Bill was at our door at 7:30 in the morning with croissants and orange juice for me and my Auntie Sandra, who also happens to be Daisy's second nanny. Daisy was still half asleep in her bag after a full day of exploring Athens, and honestly, so were we. By the time the sun went down that evening we had crossed the Saronic Gulf twice, rented our own boat, snorkeled in one cove and picnicked in another, eaten cold pizza on the water, and spent about €330 between two people and one completely unbothered Shih Tzu.
A Poros day trip from Athens is one of those things that sounds like it needs a week of planning and turns out to need a WhatsApp message and a ferry ticket. Here's exactly how our day went, what it cost, and the things I'd tell a friend before she books it.
Getting to Poros by Ferry with Your Dog
We booked with Hellenic Seaways, and this is one of those decisions where you get what you pay for. There are slower, cheaper ferries on this route, big open-deck boats where a return ticket can be around €15. For an hour-long crossing they're fine, but they can get very overwhelming with the sheer amount of people on board. The Hellenic fast ferry was about €45 per person, and it was worth every cent.
The seats are big, comfortable, and spacious, with a fold-down table. You would be thrilled if you got seats like this on a plane. There's a coffee shop on board for drinks and snacks, the crossing takes about an hour, and you don't feel the trip at all. Some of the ferries even have a business class option with a bit more space, but for a one-hour hop the standard seats are already lovely. The hardest part of the whole thing was finding our seats, because the numbering isn't very intuitive, but there are staff on board who point you the right way.
Booking Daisy Onto the Ferry
Here's the part that matters for the dog mums. Daisy got her own ticket, and it was free. When you book online, you just add your pet to the booking and enter their microchip or passport details. You don't need to bring the actual passport with you. Every ferry search engine lets you filter for pet-friendly sailings, and once your dog is under 10 kilos, it's easy. On the fast ferries, dogs need to travel in a carrier bag, which is no hardship for Daisy, who has more bags than I do.
You check in online in advance and just show the barcode on your phone at boarding. I had a screenshot ready in my camera roll, scanned it, showed the crew member where our seats were, and that was it. No paperwork check, no fuss.
One thing to know before your first Greek ferry, these boats move fast. Boarding and unboarding is a ten-minute turnaround at most. The way these crews are drilled, it's a military operation. People get on and off quicker than a city bus, so be standing and ready with your bags when the ferry pulls in.
We took the 8:30 sailing out of Piraeus and a departure back around 5:30 to 6:00, and that was the perfect length for the day. Daisy slept in her bag the entire crossing. I didn't spot any other dogs on board that morning, but I've seen plenty on past sailings, and every one of them was as relaxed as she was. I kind of wish planes were like this, your dog just asleep on your lap for an hour.
For what it's worth, this trip capped off a few days in Athens, where we stayed in a dog-friendly Airbnb in Kolonaki. The day trip works from anywhere central, you just need to get yourself to Piraeus by 8:00.
Renting a Boat in Poros Without a License
This was the heart of the day, and the reason I'm writing this post. We rented a license-free self-drive boat from Rent a Boat Poros, and it was the best boat rental experience I've had in Greece. I don't say that lightly, because I've done a lot of these.
I'll be honest about how I found them. I asked ChatGPT for boat rental options right around Poros port, because I've been burned before. On a previous trip, we arrived on an island to discover the boat was nowhere near the port, which is exactly what you don't want when you're carrying a day's worth of bags and a dog. So my one non-negotiable was pickup from the port itself.
The entire booking happened over WhatsApp. Their number is on the website, I messaged saying there were two of us plus a dog, and they didn't bat an eyelid about Daisy. Our ferry got in, we had a bit of time, so we wandered to the local shops to pick up water and bits for the day. The guy dropped me a pin on WhatsApp showing exactly where to meet him at 10:00, picked us up at the port by boat, and used the ride back to their base across the bay to hand over.
