Which Greek islands are closest to Athens?

The Saronic Gulf islands are the closest to Athens. Aegina is 35 minutes from Piraeus by fast ferry. Hydra is 1.5 hours. Spetses is 2 hours. Poros is about 1 hour. All are reachable in a day trip from Athens, though 1–2 nights on each is better for a proper experience.

Is Hydra worth visiting?

Hydra is one of the most distinctive islands in Greece. There are no cars, no motorbikes, and no ATVs — everything is done on foot or by donkey. The stone mansions of the 18th-century sea captains ring the port. It is quieter and more expensive than Mykonos or Santorini, with a strong arts reputation. Worth visiting if you want atmosphere over beaches.

How do I get from Athens to Hydra?

Take the Hellenic Seaways or Eurofast ferry from Piraeus Gate E9 (Saronic Gulf terminal) to Hydra. Journey time is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes by fast ferry. First departure is typically around 7am, last return around 7pm. The fare is approximately 30–38 euros each way. Book online at hellenicseaways.gr or through Ferryhopper.

Can I do Athens and the Saronic islands in a week without a car?

Yes — this is the ideal car-free Greece itinerary. Athens runs on a clean metro. The Saronic islands are served by scheduled ferry from Piraeus. Hydra has no cars at all. Spetses and Poros have restricted car use. The whole route works by foot, ferry, and Athens metro.

Athens & Islands 7-Day Itinerary

This itinerary is for travellers who want Athens properly and at least one island — but cannot spend two weeks in Greece. The Saronic Gulf islands solve the problem: Hydra, Spetses, and Poros all leave from Piraeus Gate E9 (a 20-minute metro ride from central Athens) and reach you on the island in under 2 hours. No domestic flight. No overnight ferry. No island-hopping logistics across the Cyclades.

The tradeoff is that these are not the beaches-and-cocktails islands. Hydra in particular is low-energy, walking-focused, and genuinely atmospheric. If you want Mykonos nightlife or Santorini caldera sunsets, this is not your itinerary — the one-week Greece itinerary covers that route.

Prices listed are approximate as of 2026.

Before You Go

Ferry bookings: Saronic islands ferries (Hellenic Seaways, Eurofast) can be booked at hellenicseaways.gr or through Ferryhopper. In summer, the 9am and 10am departures from Piraeus sell out by Tuesday for the following weekend. Book at least a week ahead.

Cape Sounion on Day 7: the KTEL bus from Pedion Areos terminal (Mavromateon Street, central Athens) runs approximately every 1–1.5 hours. Journey approximately 1.5 hours each way.

Days 1–2: Athens

Day 1 — Arrival and First Impressions

Arrive Athens. Metro to Syntagma or Monastiraki (Line 3, 40 minutes from airport, approximately €10.50). Check in to your hotel and spend the afternoon on foot in the Plaka and Monastiraki. The Roman Agora, the Tower of the Winds, and Hadrian’s Library are all within a 10-minute walk of Monastiraki Square and are interesting even from outside (Tower of the Winds and Library visible through the fencing at no cost).

Evening dinner in Psyrri. Taverna tou Psyrri (Eshilou 12, approximately €20–28 per person) is reliable and genuinely frequented by Athenians, not just tourists. For something more casual, the souvlaki spots on Mitropoleos Street charge approximately €3–4 per portion.

Where to stay — Athens:

Budget: Athens Backpackers (Makri 12, dorm from approximately €22, well-located near the Acropolis metro)
Mid-range: Herodion Hotel (Rovertou Galli 4, Makrygianni, from approximately €130/night — calm neighbourhood, 5 minutes’ walk from the Acropolis)
Luxury: Hotel Grande Bretagne (Syntagma Square, from approximately €420/night)

Day 2 — Acropolis, Ancient Agora, and Acropolis Museum

The three sites that require a full day:

Acropolis (8am, before heat and crowds): Propylaia, Parthenon, Erechtheion, views south over the city. Entry approximately €30 adult — buy online at etickets.tap.gr. Allow 2 hours.

Ancient Agora (late morning): The Athenian civic centre below the north slope. The Stoa of Attalos (reconstructed, houses a museum of daily objects) and the Temple of Hephaestus are the two things not to miss. Entry included in the Acropolis combined ticket. Allow 1.5 hours.

Acropolis Museum (afternoon): Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, entry approximately €10. The third-floor Parthenon Gallery is outstanding — the surviving frieze sections displayed at eye level in their original sequence, with plaster casts filling the gaps occupied by pieces in the British Museum. Allow 2 hours.

Evening walk on Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade toward Thissio. Dinner in Thissio or Koukaki (both more local than Monastiraki, with better value-to-quality). Fabrika (Chatzichristou 6, Koukaki, Greek sharing plates, approximately €25–35 per person).

Day 3: Piraeus → Hydra

Catching the Ferry

Metro Line 1 Green from central Athens to Piraeus (20 minutes, approximately €1.40). Gate E9 is the Saronic Gulf terminal — follow signs from the metro station (approximately 10-minute walk, or take the port bus). Check departure board for your ferry.

Fast ferry to Hydra: approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, from approximately €30–38 per person each way. Book in advance. First departure typically around 7am; aim for the 9am or 10am service.

Hydra: The Island With No Cars

Hydra has a firm policy that has held since 1965: no motor vehicles on the island at all. Transport is by foot, donkey, or water taxi. The result is one of the quietest and most distinctive port towns in Greece — the 18th-century stone mansions of the sea merchant families ring the harbour, and the waterfront cafes are audibly quiet even in summer.

