5 day trip to Athens, Greece – Day 2 Greek islands– Cruise day trip – Three Greek islands
I had booked a cruise day trip online which covers three Greek islands Hydra, Porus and Aegina. In my Itinerary boarding time was 7-8 and departure at 8am. I reached there at 7:45. Nobody was there on the cruise. After 10-15 minute, some staff came; they checked my ticket and welcomed me on the cruise. It was big boat of three floors. The weather seemed to be fine at that time just some strong winds. Cruise staff informed us later that because of bad weather warnings probably we need to come back earlier because if it will be too late, port authority will not allow us to come back. Eventually the weather improved and we were able to cover all three islands.
While arriving to the island of Hydra, we admired from the decks of our vessel the special architecture and dramatic landscapes of this island, whose old traditional stone houses and mansions silently stand witness to a long and turbulent history. It has one of the most beautiful waterfronts in all of Greece but no real beaches. The back streets are just lovely with less people.
There are hiking trails through the interior or you can take a back lane to a small fishing village. Hydra has no archaeological sites, no agriculture, but it has the unique aspect of no motorized vehicles. Only donkeys are used to transport goods & people. It gives you a taste of the Old Greece.
Our next destination was Poros Island. Poros is the smallest of the three islands, separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow strait offering a most enchanting view of Poros. As cruise want to leave for Aegina soon, we had been given 40 minutes to explore. The ambiance of the island is different to the one of Hydra. There are not really any beaches in Hydra to speak of whereas, Poros has plenty to choose.
Just after departure from Poros they served lunch for passengers. It was a great time to relax while sailing towards Aegina and enjoy the sun on the ship’s lounge or admire the spectacular panoramic view from one of our spacious decks.
It took us around two hour sailing when we arrived to our last port of call, the island of AEGINA. The largest of the three islands. Apart from its nice harbour there are numerous interesting sites to discover on the island.
I opted for a tour to Temple of Aphaia, an ancient architectural wonders of Greece. The temple is dedicated to goddess Athena and one of the most important archaeological. It is situated in a Sanctuary complex about 13 km east of the main port.
After coming back from tour, we spend some time to walk around and get to know the place. There are lots of places to eat and drink and there are beaches at Agia Marina and on both sides of the port.
I would say, Aegina has more to offer with some nice beaches and more places to explore and even some historical buildings to sea. The Aphaia temple, one of the best preserved temples in Greece, is really worth seeing.
Greece has a large number of islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000. You cannot cover all in one trip. Some of these Greek islands are very famous and amazing places like Santorini and Mykonos. I have been to Santorini once and that is my most favourite place in the world.
5 day trip to Athens, Greece – Day 3 – City Sightseeing tour of Athens