Hydra, Poros and Aegina day cruise from Athens: the 12-hour cruise from €123.14 against the €12 Saronic Ferries boat to Aegina

💡 The Short Version: The one-day cruise to Hydra, Poros and Aegina is 12 hours with a buffet lunch, from €123.14 (From Athens: Hydra, Poros, and Aegina Day Cruise with Lunchad, 5,357 reviews), and it is the practical way to see all three. One island is a ferry job: Saronic Ferries sails Piraeus to Aegina in 1 hour 10 for €12 each way, and to Poros in 2 hours 40 for €17. Hydra is from 1 hour 30 on Hellenic Seaways’ fast boats, with fares only in its booking engine. The Temple of Aphaia on Aegina is €10. In strong winds boats run late or not at all. Prices on GetYourGuide are the lowest “from” prices for one adult.

The cruise or the ferry

Saronic Ferries also sails to Agistri for €13.50 and Methana for €14.80, and Aegina to Agistri is €4. Boats for the Saronic islands leave from the E gates at Piraeus, and the gate is printed on your ticket. Saronic Ferries says its gate is a 5-minute walk from Piraeus metro station. Arrive 20 to 40 minutes ahead; the ferries leave on time.

Cruises compared

Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult. The Aegina, Agistri & Metopi swimming cruise and the Agistri, Metopi & Aegina luxury cruise ask for the passport or ID number of every passenger before sailing, for the port authority’s passenger list.

The big cruise visits Hydra, Poros and Aegina, with free time on each island. The 10-hour Agistri cruises swap Hydra and Poros for Agistri and a swim stop. For Aegina alone, take the ferry.

Aegina by ferry

€12 each way · 1 hour 10 · Saronic Ferries

Aegina is the closest island to Athens, and Saronic Ferries sails to its main port. Ferries leave Piraeus almost every hour in summer and the last leaves between 19:45 and 21:30, depending on season. A second route runs to Souvala, on the north of the island, in 1 hour. Tickets sell fast in summer and over public holidays.

The Saronic Ferries pages are at sf.gr. Aegina was the first capital of modern Greece under Ioannis Kapodistrias, and its central port and promenade are free of vehicles.

The Temple of Aphaia

€10 · 08:00 to 20:00 in summer · 17 minutes by car from the main port

The temple of Aphaia was built around 500 to 490 BC; it is Doric, and 24 of its 32 columns still stand. Its pediment sculptures were taken to Munich in 1811 and are in the Glyptothek. The ticket is €10, or €5 reduced, and covers the site and the Scientific Collection. It is a 6-minute drive from Agia Marina, 30 minutes on foot from there, and 17 minutes by car from the main port.

The Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, with its approach ramp. Photo: Paweł ‘pbm’ Szubert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The site is closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December, and is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March. Tickets are on the Hellenic Heritage page for a date and time, with changes allowed up to 2 hours before.

Saronic Ferries also lists the Temple of Apollo at Kolona, Paleochora, the Monastery of Agios Nektarios and the fishing village of Perdika.

Poros and Hydra

Poros

Saronic Ferries €17 · 2 hours 40 · Hellenic Seaways from 55 minutes

Poros is a green island with a town built on a hill, a clock tower from 1927 and the Dana Lighthouse at the entrance to the bay. The Zoodochos Pigi Monastery is 4 km from the main square, and the lemon grove of Galata is a 10-minute boat ride across the strait.

The waterfront at Poros, with the clock tower on its rock. Photo: Julien Seguinot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Hydra

Hellenic Seaways from 1 hour 30 · car-free

Hydra has no cars, and the GetYourGuide listing says donkeys still provide public transport. The fast boats from Piraeus take from 1 hour 30, and Hellenic Seaways shows the day’s times and fares when you book. Hydra Island: Full Day Trip from Athens with Swimmingad is from €49.90 for 10 hours.

Hydra’s harbour from the hill above the town. Photo: Julien Seguinot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Planning the day

1. Pick the islands first. One island is a ferry; three is a cruise.
2. Book the cruise with the pick-up you need. Some leave from Marina Kalithea or Marina Zeas rather than Piraeus port, and the listing sells a hotel transfer as an option.
3. Book the Saronic Ferries ticket online and use web check-in 48 hours ahead.
4. Check the weather. Boats are cancelled or delayed in strong winds, and Hellenic Seaways posts schedule changes on its home page.
5. Take ID. The yacht cruises need passport or ID details for every passenger.

The Saronic islands are one of the day trips from Athens. Piraeus port is covered with the airport routes, and the metro goes there from Monastiraki and Syntagma. Cape Sounion is the land alternative on the coast, and Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio is the Peloponnese day. What to book before you go to Athens lists the city tickets, and where to stay in Athens compares the areas.