Athens Day Trips: Hydra, Aegina & Poros by Ferry

By DiChatz

Is a Saronic day trip worth it?

Yes, and it is the easiest island escape you will do from Athens. Hydra, Aegina and Poros all sit under two hours from Piraeus, with ferries running year-round from around €9.50, so you can be walking a harbour that feels a hundred miles from the city by mid-morning. Of the three, Hydra is the one I would never skip: it bans cars, so the whole island moves on foot, by donkey and by little water taxi, and the stone port town is genuinely one of the prettiest in Greece.

Aegina is the practical pick if you want something to see: the Temple of Aphaia is a real ancient site, and pistachios here are a local obsession. Poros is the softest of the three, pastel houses and lime trees, lovely for a slow lunch but light on “sights.” If you only have one day and one island, make it Hydra. If you want variety, a three-island cruise packages all of them into a single easy day.

How to get there from Athens

Everything leaves from Piraeus, about 12 km southwest of central Athens and a straight shot on Metro Line 1 (or Line 3) to Piraeus station. The Saronic gate is on the eastern side of the port. Give yourself 45 minutes buffer off-season and closer to an hour in July and August when the queues build. If you’re staying central and weighing neighbourhoods, my where to stay in Athens guide covers which areas get you to the metro fastest.

You have two real ways to do this: independent ferries, or a bundled day cruise.

Option 1: Book your own ferry

Fast ferries (Hellenic Seaways, Alpha Lines, Aegean Flying Dolphins and others) run all year, with reduced winter schedules. Frequencies and rough one-way prices for 2026:

Route	Daily crossings	Time	From
Piraeus → Aegina	20+	40 min–1 hr	€9.50
Piraeus → Poros	up to 7	~1 hr	€17
Piraeus → Hydra	up to 12	1 hr 5 min+	€40

Because the islands sit in a line, you can chain them: Aegina to Poros runs 30 min to 1 hr 20, and Poros to Hydra is a quick 20–25 minutes. Book through OpenSeas, Ferryhopper or Ferryscanner. Summer weekends sell out fast (average advance booking for Hydra runs close to 80 days), so book 2–3 months ahead for July and August, and 4–6 weeks in June and September. Shoulder months, April to May and September to October, give you the same islands with far fewer crowds.

Check Saronic ferry times and book on Ferryscanner

Option 2: Take a one-day three-island cruise

The classic “one-day cruise” leaves around 8am from Marina Kallitheas or Marina Falirou (not Piraeus), stops for roughly two hours on each of Hydra, Poros and Aegina, includes a buffet lunch on board and usually hotel pickup. It’s a full 12-hour day. Two hours per island is enough for Hydra and Poros, and just enough on Aegina if you skip the temple. If you don’t want to juggle three sets of ferry tickets, this is the stress-free choice. Reckon on a full independent Hydra day costing €90–150 per person once you add ferry, lunch and a water taxi; a cruise bundles all three islands and lunch into one flat price, but you trade away the freedom to linger.

Compare Saronic one-day cruises from Athens

Don’t want the islands? Rent a car for the mainland instead

If ferry logistics feel like too much, Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon are an easy self-drive day from Athens. A car gives you the coast road at your own pace.

Compare Athens car rental prices on Discover Cars

How much time you have in Greece decides everything else. With three days, I would give Athens one full day for the Acropolis and the old town, then spend a day out on the water. If you want to see the most in one go, the one-day cruise to Hydra, Poros and Aegina is the easy answer. You get all three islands, lunch on board, and someone else worries about the timings. The trade-off is roughly ninety minutes ashore on each one, which is enough for a first look and not much more. If the budget is tight, or you would rather see one place properly, take the fast ferry to Hydra on your own and give it the whole day.

Hydra: the car-free island

Hydra is the reason people fall for the Saronics. No cars, no scooters, nothing motorised on land. Everything arrives on the backs of donkeys or by hand-pushed cart, and the effect is a harbour town that has barely changed in a century. From the ferry dock, almost everything worth seeing is inside a 15-minute walk.

Walk the horseshoe of the port past the captains’ mansions, several now small museums, then climb the lanes behind the waterfront for the views. Follow the coast path west to the swimming spots at Spilia and Hydronetta, where people jump straight off the rocks into deep blue water. Water taxis to the further beaches run about €4–6 a ride; a donkey up the hill costs roughly €10–20. Lunch on the harbour will set you back €20–40. Leonard Cohen fans should find the little street named for him, a reminder that this island has drawn artists for decades.

