Travel Hints to Hydra

Our biennial Hydra meetups, and the big 2002 Event
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jarkko
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Travel Hints to Hydra

Post by jarkko »

Here are some hints for those of you who plan to participate in our Meet-up next June (or make a private trip to the island):

•Book your flight to El.Venizelos, the Athens International Airport

•You may use either train or bus to get from the airport to Piraeus.

--- Take the X96 bus to Piraeus. The stop is right outside the arrivals entrance at the airport. This bus runs day and night at about half hour intervals. Buy your ticket at the kiosk and then validate it in the machine on the bus. This bus will take you straight to the harbour in an hour or an hour and a half depending on the time of day. *)

--- If you choose the train: At the airport, go out and follow signs "To Trains". Buy a ticket for Green Line # 1 to Piraeus (terminal station). In Piraeus, use the main exit, turn to left and walk a few hundred meters to find the Dolphins. - More travel options and hints at http://www.hydradirect.com *)

•Take a Dolphin hydrofoil from Piraeus to Hydra. Book your tickets on-line at https://hellenicseaways.gr/en/ The route is Piraeus - Hydra and it takes about 90 minutes. Online reservations with credit card. (Summer 2017 schedule is not available before late Spring!)

•Connect with http://www.hydra.com.gr for hotel information.

•Connect with http://www.hydradirect.com for general information, accommodation info, culture news, local business etc

*) I'm copying a very useful message posted by CitizenKane in an older thread:
piraeus.jpg
piraeus.jpg (52.62 KiB) Viewed 11851 times
Attached is a map of the Pireaus port area in which I have pointed out the walking route and the following locations:
A - the terminal metro station Pireaus (Line 1, green)
B - the Hellenic Seaways office at Karaiskaki Square
C - the Gate E8 entrance/exit sign
D - the area where the boats to Hydra depart
E - the bus stop Karaiskaki Square (Bus X96, straight from the airport)

Your boat ticket should say the type of vessel and vessel number, for instance Flying Dolphin 19 (XIX). This number is also painted on the side of the vessel. Also, at the entrance to the vessel plates show to which destinations the vessel will go, for instance Poros, Hydra, Spetses, Hermioni etc. Oh, and don't forget to validate your metro/bus tickets (metro: machines at the entrance to the station/platform; bus: in the bus itself).
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hydriot
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Re: Travel Hints to Hydra

Post by hydriot »

The aerial view is very helpful, but here are some further points.

The X96 bus approaches from the bottom right hand corner of the aerial view. Rather than getting off at E, there is a stop alongside a very imposing Byzantine style building which looks like a cathedral but which I think is a museum. You can see its cupola in the bottom righthand corner of the aerial view. If you get off here you are much closer to the Flying Dolphins at D, useful if you have heavy luggage. The cue to get ready to get off at the museum is when you see the sea again as you go downhill. You can buy tickets from the kiosk at D as well as at the main office at B.

Whether to buy Flying Dolphin tickets in advance is a tricky decision. If flight delays cause you to miss a departure they will not give you a refund. But Flying Dolphins are often full up. Return fares are merely twice the single so there is no point choosing your return 'flight' until you are on the island unless you are staying for only a short time.

There is usually a gap of three hours or so with no Flying Dolphin departures in the afternoon. Rather than hang around boring Piraeus, if I am caught in this situation I like to abandon my luggage and take the underground train at A into Athens. I used to use the left luggage lockers at the station but when I was last on the island in September 2016 these were permanently closed. However, the travel agent next to the Hellenic Seaways office at B looks after bags for you for a modest charge. Train time from Piraeus to Monasteraki is about 20 minutes, with perhaps another 20 minutes to walk into the heart of Plaka.

If you take the train from the airport, keep your luggage at your feet not in the luggage space. Thieves are known to grab a suitcase at random and jump off the train just as the doors are closing.
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