Hydra Island Private Day Tour from Athens by Commercial Passenger Speedboat With your Guide: The Most Cosmopolitan & Upscale Island
€550
This is a private tour of Hydra Island. A “real Greek” island. Board the commercial speedboat passenger boat with your guide and arrive at Hydra Island within two hours, enjoying the amazing blue of the Saronic Gulf.
This is NOT a “private boat” trip. Your tour leader will pick you up from your Athens hotel and drive you to the port to board the commercial passenger speedboat with you. A hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-off. The boat ride is around two hours. This allows you to take in views of the islands from a speedboat while traveling past (Aegina Island, Agistri Island & Methana Peninsula) or stopping (Poros Island) to pick up/drop off passengers! Your tour leader will guide you while in Hydra, allowing you also to have your private time to self-explore and/or enjoy lunch & drinks.
Hydra is a trendy and cosmopolitan island that at the same time maintains its magic and peacefulness due to the all-year-round presence of the locals and the absence of any kind of vehicle! We love the island because Hydra is also one of our three bases, so we consider it home to our agency.
A tour for those looking for a different approach to the popular but extremely touristy “3 island cruise” to the Aegina, Poros, and Hydra islands. It will allow you to spend your time on the “important” island instead of 90% sailing with very limited time on each island.
On Hydra, everything inspires tranquility, relaxation, and a gentle way of life. It is not surprising that artists from all over the world find inspiration in the atmosphere of Hydra. It is a very historic but also THE most exclusive and romantic island in the Saronic Gulf. A true pearl unique by its scenery. A “car-free” island means that no vehicles [at all] are allowed. The only means of transportation are the cute island donkeys & mules. Boats, and on foot is our suggestion!
Overall, this one-day private tour to Hydra Island is an excellent way to experience the beauty and history of this cosmopolitan, upscale, touristy but still very relaxing island of the Saronic Gulf right in front of Athens.
Duration: 8-10 hours
Language: English
Departure: Approximately 8:00-9:00 a.m. from Athens and return around 17:00-18:00
You can book this tour online now. The pricing shown is for 1 or 2 people (not per person).
For more pricing details & options please see the “Pricing” tab below or Contact Us to get a quote for more than 2 people.
We start from the center of Athens and your hotel. It is a short drive to Piraeus port to board the commercial high-speed pickup that will take us to Hydra island within (approximately) two hours and usually via Poros island too. The great views from within the fast passenger boat trip will allow you to see many small and bigger islands of the Saronic Gulf surrounded by the amazing and hard-to-believe blue water.
Hydra island is a great relaxing but cosmopolitan alternative to the craziness of Mykonos and Santorini! The hiding place of many recent celebrities but also from the past including Jacky Kennedy & Onassis, John Lennon, Maria Kalas, Sophia Loren, and many more.
Depending on your pace, energy, and available time, you will explore Hydra’s highlights such as :
☼ Statue of A.Miaoulis
☼ Merchant Marine Academy
☼ Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
☼ Walk from Hydra port along the coastline to Kaminia port and back to Hydra town/port around the back streets.
☼ The Lazaros Kountouriotis Museum.
☼ Square of the Five Hydriot Prime Ministers & Rafalias Pharmacy.
☼ Sophia Loren’s windmill.
[This is only a draft itinerary]
Your guide will only make suggestions for private places to enjoy lunch & drinks, but you will decide. There are numerous places by the water for lunch, drinks, coffee, and dessert before we board the boat back to Piraeus port and then to your Athens accommodation.
Υour guide will only make suggestions for places to enjoy lunch & drinks privately, but you will decide!
Are you ready for a day next to the amazing blue and for an authentic experience?
☼ Private tour for one or up to eight people who are related only.
☼ Hotel pickup and drop-off.
☼ A private driver/tour leader will transfer you to the port and then back to your hotel. He will also accompany you and guide you while at Hydra Island.
☼ Learn about the island from your guide and explore Hydra at your own pace.
☼ The total time at the island will be approximately 3-3.5 hours, depending on the boat’s timetable.
☼ Bottled water & information booklet about all the details of the tour.
☼ Flexible itinerary.
☼ The tour is operated with our private cars for your transfer from Athens to the port. We use commercial speedboat boats to travel to the island, and we pre-book your tickets to secure seats.
☼ Pickup and drop-off in areas outside of Athens (additional cost).
