Black Book #1: Athens and Hydra

what to do, places to stay, and where to eat, drink, and shop

Last July, Nick and I spent 5 days visiting Athens and Hydra, one of the Saronic Islands. I’ve said in the past that the Greek Isles are my platonic ideal of vacation; just writing this black book had me craving a freddo espresso, sipped at a café on a sunny marina with a salty breeze in my hair.

If you long for the mesmerizing water of the Aegean but don’t want to battle the crowds of Santorini or Mykonos, this itinerary is a great option. You can find more detail on each leg of our trip—how we got there, what we did, where we stayed, and what we ate—below.

how we organized our trip

Given our flight times, we had 3 full days and 2 almost full ones on the ground. Greece’s nearly 15 hours of daylight in the summer allowed us to cram in plenty of activities while still having time to relax. That said, I think a similar trip would still be worth doing if you only had 3 full days; this is an excellent long weekend trip for those currently living in Europe or the Middle East, or a great stop on a longer trip from the States.