Athens Day Cruise Hydra Poros Aegina: Two Ships Compared

The Marina Kalithea cruise is the Athens day cruise Hydra Poros Aegina listing with the most reviews: 5,319, rated 4.1, at $147 per person for 12 hours. The description opens with a morning bus from Athens to the port, while its highlights list hotel transfers as an upgrade, so check the pickup options for your hotel when you book. The meeting point is Marina Kalithea port.

Poros is the first stop, which makes this the one to pick if a day trip to Poros from Athens is what you are after, with two more islands added. Poros is the smallest of the three, and a narrow strait separates it from the Peloponnese. Back on board, lunch is served as the ship sails on: a buffet with chicken, fish, pasta and salad.

Then comes Hydra. You enter the port past the cove that once sheltered pirates, then walk the narrow stone-paved streets or ride a saddled donkey, the island’s traditional way of getting around. Aegina, the largest of the three, comes last: a harbour to stroll, with a trip to the Temple of Aphaia at an additional cost. A one-hour sail takes you back to port.

The second Athens day cruise Hydra Poros Aegina listing costs $151 per person for 12 hours, rated 4.1 from 1,536 reviews. It leaves the old port of Athens in Faliro: the boat waits at the end of the marina, within 30 minutes of downtown Athens by taxi or car. Pickup options are on the listing.

This ship sails to Hydra first, so if your plan is an Athens to Hydra day trip with two islands as a bonus, the order suits you. You get time on your own for the cobblestone alleys, the old houses and the donkeys that still serve as public transport, and a swim if you like. If you want a guided Hydra tour from Athens, this is the ship to book: its walking tour of the town is offered at an extra fee. Poros comes next, green with pine forests and lemon groves, with time to walk, shop or eat at a taverna. Aegina, known for pistachio groves and beaches, is the last island.

Lunch is a buffet of Greek and Mediterranean dishes, with live music on board, and on the way back to Athens there are drinks from the bar.

Book an Athens day cruise Hydra Poros Aegina trip if you want to set foot on three islands in one day and are happy with a stop on each rather than a long afternoon on one. A Hydra Greece day trip from Athens on one of these ships is a day of harbour views from the deck, walks through island towns, shops and tavernas. Think of it as an Athens Hydra day trip with Poros and Aegina added on the way.

Both listings give time on your own on every island, but neither says how many minutes, so plan for a short stop, not a full afternoon.

If what you really want is the sea itself, a catamaran suits you better: 5 hours, two swim stops and lunch cooked on board, with no ports to walk.

Book the Marina Kalithea cruise. As an Athens day cruise Hydra Poros Aegina pick, it costs $147 per person, has 5,319 reviews and includes an audio guide in seven languages.

Want Hydra first? The Faliro ship, at $151 per person, opens the day on Hydra and plays live music at lunch.

Twelve hours and three ports make a long day; a catamaran gives you 5 hours at sea instead. Our top pick, the luxury catamaran with a Greek BBQ, costs $191 per person from Alimos Marina, with two swim stops and drinks included. Compare it with the other sails in our list of ten catamaran trips.