The Best Easy Hike On The Island Of Hydra In Greece

Hydra is one of my favorite islands in Greece and one of the reasons is the many hiking trails all over the island. And the fact that Hydra is completely car-free truly means it is a walkers paradise. You can spend your whole vacation exploring on foot, a pretty great vacation in my book.

Choose from short walks along the coast to nearby villages from the main port town or perhaps take an all-day hike to the more remote parts of the island. There are enough different hikes to last you through days of exploration. The best easy hike on Hydra though, is a 3.5 mile loop that hits some of the highlights of the island but is easy enough for families to tackle.

Details of the Loop Hike Around Hydra

I combined the walk up to Agios Konstantinos from Hydra Port, a hike out to the village of Vlychos, and the coastal walk back to Hydra Port for a 3.5 miles total loop hike.

The elevation gain is mild and almost all at the beginning- 360ft as you are walking up the steps to the church. The rest of the walk is downhill or fairly flat. I find that’s best for the kids- get the hard part out of the way first.

The Route:

1. First Section- Start in the harbour In Hydra Port and hike to the church Agios Konstantinos
2. Second Section- Hike from Agios Konstantinos to the village of Vlychos
3. Third Section- Hike from Vlychos back to the harbour In Hydra Port

Distance– 3.5 miles + 360ft elevation gain

Time Needed– 2 hours (3 hours if you stop for snacks and drinks in Vlychos like us)

Where You Can Eat And Swim:

There are 2 tavernas and a beach in the village of Vlychos as well as a beach and tavernas in Kamini, so you can have easy swim breaks as well as ice cream and a beer if it gets hot. We stopped at Enalion in Vlychos and had some mezes, desserts, and drinks.

And you can call the water taxi from either of those villages as well, in case somebody decides they are done walking. Just ask at one of the restaurants if you don’t have cell service. We did this as well – the server at Enalion was happy to call a water taxi for the half of the family that didn’t want to walk back to Hydra Port.

Details of Section 1: Hydra Harbour up to Agios Konstantinos

0.6 miles, 360 feet elevation gain, uphill the whole way, 30- 60 minutes for this section

The first section of the loop hike is a walk uphill to a beautiful church and an amazing view over the port of Hydra. (Agios means saint in Greek.)

The beginning of this trail is the same as the more famous hike up to Profitis Ilias Monastery so there are some small, yellow signs to follow, at least initially.

Take Miaoulia Street from the waterfront quite a way uptown (literally) until you come to a fork in the road. Turn right, following the super small yellow signs for Profitis Ilias, and taking the street with what looks like a massive drainage canal in the middle. I am not sure what it is but it means the sides of the street are several feet higher than the middle.

Alternate Route- You can avoid the worst of the stairs by going left at the fork on Miaoulia instead of right and following a more gently inclined path up and around to the church. It is a bit longer and will bring you up and behind the church. Once you get up to the tree-lined section, you will see the path up to Profitis Ilias split off and continue going up while you walk down to Agios Konstantinos.

When you get to Kala Pigadia (means “good wells”), you will see two large, white cisterns in a small plaza. These are old water cisterns but are no longer used. Turn right and go up the stairs behind them. These stairs are an actual street and you will begin to see the mule’s appeal for getting around Hydra.

When you see the yellow sign for Profitis Ilias, turn left to keep going up some more stairs and find your way to Agios Konstantinos. Just keep going up stairs and you’ll get there. Again, Google Street View of this hike helped us to recognize the turns. It is worth a quick purview.

The deck outside the church has a fantastic view over Hydra Town below and an arched portico that’s a perfect shady spot for a water break.

Section 2 Of The Best Easy Hike On Hydra: Agios Konstantinos west to Vlychos

roughly 1.25 miles, mostly flat, then downhill at the end

When you are ready to tear yourself away from the fantastic views at Agios Konstantinos and continue onto Vlychos, go back down the steps from the church to the last yellow sign you saw for Profits Ilias Monastery. It’s where the steps you took up from Kala Pigadia met a wide paved lane leading between the houses in the upper part of Hydra Port.

Now turn left here, or west, to take this lane through the upper part of Hydra Port. This is Kiafa, the old quarter, and occasionally you will see the old bridges that used to connect the houses above you. This gets a little tricky as you want to stay mostly level and heading west but the “road” is sometimes wide, sometimes an alley between houses, and occasionally a short tunnel under a house. 

There used to be green or red arrows spray painted on the ground so you can look for those. Again, stay as flat as you can and headed west and you should come out okay. There is only one path to Vlychos from the upper section of Hydra Town and most of the lanes find their way to it. 

Once you get out of Hydra Port, the path to Vlychos is a narrow, paved cobblestone road through scrubby pasture land. There isn’t much shade but it is a rustic kind of scenic. As you round the corner to come down into Vlychos, you will see the lovely arched historic bridge. 

The village of Vlychos has a small beach, some houses, and two restaurants. Enalion overlooks the beach and has a super friendly owner, delicious desserts, and good beer prices. They were also nice enough to call a water taxi for those in our group who didn’t want to walk anymore. Marinas Taverna is more expensive but has a wonderful view looking west and is on the water right by the ferry wharf.

Section 3: Vlychos Back To Hydra Port

about 1.3 miles, well- maintained coastal path, fairly flat

From the beach at Vlychos, walk back up the path to the arched bridge you passed coming in. Cross the bridge and head east back towards Hydra Port along the coastal path.

This is a pretty easy walk although it can get hot in the summer as there is no shade between Vlychos and Kamini. (I feel like a broken record at this point about the shade. Sorry.)

In about ¾ of a mile you will come to the village of Kamini. Before you get to the harbour, you will see a small beach on the left, by Castello’s bar. 

After Kamini, it is just about 0.5 miles to get you back to Hydra Port, passing by Avlaki Beach and the famous windmill from the Sophia Loren movie Boy On A Dolphin. A statue of a boy riding a dolphin is next to the windmill if you want to climb up some stairs to see it.

You will also pass by the Leonard Cohen memorial bench just before you get to the windmill. Leonard Cohen made Hydra his home in the 1960s, helping to cement its reputation as an artistic haven. (The kids were singularly unimpressed by this fact because, you know, the 60’s were in ancient times.)

Dinner

Now that you are back in Hydra Port you can relax by the water or go shower off before dinner. We recommend Omilos and the aptly named Sunset Restaurant in Hydra Port for terrific sunset views and great food (but not cheap). Other places to look at that are more budget (but without the views of the water) are Kai Kremmidi, Giasemi, and Caprice.