What to do:

Walk the port waterfront and look at the captains’ mansions (several are now small museums, entry approximately €3–4)
Walk up to the Monastery of the Assumption (above the port, 10-minute climb, free)
Walk 45 minutes to Kamini fishing village for lunch by the water
Swimming at Spilia (rocky ledge 10 minutes from port) or take a water taxi to Bisti or Agios Nikolaos beach (approximately €10–15 per person each way)

Where to stay — Hydra:

Budget: Pension Alkionides (above the port, from approximately €80/night), or Pension Cava d’Oro (port area, from approximately €90/night)
Mid-range: Hydra Hotel (refurbished captain’s house, from approximately €160/night), Miranda Hotel (from approximately €180/night)
Luxury: Bratsera Hotel (converted sponge factory, from approximately €280/night), Hotel Orloff (boutique, from approximately €220/night)

Where to eat — Hydra: Gitoniko (Spilios Haramis, Kirinthos Street, taverna in a side alley, one of the best on the island, approximately €25–35 per person). Christina’s (Hydra port, seafood, approximately €30–40 per person). For lunch: the waterfront at Kamini village has simple fish restaurants for approximately €20–30 per person.

Days 4–5: Spetses (or Poros)

The Quieter Alternative

Spetses is the next island south from Hydra, 1.5–2 hours from Piraeus (approximately €35 one-way). Like Hydra, cars are restricted — only registered residents can use cars, and most of the island is explored by horse-drawn carriage, bicycle, or motor scooter (hire approximately €15–20/day). The beaches here are better than Hydra — Agia Paraskevi, Agia Marina, and Agioi Anargyroi on the south coast.

Poros is the other option — quieter still, 1 hour from Piraeus (approximately €25 one-way), and directly opposite the Peloponnese mainland. The ferry crosses the 200-metre Poros channel in minutes. Poros has a narrower old town and is more popular with Greek weekenders than international tourists. Good lemon forest walks on the hill above the town.

The ferries between Hydra and Spetses run several times daily (approximately 40 minutes, approximately €15).

Two Days on Spetses

Day 4 — Arrival and Old Town

Arrive by ferry from Hydra. The Spetses old port (Paleo Limani) is the historic centre — the Spetses Museum (old mansion of Sotirios Anargyros, entry approximately €3) gives context to the island’s role in the 1821 War of Independence.

Afternoon: hire a bicycle or scooter and ride the coastal road (the island is 18km around) — stop at Agia Marina beach and the pine-covered headland at Zogeria Bay.

Evening: dinner in the old port. Patralis Taverna (Spetses port, seafood, approximately €30–45 per person). For budget eating, the grill houses in the back streets serve souvlaki and grilled meats for approximately €12–18 per person.

Where to stay — Spetses:

Budget: Rooms to rent above the port, from approximately €60–80/night
Mid-range: Zoe’s Club (from approximately €130/night), Hotel Soleil (from approximately €110/night)
Luxury: Poseidonion Grand Hotel (1914 belle-epoque waterfront hotel, from approximately €280/night — the landmark building on the island)

Day 5 — Beach Day

Take a water taxi or scooter to Agioi Anargyroi beach on the south coast (one of the best in the Saronic islands) — clear water, pine trees to the sand, a beach bar. Water taxi from port approximately €8–12 per person. Afternoon return to Old Town for a final swim at Paleo Limani and the evening ferry back toward Athens.

Days 6–7: Return to Athens and Cape Sounion

Day 6 — Return Ferry and Athens Evening

Ferry from Spetses back to Piraeus (approximately 1.5 hours by fast ferry, approximately €35). Metro to central Athens. The afternoon is free — options: the National Archaeological Museum (Patission 44, entry approximately €15, one of the world’s great collections of classical antiquity), the Benaki Museum (Koumbari 1, entry approximately €10, Greek history from prehistoric to 20th century), or a leisurely walk through the Kolonaki neighbourhood.

Evening: dinner somewhere you missed earlier in the trip — Thissio and Monastiraki both work well for a final Athens evening.

Day 7 — Cape Sounion at Sunset

This is the most satisfying day trip from Athens: the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, the southernmost tip of Attica, standing on a 60-metre cliff over the Aegean. Byron carved his name in the temple stone in 1810.

KTEL bus from Mavromateon Street (Pedion Areos), coastal route (via Vouliagmeni and Varkiza, more interesting than the inland route): approximately 1.5 hours, approximately €7 one-way. Entry to the temple site approximately €10 adult.

The sunset here — the light turning the marble gold and the sea darkening below — is the best Athens-area sunset outside the Acropolis. Aim to arrive by 3pm; sunset varies by season. The last bus back to Athens leaves around 9pm in summer.

Dinner back in Athens. Departure next day from ATH.

Budget Summary

Per person (mid-range, peak season):

Item	Approximate Cost
Athens accommodation (4 nights)	€520
Athens–Hydra fast ferry (return)	€75
Hydra accommodation (1 night)	€160
Hydra–Spetses ferry	€15
Spetses accommodation (2 nights)	€260
Spetses–Piraeus fast ferry	€35
Food (7 days × €40/day)	€280
Site entries (Acropolis, Sounion, museums)	€75
Local transport (metro, water taxis, scooter hire)	€80
Total	~€1,500

Budget travellers (hostels, economy ferries, grill houses): approximately €750–950 per person.

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Athens and Greek Islands: 7-Day Saronic Islands Itinerary