Hydra

Hydra harbour is one of the most photographed arrivals in Greece: a perfect amphitheatre of grey stone mansions rising from the waterfront, with no cars, no mopeds, and no airport in sight. Motorised vehicles have been banned here for decades, preserving an atmosphere that attracted an international colony of artists and writers in the 1960s — most famously Leonard Cohen, who bought a house here in 1960 and wrote much of his early work on the island, including Bird on the Wire. Today the creative legacy continues through the DESTE Foundation Project Space, where major contemporary artists exhibit in a converted slaughterhouse, and through galleries and art schools scattered along the harbour lanes. The island wealth was built on its merchant fleet — during the Greek War of Independence in 1821, Hydra contributed more ships than any other island, a history preserved in the Historical Archives Museum and the Lazaros Kountouriotis Mansion. Beyond the harbour, a network of hiking trails leads to the Profitis Elias Monastery on the island highest ridge — a 90-minute climb rewarded with views across the Saronic Gulf. The coast is accessed on foot or by water taxi: Vlichos and Kamini are relaxed fishing hamlets, while Mandraki Bay offers the closest sandy beach.