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Daytrips From Athens
The natural harbor of Piraeus has been Athens’s port since 493 BC, when Themistocles created a naval base for the growing Athenian fleet. A hilly peninsula studded with big apartment buildings, Piraeus is one of the busiest ports in the world. Though its charms may not be immediately obvious, Piraeus does have trendy shops, orange trees, and plenty of outdoor park space. Sprinkled among the fast-food joints and traffic are hip bars, coffee shops, and Internet cafes, where young people congregate in festive, noisy throngs.
Most ferries circling Greece run from Piraeus. Unfortunately, the ferry schedule changes on a daily basis; the following listings are only approximate. Be flexible with your plans. Check Athens News and the back of the Kathimerini English edition or stop by a travel agency for updated schedules. Ferries sail directly to nearly all major Greek islands, except for the Sporades and Ionians. Until recently, there were five gates, organized by letter; now, gates are organized by number, all preceded by the prefix “E”. Ferries for the Dodecanese leave from gate E1. For Chios and Lesvos, ferries depart from gate E2. For Crete, go to E3. Ferries for the Cyclades leave from E7, and ferries for the Saronic Gulf leave from E8. For Ikaria and Samos, ferries leave from E9. To: Aegina (1hr., every hr., €7.50); Amorgos (10hr., 5 per week, €24.50); Anafi (11hr., 3-4 per week, €26 ); Astypalea (10hr., 3 per week, €32); Chios (9hr., 1-2 per day, €22.30); Donousa (7hr., 2 per week, €20); Folegandros (9hr., 4 per week, €20); Hania, Crete (11hr., 1-2 per day, €22); Hydra (3hr., 2 per day, €9); Ikaria (8hr., 1-2 per day, €20); Ios (7hr., 3 per day, €22); Iraklia (7hr., 3-4 per week, €22); Iraklion, Crete (11hr., 1-3 per day, €24); Kalymnos (12hr., 5 per day, €35.50); Kimolos (6hr., daily, €19); Kithnos (3hr., 1-2 per day, €13); Kos (13hr., 1-2 per day, €36); Koufonisia (8hr., 1 per week, €21); Leros (10hr., daily, €31); Lesvos (12hr., daily, €26); Limnos (18hr., 3 per week, €27); Milos (7hr., 1-2 per day, €20); Mykonos (6hr., 2-4 per day, €20); Naxos (6hr., 5-7 per day, €24); Paros (5hr., 4-7 per day, €24); Patmos (8hr., €30); Poros (2hr., 5 per day, €10); Rethymno, Crete (11hr., 3 per week, €24); Rhodes (14hr., 2-5 per day, €43); Samos (10hr., €27); Santorini (9hr., 3-5 per day, €28); Schinousa (8hr., 2 per week, €23.10); Serifos (5hr., 1-2 per day, €15.20); Sifnos (6hr., 1-2 per day, €18); Sikinos (8hr., 4 per week, €26); Spetses (4hr., €12); Syros (4hr., 2-3 per day, €15); Tinos (5hr., 2 per day, €22.20). International ferries (2 per day, around €30) head to destinations in Turkey. Hydrofoils leave from the port of Zea and go to: Aegina (every hr.); Amorgos (1 per week); Hydra (6 per day); Ikaria (3 per week); Ios (6 per week); Kithnos (5 per day); Milos (1-2 per day); Mykonos (2-4 per day); Naxos (1-3 per day); Paros (1-4 per day); Poros (6 per day); Samos (2 per week); Santorini (daily); Serifos (6 per week); Sifnos (1-2 per day); Spetses (6 per day); Syros (2-4 per day); Tinos (2-4 per day). The #96 bus shuttles to and from the airport every 30min. (€3). Pick it up across from Fillipis Tours on Akti Tzelepi. The #40 goes between Syndagma and Piraeus (every 15min. 5am-12:45am, €0.45). To get to Piraeus from Athens by metro, take the M1 (green) line Kifisia/Piraeus to the last stop (20min., €0.70). The metro station is on Akti Poseidonos.
Piraeus can seem chaotic and confusing, but there is a method to the madness. A free shuttle takes travelers from the metro to gate E1 every 15min. The large, busy street running alongside Akti Miaouli and Akti Kondyli is Akti Poseidonos. The hydrofoil port is on the other side of the peninsula, a 10min. walk along any of the streets running inland off Akti Miaouli.
Inexpensive, quality accommodations are much more difficult to find in Piraeus than in Athens. Pireaus Dream 4, on Notara Street a few blocks over from the E9 and E10 ferry gates, has stylishly decorated rooms, some of which overlook the bay. (☎21042 96 160. Breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi. Singles €55; doubles €65; triples €80.) Also on Notara St., Hotel Ideal 4 offers immaculate rooms with bath, TV, and air-conditioning. (Singles €50; doubles €65; triples €70.) Hotel Ideal’s sister property, Hotel Glaros 4 (☎21042 94 050), just off Akti Miaouli, is a less glamorous but still adequate option for the same price. Pleasant, quiet Hotel Phidias 4, Koundouriotou 189, between Bouboulinas and 2 Merarhias, offers spacious rooms with large bath, TV, and air-conditioning. (☎21042 96 160. Breakfast €7.50. Singles €50; doubles €60; triples €70; quads €80. MC/V.)
For a souvlaki spot still undiscovered by tourists, stop in at Creta 2 on Ag. Dimitrou. Walk left from the E3 ferry gates; after 200m, turn right at the church. The beef kebab (€7) and the meatless gyros (€2.50) are among the best choices. (☎21041 24 417. Open daily 10am-3am.) Inviting but pricey restaurants line the waterfront around Microlimano, the small bay to the south of the main port. If you’re looking to splurge, join the swanky diners of Jimmy and the Fish 4, Akti Koumoundorou 46. (☎21041 24 417. Mussels with tomato sauce and parmesan €13. Saffron risotto with porcini mushrooms €19. Strawberry soup with ice cream €7. Open daily 12:30pm-1am. AmEx/MC/V.) Bakeries and breadshops are a tasty, thrifty, and speedy dining alternative. Several supermarkets also are available, including one at 2 Merarhias and Karaiskou. (Open M-F 8am-9pm, Sa 8am-6pm.)
The prized possession of the Piraeus Archaeological Museum, H. Trikoupi 31, is the second floor’s Piraeus Apollo, a hulking hollow bronze figure with outstretched arms. A huge grave monument consisting of three statues—the deceased, his father, and his slave—dated to about 330 BC, is across the hall as you walk in. Found on the Black Sea coast, the monument once was painted in full color. Three other bronze statues of Athena and Artemis were found near the port in 1959; they had been shelved in a storeroom for safekeeping when Sulla besieged Piraeus in 86 BC. The strange spots of color in their eyes are precious stones. (☎21045 21 598. Open Tu-Su 8:30am-3pm. €4, students €2, children under 16 free.) Farther south at Zea, the ramp to the dock at Akti Themistokleous and Botassi leads to the Hellenic Maritime Museum, which traces naval history using detailed ship models. Inside its main entrance, the building includes part of the 5th-century Themistoclean wall, which protected the three ancient ports of Kantharos, Munychia, and Zea. Of particular note is a model of an Athenian trireme used in the Persian Wars; it is on display in Room B. The courtyard holds torpedo tubes, naval weapons, and part of a WWII submarine. (☎21045 16 264. Open Tu-Sa 9am-2pm. €3, children and students €1.50.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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