The imposing houses and the well-preserved mansions, built amphitheatrically under the bare rocks together with the tourist shops and jewellers, the restaurants and cafes, the boats, the water taxis and the big yachts make up the image of the port of Hydra and confirm the feeling of the idiosyncratic everyday life of the Idraians that hardly resembles the 21st century.
The coastal road, Pavlou Kountourioti, stretches from the statue of Miaoulis to the area of Petalo. Its paving was completed in 1912 and all the vertical alleys, stone-paved as well, that start from above and end up at the sea end in it.
To the right and left, at the entrance to the port of Hydra, are the Ramparts with the cannons that protected Hydra.
On the left side of the port, above the left Promahon, the statue of Admiral Andreas Miaoulis dominates since 1993, at the base of which are buried his bones, which came to Hydra in 1985.
On the waterfront, under the bastion, are the rusty chains that used to close the entrance to the port.
The road that passes under the statue leads east to Mandraki, which was the island’s war port during the years of the Revolution.
West of the statue of A. Miaoulis, at the beginning of the port beach, is the Port Authority and the KEP housed in the old stone-built gunpowder storehouse, while a little further on is the Melina Merkouris art and concert hall.
Next to the Port Authority is the marble building that houses the Historical Archive-Museum of Hydra, followed by the house of the Tsamadou family, where the famous School of Merchant Marines is housed.
The heart of the city beats at the point of the port opposite the breakwater. Here there are banks, public services, folk art shops, jewellers, restaurants, bars and cafes.
In the center of the port is also the Cathedral of Hydra, built in 1648 and rebuilt in 1774. A three-aisled basilica with a dome and two marble bell towers, which inside has two silver chandeliers and a golden six-light with the heads of Louis of France. Previously, the Church functioned as the Dormition Monastery.
Today in the courtyard of the Church there are the busts of Lazaros Kountouriotis and Andreas Miaoulis as well as the tomb of Lazaros Kountouriotis. Some of the buildings of the Monastery house the Town Hall, while the old cells house the Ecclesiastical and Byzantine Museum of Hydra.
In front of the Monastery is the Square of Pavlos Kountouriotis, with the statue of the Greek politician dominating in its center, while to the left of the square is the Church of Ypapanti with its wood-carved iconostasis.
Further on, an uphill alley on the left leads us to the Mansion of Tompazis, which today houses the School of Fine Arts.
To the right of the Dormition Monastery begins a narrow, paved and picturesque uphill road that leads to the old town, Kiafa. The road on the right passes the Gyrokomeio and then leads to Kamini.
A little further down, moving forward, we come across the Mansion of Lazaros Kountouriotis, which was built at the end of the 18th century and today functions as an annex of the National Historical Museum.
Continuing, the road climbs past the breakwater along the rocky shore and reaches the Periptero, the western Bastion of the port and one of the most beautiful locations in Hydra. Below the Pavilion is the rocky shore of the Spilia
Above the cannon station, on our left there is a small pine forest with the Mansion of Georgios Kountouriotis rising among the pines, and on the top of the hill stand the ruined Windmills in a row.
The road continues, reaching Avlaki, a picturesque beach down the steep side of the mountain, to end up in picturesque Kaminia.
The beauty of Hydra is not only limited to the beach and its attractions. There are picturesque and beautiful corners inside the City, which you can enjoy walking through the picturesque cobbled streets, among the houses with the original architecture, the flowers, the picturesque taverns and the colorful small shops with items of folk art.
If you climb the steps of the City, you will find yourself in the oldest quarter, the medieval fortified settlement of Kiafa, a settlement with stone-built houses, high battlements and narrow streets. Here you will be greeted by the smell of cut wood from the carpentry workshops while the bright colors of the houses and churches will cheer you up.
From the hill of Kiafa you can enjoy the view which is fantastic and reaches across to the Peloponnese.
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