlos Kountouriotis became both an admiral and, eventually, President of Greece.

That maritime wealth also built the town that greets visitors today: rows of stone captains' mansions, some dating to the 18th century, climb the hillsides above a crescent-shaped harbour lined with old cannon and monuments to the island's admirals. Hydra has been entirely car-free for decades, not just cars, but motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and e-bikes are all barred from its streets, leaving mules, donkeys and water taxis as the only way to move goods and people beyond walking distance.

The island's scenery and quiet drew a wave of artists and writers in the mid-20th century, most famously the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who lived and wrote on Hydra for long stretches with his partner Marianne Ihlen. In 2007, National Geographic Traveler ranked Hydra as the highest-rated Greek island, eleventh in the world, for having preserved its authentic character. That same combination of history, car-free streets and sheltered anchorages makes Hydra one of the anchorages you'll visit on a private gulet cruise in Greece, usually as part of a wider route through the Saronic Gulf.