One Day Cruise from Athens: Hydra, Poros & Aegina in the Saronic Gulf

The one day cruise from Athens is the most effortless way to experience three completely different Greek islands in a single day. Departing at 8 am and returning at 7 pm, the cruise takes you through the Saronic Gulf to Hydra, Poros, and Aegina — three islands that, between them, cover car-free cobblestone lanes, panoramic straits, a world-class ancient temple, and the most celebrated pistachios in Greece. Onboard, live music, a Greek folk show, and Mediterranean cuisine make the journey between islands as enjoyable as the destinations themselves.

 Hydra — The Island That Refused the 20th Century

The first stop is Hydra, and it announces itself immediately as unlike anywhere else in Greece. Except the port area, the entire island is car-free — no motorbikes, no scooters, no noise beyond footsteps, hooves, and the sound of the sea. Donkeys and mules remain the primary means of transport, carrying everything from luggage to construction materials up the steep stone lanes that climb from the harbor. The island's neoclassical mansions — built during the 18th and early 19th centuries when Hydra's commercial fleet was one of the most powerful in the Mediterranean — line the horseshoe harbor and rise in tiers above it, remarkably intact.

Hydra's contribution to the Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans was extraordinary for an island of its size: it committed its entire fleet and a substantial part of its fortune to the struggle, producing admirals whose names remain on street signs across Greece. The island later became a global destination after the 1957 film Boy on a Dolphin, starring Sophia Loren, drew the attention of the international jet set. Artists, writers, and musicians followed throughout the 1960s and 70s, including Leonard Cohen, who lived here for years and wrote some of his most celebrated songs on the island. Two and a half hours here allows for a proper walk through the harbor lanes, a swim at one of the nearby rocky coves, and a coffee at one of the waterfront cafés.

Poros — The Island of the Narrow Strait

The second stop is Poros, separated from the Peloponnese peninsula by a channel so narrow — barely 200 meters at its tightest point — that the island feels less like a separate landmass and more like a continuation of the mainland across a wide river. The views across this strait, with the pine-covered hills of the Peloponnese rising on one side and the Poros clock tower — built in 1927 — visible on the hill above the harbor, create one of the most distinctive landscapes in the Saronic Gulf. Poros is known as the island of romance for good reason. Fifty minutes here is a short but pleasant stop for walking the harbor, taking photographs, and watching the boats pass through the channel. Lunch is served onboard as the ship departs for the final island.

Aegina — Pistachios, the Temple of Aphaia & St. Nectarios

The largest island of the three and the one with the deepest historical résumé, Aegina sits at the center of what scholars have called the Sacred Triangle of Temples — the near-perfect equilateral triangle formed by the Parthenon in Athens, the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, and the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina itself. Whether deliberately planned by the ancient Greeks or the most extraordinary coincidence in the history of architecture remains one of the great unresolved questions of classical archaeology.

The Temple of Aphaia, dating to around 500 BC, represents one of the finest examples of late Archaic Doric architecture in existence. It was built on a pine-covered hilltop 160 meters above the sea, on the site of an earlier temple destroyed by fire in 510 BC, and its pediment sculptures — depicting scenes from the two Trojan Wars — are considered among the most important examples of the transition from Archaic to Early Classical Greek sculpture. The original sculptures were removed in 1812 and are now displayed in the Glyptothek in Munich; on a clear day from the temple terrace, you can see the Acropolis across the water to the northeast. Together with the Parthenon and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, the Temple of Aphaia forms what has been called Antiquity's Perfect Triangle.

The guided tour also includes the Church of St. Nectarios — one of the largest Orthodox churches in the Balkans, built in the early 20th century and dedicated to the saint canonized in 1961, whose relics are kept here and draw pilgrims from across Greece and the Orthodox world. The panoramic tour option takes you across the island for a broader view of the landscape and ends at the seaside for a swim and appetizers at a local taverna.

Before returning to the ship, buy pistachios. Aegina pistachios are among the finest in the world — smaller, sweeter, and more aromatic than most commercially available varieties, grown in the island's dry volcanic soil and exported across Europe. Leaving without them is not recommended.

Back onboard for the return to Piraeus, the afternoon ends as it should — with live bouzouki music, Greek folk dancers in traditional costumes from across the country, and the harbor of Piraeus appearing on the horizon at sunset.

VIP Cruise Upgrade

For those who want to experience the cruise at a different level, the VIP upgrade includes private hotel transfer to the port, fast-track check-in, and access to the VIP lounge with a welcome drink and buffet lunch served in a separate dining room from standard class. The VIP deck includes Wi-Fi, a tax-free luxury goods store, and — in summer — a spacious sun deck with open-air seating and a bar. The upgrade also includes a guided walking tour on Hydra or a panoramic tour on Aegina, ensuring that the islands are experienced with context as well as comfort.

Book your one day cruise from Athens today — three islands, one extraordinary day, and a return to Piraeus at sunset with bouzouki music and the feeling that Greece has given you everything it has.