And it was a proper handover. He walked us through everything, how to drop the anchor, how to reverse, what speed to keep, the emergency procedure, where the life vests were, the engine, and the fold-down stairs for getting in and out of the water. If it's your first time on a self-drive boat, this is the briefing you want, not a wave and a set of keys.
What It Cost
Sitting down? The four-hour rental was €120, plus about €25 for fuel. Our boat was the Pelekanos, a tidy 5.5 meter self-drive with a canopy for shade and space for up to seven people. There were two of us and a Shih Tzu, so Captain Daisy had room to spare. For comparison, we've rented boats in Crete and paid double that for the same thing. As far as I'm concerned, this was the bargain of the trip.
The Picnic Basket That Put Every Other Boat Rental to Shame
I have rented a lot of self-drive boats over the years, and the most generous thing anyone had ever included was a snorkel. So when we got on board and found a cool box packed with sandwiches, drinks, and fruit, I was confused for a second, in the best way. There was an inflatable ring already blown up and tied to the boat, snorkels for both of us, and pool noodles.
Nobody has ever done that for me on a boat rental. Not once. It cost them a few euro in sandwiches and it's the thing I've told every single person about since. If you're reading this, boat rental companies of Greece, this is the bar now.
They also set us up with an app showing pinned spots around the island worth visiting, and pointed us toward a cove on the map that they said was ideal for snorkeling. Which brings me to the actual sailing.
Where We Sailed
We headed straight for the cove they'd recommended, Gerolimani, tucked in near the lighthouse, and stayed for about ninety minutes. It was so chilled and so relaxed. I was in the water with the snorkel, Sandra was on the noodle, and Daisy came in and out whenever she felt like it, then dried off in her spot on the deck.
Then we decided to head around the other side of the island, which means passing back through Poros town, past the waterfront, which is its own little pleasure with the town stacked up the hill on one side and Galatas on the other.
A Word About Anchors
Now for the honest bit. The sea wasn't as calm on that side, and we had some trouble with the anchor. I've done this enough times to know it's a lottery. Sometimes it grips first time, sometimes you look up and realize the boat is still moving. We sorted it, but here's the tip that only one person has ever told me and that I now tell everyone.
If your boat drifts near another boat or a rock, you can physically push off. Stick your leg out and push the boat away. That's it. That's the tip. The first time I ever rented a self-drive boat it was windy, we drifted toward another boat, and nobody had ever told me that shoving off with your foot is completely normal and works. Consider yourself told.
Once we were properly set, we had our picnic in the cove. The sandwiches and fruit from the boys, plus the pizza we'd bought as takeaway that morning before boarding the boat. That's my standing tip for boat days, buy a pizza to take away and bring it with you. Obviously if cold pizza isn't your thing, this tip is not for you. Cold pizza in a quiet cove with your dog dozing in the shade is my thing entirely.
Keeping Your Dog Cool on the Boat
This kind of day out is one of the most dog-friendly things you can do in Greece in summer, and here's why. On a boat, the shade moves with you, or rather, you move the dog with the shade. The boat had shaded spots the whole time, so Daisy just relocated as the sun did. I also brought our portable clamp-on umbrella from Temu, so if the shade wasn't falling in her direction I could fix that in about ten seconds.
Between the shade, the breeze on the water, and the option to hop in for a paddle whenever she liked, Daisy was completely comfortable all day. No panting, no restlessness, nothing. If you're planning summer travel with a dog, I've written a full guide on keeping your dog cool on holiday, and a boat day ticks nearly every box on it.
One more gear note. My best purchase of the season is a tiny Temu air pump, a little cube about two inches across, that blows up floaties in no time. It saves your lungs and your luggage space.
Pizza, Rosé and People Watching Back at the Port
The pizza deserves its own paragraph. We picked it up that morning as takeaway from Retro Coffee & Brunch, right on the waterfront where the fast ferry pulls in, and it was gorgeous, super fresh, a 10 out of 10 even eaten cold hours later on a boat. No notes.
