Hydra, Saronic Islands

Hydra is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Aegean Sea between the Saronic Gulf and the Argolic Gulf. It is separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow strait called on some maps "the Hydra Gulf."

Ferries arrive regularly from Piraeus and Napflion on the Peloponnese. No motor vehicles are allowed on this island, so the public transportation is provided by taxi-donkeys. The inhabited area is so compact that most people walk everywhere.

There is one main town, known simply as "Hydra port." It consists of a crescent-shaped harbor, around which is a strand of commercial establishments (restaurants, shops, markets, and galleries) catering to tourists and locals (called Hydriots.) Leading up from the harbor are steep stone streets containing most of the houses in which the Hydriots live, along with hostelries that range from luxurious to humble.

The island is practically waterless (it had some wells that were closed by seismic activity in the mid-20th century), so water is imported by boat from the mainland. Most of the island is dry, rocky hillside, empty save for the occasional farmhouse and one or two very isolated Orthodox monasteries.