☼ Boat return tickets are approximately 80 EUR/person round trip which we pre-book & purchase for you to secure seats which you pay back on the day of the tour directly to your driver/guide. This pricing can change and we follow the pricing of the commercial boat company [current pricing is 76 to 80 EUR/person round trip].
☼ Lunch & drinks. Your guide will only suggest some options to enjoy lunch, snacks, or drinks.
☼ Gratuities (optional).
The price for this tour is €550, which is the total for 2 (two) people.
Discounted pricing: We offer alternative payment methods (family rates, solo travelers, small booking payments, pay on the day of the tour, etc.). Please contact us to get the best rate based on your payment method, number of people, and age.
PS. Payments made by PayPal are subject to an additional cost of 5%- 6% (the approximate fee that PayPal charges on all transactions), and payments by AMEX are subject to an additional 2.80%- 3%, which the client must pay to Eudaimonia on the day of the booked tour. There is no extra charge if you pay by any other credit card.
From any hotel or Airbnb in Athens or a pre-arranged meeting point very close to your location. For other starting locations (port or airport & luggage) please contact us.
╰┈➤ 5-Day Tour of Mythical Peloponnese Private private tour from Athens Greece to the Peloponnese [Corinth Canal, Mycenae, Nafplio, Epidaurus, Monemvasia, Mani, Sparta, Mystras, Olympia, Dimitsana, Cliff-hanging Monasteries, Cave of Lakes, Odontotos Cog Railway]
╰┈➤ 9-day Mythical Peloponnese and Hydra Island private tour from Athens Greece [Corinth Canal, Mycenae, Nafplio, Epidaurus, Hydra Island, Monemvasia, Mani peninsula, Sparta, Mystras, Methoni, Kalamata, Olympia, Dimitsana, Cliff-hanging Monasteries, Cave of Lakes, Odontotos Cog Railway]
These are reminders and additions to things you have already read in other sections.
All our tours include lunch and drinks, and all multi-day tours include quality accommodation. Professional guide, dinner (on multi-day tours), and all kinds of tickets (sites, trains, boats, etc) are not included. You can read more about “What is included & excluded in our tours and why!” from our FAQs-not-4-DUMMIES.
☼ To keep our vehicles fresh and comfortable, we ask that guests avoid eating or drinking (except water). Water is always available, and we’ll stop along the way as needed if you need to snack.
☼ Fish and seafood are not included in our budget, as their costs cannot be estimated with sufficient accuracy in advance. Pescatarian guests are invited to enjoy our delicious vegetarian cuisine during the tour. In the evenings, we’ll recommend the best spots for fresh seafood so you can experience it at your leisure. Got allergies, several restrictions, or foods you don’t enjoy? Tell us in advance, and we’ll do our best to please you!
☼ After you book, we will ask for some of the following: any food allergies, a single passport number (required by local authorities), names of all passengers, luggage details, pickup/drop-off locations, and a WhatsApp number, which is very helpful during the tour.
☼ Luggage is typically not included on day tours. In other situations (multi-day tours or transfers), we expect a maximum of one checked bag per person [65x40x25 cm or 26x16x10 inches] and a carry-on or backpack. We do not allow luggage on the vehicle’s seats or in your laps to protect both our passengers and our vehicles. If you have additional luggage, please let us know in advance. We can arrange for a larger vehicle or help you store part of it. We may have to cancel if you … surprise us!
☼ If you are too tall or heavy, we need to know in advance! If we have advance notice, we can arrange the appropriate vehicle. Please use 225 lbs (105 Kg) as the maximum weight you need to inform us of. If in doubt, please let us know your weight and height before you book, and we’ll get back to you. It’s not a personal question, but for your own comfort! We can use a larger vehicle if we have advance notice.
☼ An adult must always accompany children (minimum age is 8 years). Please let us know if anyone gets car sick! Greece is not flat!
☼ Due to uneven surfaces, most tours are not suitable for people with mobility impairments or wheelchair users. We apologize for this, but if the sites don’t or can’t accommodate people with mobility issues, we can’t help.
☼ We are flexible on tour duration, so there is no rush during the tour. We also expect you to be reasonable and respect your driver/tour leader’s efforts. Sometimes there are specific restrictions (like not missing the sites’ closing times during the off-season or catching a train, boat, etc.) which will “dictate” our itinerary/timing and require your full cooperation!
