Greece
Hydra
No cars, no airport — just donkeys and the echo of footsteps on marble lanes.
No cars, no airport, no bicycles — just donkeys loaded with luggage climbing marble lanes, and the echo of footsteps on stone. The harbour mansions were built with privateering profits from the Greek War of Independence, and Leonard Cohen lived here long enough to become a writer.
Hydra has banned all motor vehicles since the 1950s, making it one of the quietest islands accessible by public ferry from Athens. The sea captains' mansions lining the harbour were built from profits earned during the Greek War of Independence, when Hydra's fleet was one of the most powerful in the Aegean. Leonard Cohen lived on the island from 1960 to 1967, describing it as the place where he first became a writer. Over 300 tiny churches are maintained by individual families across the island, appearing at every turn in the stone lanes.
Couple
The harbour at dusk when the day-trippers have left, swimming at Vlychos by boat taxi, and the deep silence of a car-free island after dark.
Friends
Day trip from Athens, swimming coves reached by water taxi, and cocktails at the harbour bars where every arrival is announced by donkey bells.
Solo
Cohen's island on foot, the coastal path to Kamini and Vlychos, and the discipline of a place that removes every modern convenience.
- Hydra has banned all motor vehicles since the 1950s — the only transport is by donkey, water taxi, or foot, making it one of the quietest islands accessible by public ferry.
- The sea captains' mansions lining the harbour were built with privateering profits from the Greek War of Independence — Hydra's fleet was one of the most powerful in the Aegean.
- Leonard Cohen lived here from 1960 to 1967 and described Hydra as the place where he first became a writer — his house is still privately owned.
- There are said to be over 300 tiny churches on the island, each maintained by a different family for generations — they appear at every turn in the stone lanes.
Amygdalota almond biscuits baked in the island's patisseries, crumbly and fragrant with rosewater.
Grilled octopus tentacles served on a waterfront table where the only vehicle is a donkey.
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