Athens
Athens
+ Athens
Excursions
+ Excursions
Sights
* Aígina (Aegina)
* Ákra Soúnio (Cape Sounion)
* Dáfní (Daphni)
* Delfoí (Delphi)
* Elefsína (Eleusis)
* Epídavros (Epidavros)
* Kaisarianí
* Kifisiá (Kifissia)
* Kórinthos (Corinth)
* Marathónas (Marathon)
* Mykínes (Mycenae)
* Náfplio
* Peiraías (Piraeus)
* Póros
* Rafína
* Rámnoús
* Salamína (Salamis)
* Spétses
* Vravróna (Brauron)
* ýdra (Hydra)
Walk/Drive
Food&Drink
In The Know
Did You Know?
( Worth Seeing )
Piraeus is easily accessible from central Athens, being at the end of the Metro line, though its charms are limited. Imagine the traffic of Athens and then add the bustle of one of the Mediterranean's busiest ports. Nevertheless, it can be worth a trip out on a Sunday morning when the flea-market operates in the streets behind the metro/railway station. It is part of the street life that recalls the award-winning 1959 film, Never on Sunday, starring Melina Mercouri as a Piraeus prostitute with the proverbial heart of gold.
It was near the magnificent cathedral of Ágía Triadha, on Filonos, behind the Town Hall, that workmen in 1959 found the impressive bronze statues which form the principal reason for visiting Piraeus's Archaeological Museum. The exhibits in the first hall were found in 1930-1 in a sunken ship that had been bound for Italy and which was discovered in Piraeus harbour.
Turn left out of the museum entrance and walk straight down the main street to the Limin Zeas harbour. Turn right here and a short way along the front, across the street, is the Naval Museum of Greece. This includes model ships, from ancient triremes to modern-day battleships, and displays covering some of the great naval battles in Greek waters, such as the Battle of Salamis, along with numerous documents and drawings, letters and relics.
The Mikrolimano harbour in Piraeus is also the place where Athenians go to find the best fish tavernas for a leisurely summer Sunday lunch or evening meal.
Piraeus is a sprawling port with two small harbours and one very large one. If you're not familiar with it and you plan to visit an island, it is vital to check in advance, on a map, where your boat leaves from, and how best to get there. For the Argo-Saronic islands mentioned in this guide, ferries leave from Akti Possidhonios and further round the same quay along Akti Miaouli. Hydrofoils for the Saronic islands leave from close by on Akti Tselepi on the east side of the harbour. All docks are only a short walk from the main metro station.
Archaeological Museum
Address: Harilaou Trikoupi 31Phone: 452-1598
Open: Tue-Sun 8:30-3. Closed public holidays
Metro: Piraeus
Accessible: None
Admission: Moderate
Naval Museum
Address: Akti ThemistokleousPhone: 451-6264
Open: Tue-Sat 9-2. Closed public holidays
Metro: Piraeus
Accessible: None
Admission: Cheap
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