Hydra Island: Full Day Trip from Athens with Swimming

The daytrip was amazing, so enjoyable, informative and pleasant!!! after some busy days of exploring I wanted to still go see something new but in more of a relaxed way so this experience was perfect. the pricings were fair to the distance of the island and also the obvious cost of the ferry, along with that it was very carefully curated and held by one of the best guides I've had the chance to travel with. The driver of the bus, Goran, has been driving really well and helping in giving us the relaxing experience we needed, he also ensured everything was well cleaned and always on top. the true star of the trip was absolutely the tour guide I earlier mentioned, her name is Lydia and she's both so clearly in love with what she does and also so knowledgeable and skillful in her presentation and as to our entertainment. we got presented with a good amount of resources via a QR code in the morning but I later found it pretty useless in comparison to the cure and attention of the tour guide's recommendations and information pool. she made sure everything was perfectly in order and even when, in the morning, one of the clients had an accident when feeling bad in the bus she dealt with it with utter professionalism and perfect steadiness and took us back to normal and ready for the rest of our trip. Afterwards, when there, I joined her beautiful walking tour of the island which was an unique experience that no other guide, I feel, ever tackled so well. The experience was so interactive and not only a monologue, she made us participate and try to reason on not only the history of the place but also the choices that made the island look how it does now. focal points of the tour were on the history, architecture, habits and culture of the island and it's inhabitants. We then had time to relax and swim in a wonderful beach she recommended before going for a bite and making our way back. when tired and on our last drive home we had more time to ourselves without the guide being intrusive. On the contrary, right before our goodbye, she made sure to give us all an extensive list of recommendations for our next days in Athens by ourselves. I highly recommend this tour and other tours from this company!! The whole bus of people felt that Lydia made the experience incredibly special and not like any other but any other trip is sure to also be good!

I did not expect 3 hours travel time to Hydra. There were enough breaks during the drive but if we would have taken the ferry from Athens on our own, it would have been less travel time.

It was a nice day at Hydra! Indeed long bus ride both ways but coach bus is very comfortable with A/C. Lydia the tour guide was very kind and informative. The water taxi to hydra is about 15 minutes and is private for the group. The only issue we had was the meeting location was incorrect on the Google map which made us almost miss our trip. Luckily Lydia was able to find us and communicate with us.

Very nice to visit the island. My friends and I walked 30 min straight to the beach, rented loungers and enjoyed the little time we had. We prioritized beach time so we didn't visit the town much. It would've been great if we had an extra hour.

Guide was the only good thing about this tour. Extremely long bus ride just to have a few hours on the island. Should have just taken the ferry from Athens.

Hydra is a great spot full of scenic views, retail options, and restaurants. We also got to take a dip at one of the stony beaches. It was a 3-hr bus ride and 15-minute sea taxi ride from Athens. We had about 3 1/2 hours of free time to roam the island, which worked out well for lunch, swimming, sightseeing, and shopping. Our guide seemed a little disinterested, but she shared some essential information.

The bus ride to the boat was longer than we anticipated…not unpleasant in any way, just longer. Once we arrived at the island we had a great time. There are many options to consider but the main disembarking area is lively and fun. The water is very beautiful…a dark blue which is hard to describe. The “beaches” are different than what we know in the states. Rocky out cropping or pebble/stone. Taking some sort of water shoe would be advisable. Once in the water though, it is a great experience. Overall we would recommend this tour if you have a full day to invest. Just be ready for a lot of time in a bus going and then coming back. BTW, the pick-up and drop-off area has some great food options for the return trip and a nice coffee stand for the pick-up.

The experience was very good. Punctual and with a very good guide who provided us with information throughout the journey. The ferry crossing to the island is faster, but we chose this option because it included the land transfer, which allowed us to see and enjoy the landscapes of the Peloponnese along the way. We had time to stroll through the village, take a dip in its wonderful waters, and enjoy a lunch. We would have liked to stay an hour longer in Hydra; we will surely return.

It’s a tedious trip; they didn't mention you'd be spending eight hours on a bus with nothing interesting going on. On top of that, the guide was an aggressive jerk—she got into an argument with the boat supervisor, and we all thought it was going to come to blows. Hydra is spectacular, but the journey is a nightmare. I do not recommend this tour.

We missed our meeting on the first occasion. The meeting place was busy, and we were 20 meters from where we should have been (the company guide for another tour kindly included us). We rebooked and enjoyed both the guide and tour. As with Greece generally, hilly walking, but Hydra had some nice restraurants overlooking the bay, and we were given time to explore. A tour to be recommended.