Aegina or Hydra: which suits your day?
The deciding numbers are the crossing time and how many boats you can fall back on if one is full or cancelled.
| Aegina | Hydra | |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest crossing listed | About 40 minutes (Hellenic Seaways) | From 1 hour 30 minutes (Hellenic Seaways) |
| Operators on official pages | Aegean Flying Dolphins, Saronic Ferries, Hellenic Seaways | Hellenic Seaways |
| Departures | 15 on Sunday 11 October 2026 across two operators | Daily; times at booking |
| Time on the boats, round trip | About 1h20 to 2h50 | At least 3 hours |
| Fallback if you miss a boat | Next sailing usually within an hour or two | Fewer options; check before you go |
Aegina: sailings, fares and time on the island
High-speed boats (Aegean Flying Dolphins)
The Aegean Flying Dolphins Saronic timetable (PDF valid 1 May to 31 October 2026, checked 12 October 2026) lists these sailings:
| Day | Piraeus to Aegina | Aegina to Piraeus |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | 08:00, 08:50, 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 16:00, 18:00, 19:00 | 07:00, 09:15, 10:10, 12:15, 15:15, 17:15, 18:15, 20:15 |
| Wednesday | Same as Monday | 07:00, 09:15, 10:10, 11:15, 12:15, 17:15, 18:15, 20:15 |
| Saturday | 08:50, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 16:00, 18:00, 19:00 | 09:00, 10:10, 11:15, 12:15, 15:15, 17:15, 18:15, 20:15 |
| Sunday | 08:50, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:15 | 09:00, 10:10, 11:15, 12:15, 17:15, 18:15, 19:15, 20:15 |
The timetable does not give crossing times. Its price list shows €18.00 one way and €31.00 return Piraeus–Aegina, €9.00 for children aged 6–10 and for students, and €0 for infants. The PDF linked from that page is named for 1 July 2023 but was still the one the operator linked on 12 October 2026, so confirm the fare at booking.
The winter timetable from 1 November 2026 had not been published on 12 October 2026.
Conventional car ferries (Saronic Ferries)
Saronic Ferries' Aegina page says all its ferries to Aegina leave from Gate E8, about a five-minute walk from Piraeus metro and suburban rail station, and the crossing takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. On Sunday 11 October 2026 it listed Piraeus departures at 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 14:30, 15:00, 17:30 and 18:40, with arrival times showing that some crossings take nearer 1 hour 25 minutes. The page says the first sailing is around 07:20 and the last leaves between 19:45 and 21:30 depending on season; some sailings go to Souvala, the island's second port, in about an hour. The Saronic Ferries home page showed a lowest fare of €12.00 to Aegina on 12 October 2026. It advises arriving 20 to 40 minutes before departure.
A sample Aegina day and its cost
Take the 08:50 or 10:00 high-speed boat from Piraeus and come back on the 17:15 or 18:15, and you have roughly 6½ to 8¾ hours on Aegina if the crossing takes about 40 minutes; the Aegean Flying Dolphins timetable does not state its crossing time. Two adults on Aegean Flying Dolphins return tickets pay €62; with two children aged 6–10 at €9 each way, a family of four pays €98 for the boats.
Temple of Aphaia: tickets and hours
The Hellenic Heritage page for the Sanctuary of Aphaia lists €10 full and €5 reduced, covering the archaeological site and the Scientific Collection (checked 12 October 2026). Site hours change through the autumn:
| Dates | Archaeological site |
|---|---|
| 1–15 October | 08:00–18:30 |
| 16–31 October | 08:00–18:00 |
| 1 November–31 March | 10:00–17:30 |
Last admission is 20 minutes before closing. The Scientific Collection keeps shorter hours and is closed on Tuesdays, and the whole site closes on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December.
The temple is at Mesagros. Hellenic Heritage gives about 17 minutes by car from Aegina's main port, or 6 minutes by car and about 30 minutes on foot from Agia Marina. Allow for the taxi or bus ride both ways before you pick your return boat.
Hydra: what the official pages confirm
Hellenic Seaways' Hydra page says the Piraeus–Hydra route "lasts from 1 hour and 30 minutes", runs daily, and shows departure times only during booking. No Hydra fare is published on the pages read, so check it in the booking search.
That makes Hydra a three-hour round trip on the water at minimum, and your time on the island depends on which two sailings exist for your date. A November 2025 Hellenic Seaways notice shows wind cancelling a Piraeus 14:00 sailing to Poros, Hydra and Spetses and its return from Spetses. Because times appear only at booking, check that both a morning outbound and an afternoon return exist for your date before you plan Hydra outside summer.
Piraeus gate, check-in and children's fares
Hellenic Seaways' Aegina and Hydra pages both say departures leave from Gate E8, while its Piraeus port map assigns its Aero Highspeed boats for Aegina, Agistri, Poros, Hydra, Ermioni, Spetses and Porto Heli to Gate E9. Go by the gate printed on your ticket. For the walk from the metro and how the gates are laid out, see Piraeus port: getting there and finding your gate; for the metro fare to Piraeus, see Athens transport tickets.
Hellenic Seaways' general conditions ask passengers to be at the embarkation area at least one hour before departure and to carry an ID card, passport or driving licence. Each passenger can take up to 50 kg of luggage free.
On Saronic routes, Hellenic Seaways' discount page gives children under 5 a 100% discount (a zero-fare ticket is issued), ages 5–10 a 50% discount, and ISIC card holders 50% off Economy. Discounts are not combined.