Aim for an early ferry (some leave around 8:30am) and a return no later than 8pm, and you’ll get a proper unhurried day.

Aegina: temples and pistachios

Aegina is the closest and cheapest of the three, and the one with a genuine ancient monument. The Temple of Aphaia stands on a pine-covered hill in the northeast, one point of the so-called “sacred triangle” with the Parthenon in Athens and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, the three lined up in a near-perfect isosceles across the Saronic Gulf. Entry is €6 for adults in high season (April to October) and €3 in winter (November to March), with under-18s free; there’s a small museum next to the site. The KTEL local bus from Aegina town reaches the temple in about 25 minutes for €2; check times at KTEL Aegina before you commit, as buses are timed to the ferries.

Add the huge hilltop Monastery of Agios Nektarios on the same bus route, one of Greece’s busiest pilgrimage sites, wander the fishing harbour, and buy a bag of the famous Aegina pistachios before you leave. It’s the most “complete” of the three islands if you like a mix of history and beach.

Poros: the gentle stopover

Poros is the smallest and softest. It sits so close to the Peloponnese mainland that the crossing between them is barely a channel. Pastel houses climb the hill to the clock tower, the streets smell of lime blossom, and the whole thing feels calm rather than dramatic. There’s no headline monument here.

The best thing to do is climb to the clock tower for the view over the strait, then settle into a waterfront taverna. On a three-island cruise, two hours here is plenty. As a standalone independent trip, Poros pairs beautifully with Hydra since the two are only 20 minutes apart by fast ferry.

Which island should you choose?

Island	Best for	Ferry from Piraeus
Hydra	Car-free charm, harbour beauty, swimming off rocks	~1 hr+, from €40
Aegina	Ancient temple, monastery, pistachios, budget	40 min–1 hr, from €9.50
Poros	Quiet lunch, pastel views, easy pairing with Hydra	~1 hr, from €17

My order of preference: Hydra first, Aegina if you want a sight to see, Poros as a bonus. Want the whole set without planning? The cruise does the routing for you.

Book a Hydra, Poros & Aegina day cruise on Viator

Practical tips before you go

Bring cash for donkeys, water taxis and small tavernas, as card acceptance is patchy on Hydra especially. Pack a hat and water: shade is limited on the Aegina temple hill and along Hydra’s coast path. Note that the Temple of Aphaia typically opens 10:00 to 17:00, with longer hours in peak summer, so aim for the morning bus and confirm same-day. A local eSIM saves you fumbling for wifi to check return ferry times.

Get a Greece eSIM with Airalo

Back in the city that evening, you’ll want dinner. My guides to where locals actually eat and the best rooftop bars for the Acropolis at sunset are the right way to end a Saronic day. And if you’re building a wider list, see my full roundup of the best Athens neighbourhoods and hotels to base yourself for easy port access.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Hydra, Aegina and Poros in one day?

Yes. The standard one-day Saronic cruise from Marina Kallitheas or Marina Falirou stops on all three, with about two hours on each island, a buffet lunch and hotel pickup, over a roughly 12-hour day. Doing it independently by ferry in one day is possible but tight; most people pick one or two islands.

Which is the best island for a day trip from Athens?

Hydra, for its car-free harbour town and swimming spots. Aegina is best if you want an ancient site (the Temple of Aphaia) plus pistachios, and Poros is the quiet choice for a slow lunch and pastel views.

How much does the ferry to the Saronic islands cost?

Roughly from €9.50 to Aegina, €17 to Poros and €40 to Hydra one way, depending on the operator and how far ahead you book. Book through OpenSeas, Ferryhopper or Ferryscanner. Summer weekends sell out, so book 2–3 months ahead for July and August.

How do you get to the Piraeus ferry port?

Take Metro Line 1 or Line 3 to Piraeus station, then walk to the eastern side of the port where the Saronic ferries dock. Allow 45 minutes buffer off-season and closer to an hour in high summer.

How much is entry to the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina?

€6 for adults in high season (April to October) and €3 in winter (November to March), with under-18s free. A small museum sits next to the temple, and the KTEL bus from Aegina town reaches it in about 25 minutes for €2.