‘Eudaimonia’ is the trading name of Eudaimonia Private Tours of Greece, a tour provider officially registered under the Greek National Tourism Organization with business license number 1245E70000044101. The ‘client’ or ‘customer’ is the person or persons who have made a confirmed booking with Eudaimonia.
CANCELLATION POLICY FOR TOURS, TRANSFERS AND SERVICES
(a) Cancellation Policy for day tours, half-day tours, and transfers:
☼ Cancellations made greater than 60 days before the scheduled tour date will be fully refunded minus service fees, as mentioned below.
☼ Cancellations made between 60 to 30 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 75% of the agreed total tour fee minus service fees.
☼ Cancellations made between 30 to 7 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 50% of the agreed total tour fee minus service fees.
☼ Cancellations made 7 days or less before the scheduled tour date will incur a 100% charge.
EXPENSES: In addition to the above, but only after the 60-day full refund period, all of Eudaimonia’s expenses agreed upon through the email exchange of communication concerning or are part of the day or half-day tours or transfers, such as site tickets, train/boat tickets, or any other bookings for the client (wine tasting, restaurants, etc.), will be deducted from the amount to be refunded.
SERVICE FEE: Finally, a service fee of 9% (of the total amount agreed) will also be deducted from any refundable amount, including the 60-day full refund case. This corresponds to the time spent on the client’s booking.
(b) Cancellation Policy for multi-day tours (at least one night stay/overnight or more):
☼ Cancellations made greater than 90 days before the scheduled tour date will be fully refunded minus expenses and services fees, as mentioned below.
☼ Cancellations made between 90 to 60 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 75% of the agreed total tour fee minus expenses and services fees.
☼ Cancellations made between 60 to 30 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 50% of the agreed total tour fee minus expenses and services fees.
☼ Cancellations made 30 days before the scheduled tour date will incur a 100% charge.
EXPENSES: Additionally to the above, but only after the 90-day full refund period, all of Eudaimonia’s expenses agreed upon through the email exchange of communication concerning or are part of any multiday tour, such as site tickets, train/boat tickets, hotels booked for the client, or any other bookings (wine tasting, restaurants, etc), will be deducted from any amount to be refunded. This will be an amount of approximately 25%-30% of the total tour cost.
SERVICE FEE: Finally, a service fee of 18% of the total amount agreed will also be deducted from any refundable amount including the 90-day full refund case. This corresponds to the time spent on the client’s booking.
(c) Special client-specific arrangements/agreements & cancellation policy:
There may be client-specific payments & bookings (full or partial) agreed upon through e-mail communication mentioned -for example- as “non-refundable” or different from the main cancellation policy “refund dates”. Then, these client-specific agreements will precede any other interpretations made from this main cancellation policy. Therefore, it is the specific written (email) agreement between each client and Eudaimonia that can only precede this main cancellation policy -if it is different- and determines the cancellation policy for each client.
(d) Other issues:
Eudaimonia reserves the right to make subtle changes to tour itineraries. Eudaimonia reserves the right to substitute vehicles and/or drivers should they arise. Eudaimonia reserves the right to change or cancel your booking without any penalties beyond offering a full refund. Should change and/or cancellation prove necessary we will give you -if possible- reasonable notice & where available, offer you a comparable alternative. If an alternative is not available or acceptable you will be entitled to a full refund.
Eudaimonia encourages all clients to communicate as early as possible concerning cancellation issues which could allow the agency to offer a better refund – partial or full- to a client despite the standard cancellation policy described in this document. This is a decision not to be discussed with or disputed by the client and will be made entirely by Eudaimonia to better serve the client if it is possible.
Eudaimonia itineraries are flexible, and if possible, the requirements of clients will be facilitated. Eudaimonia reserves the right to vary, modify, or cancel any itinerary, either partly or wholly. Itineraries published are sample itineraries only and may be amended without notice. Eudaimonia also reserves the right to use alternative vehicles to those advertised.
Eudaimonia is not responsible for the costs of any other travel arrangements affected due to our cancellations or rescheduling of any tour departure.
Bookings can only be used by the client/s to whom the booking was initially arranged; no other person can use the booking in any circumstances.
The client will be asked to produce a valid photo and/or passport number identification.
(e) Force Majeure
It is only at Eudaimonia’s discretion to refund fully, partly, or not at all if a customer cancels under certain conditions including even “Force Majeure”. Eudaimonia strongly recommends that the client purchase travel insurance.
The Client agrees to all the above when booking any of Eudaimonia’s tours and services.