After we returned the boat, we went back to the same spot and sat at the port with two glasses of sparkling rosé and a bowl of peanuts. Let me be honest about it as a bar, it's not where you'd go for a fancy drink. It's a place where the pizza is excellent, the rosé is cold, and the seats face the water. After four hours of sun and salt, that was exactly the assignment. Daisy was asleep under the table and we watched the boats come and go.
On the dog-friendliness front, there's nothing dramatic to report, which is the point. We asked for water for Daisy, no problem, and nobody blinked at a dog under the table. That's Greece for you. No fuss, no special treatment, just completely relaxed.
A Wander Through Poros Town
With time to spare before the ferry, we took a slow lap of the town. Poros gives you that classic Greek island postcard, whitewashed streets, blue doors and shutters, bougainvillea spilling over walls, the look people fly to Mykonos for, without the crowds or the Mykonos prices. Daisy trotted along the lanes at her own pace and collected her usual round of admirers.
We did a bit of shopping for local goodies to bring home, Greek honey, olive oil, pistachios, and a few Greek snacks that did not survive the week. This is also where we picked up our towels and a floatie, and a fair warning, you pay island prices for that stuff. Bring what you can from Athens and save your euros for the honey.
Getting Home, and Why You Need a Bill
The ferry home was the same slick operation in reverse, with one small comedy moment. We confidently sat in the wrong seats and got moved on, so we ended up downstairs, which was fine and possibly comfier. Daisy slept the whole way back, obviously.
By the time we reached Piraeus, we were that particular kind of tired where the bags seem to have multiplied. Between the towels, the floatie, the wet swimsuits, and Daisy, I was really wishing I'd brought her stroller, not for her, for the bags. Learn from me on that one.
And then there was Bill, waiting at the port with cold lemonade for us. This is why I'll never stop recommending him. Bill's Athens Transfers & Tours has been our trusted taxi service in Athens for a while now. He's licensed and insured by the Greek Ministry of Transportation, he grew up between Greece and North America so his English is perfect, he does day tours as well as transfers, and he's properly pet-friendly, not "tolerates dogs" pet-friendly, but croissants-at-7:30 and lemonade-at-sunset pet-friendly. Anyone I know visiting Athens gets his details from me. The port runs were about €30 each way.
What the Day Cost
For two people and one small dog, the whole day came to roughly €330. The boat was €145 including fuel, the fast ferry was about €90 return for the two of us with Daisy free, the takeaway pizza was about €10, the drinks afterwards were about €40, and the taxi to and from Piraeus was about €30 each way. You could trim that a lot with the slow ferry and no taxi, but I wouldn't trade the fast ferry, and I definitely wouldn't trade Bill.
Our Poros Day Trip Timeline
Here's how the day actually ran, so you can copy it. Bill collected us at 7:30 with breakfast in hand and had us at Piraeus in plenty of time for the 8:30 fast ferry. We were on Poros by about 9:30, picked up the takeaway pizza and some supplies from the shops, and met our boat at the port at 10:00 after a WhatsApp pin drop. Handover at the base across the bay took maybe twenty minutes, then we had the boat until around 2:30, which fit a ninety-minute snorkel stop, the trip around the island, and a long lazy picnic in the second cove. The afternoon was sparkling rosé at the port, a slow wander through the whitewashed streets, and shopping for honey, olive oil and pistachios until the ferry back around 5:30, and Bill had us, our seventeen bags, and our lemonades home by early evening.
If I did it again, and I will, the only change I'd make is renting the boat for longer. Four hours was enough, but six would have been luxurious.
Final Thoughts
This was one of the easiest and best days of the whole trip. No airport, no packing, no hotel change, just one WhatsApp conversation, one ferry booking, and a day on the water where Daisy was as welcome as we were. If you're staying in Athens with your dog and wondering whether an island is doable in a day, Poros is your answer.
Would we return? Already planning it. And if you're trying to figure out where you and your dog should go next, Daisy and I can help you plan it.
