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Piraeus (Athens), Greece |
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Fast Facts: |
Busy port
city located 7km (5m) southwest of Athens, Greece |
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Coordinates: |
37° 57′ 0″ N 23° 38′ 0″ E |
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Population: |
176,000.
Athens metropolitan area approx. 3.7 million |
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Official
language: |
Greek |
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Currency: |
Euro |
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Time: |
UTC+2
(Helsinki, Athens, Cairo, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Pretoria) |
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Best
time to visit: |
March -
June & September - November |
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Don't
miss: |
Ships,
ships, ships! Oh, and Athens of course... |
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ShipParade link: |
Nautica - Eastern Mediterranean
(2005) |
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Silver Wind - Eastern Mediterranean
(2004) |
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Piraeus (Athens)
climate chart |
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Metric |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Avg.
high (C) |
13 |
13 |
16 |
20 |
25 |
29 |
32 |
32 |
29 |
23 |
18 |
14 |
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Avg. low
(C) |
6 |
7 |
8 |
11 |
15 |
20 |
22 |
22 |
19 |
14 |
11 |
8 |
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Avg.
precip. (mm) |
45.7 |
48.3 |
43.2 |
27.9 |
17.8 |
10.2 |
5.1 |
5.1 |
12.7 |
48.3 |
50.8 |
66.0 |
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English/US |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Avg.
high (F) |
55 |
56 |
60 |
68 |
77 |
85 |
90 |
90 |
84 |
73 |
65 |
58 |
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Avg. low
(F) |
43 |
44 |
47 |
52 |
59 |
68 |
72 |
72 |
66 |
58 |
52 |
46 |
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Avg.
precip. (in) |
1.80 |
1.90 |
1.70 |
1.10 |
0.70 |
0.40 |
0.20 |
0.20 |
0.50 |
1.90 |
2.00 |
2.60 |
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Piraeus (Athens) photos |
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If your cruise starts at the port
of Piraeus, be sure to fly in a couple of days early. Instead
of staying in an overpriced hotel in downtown Athens, you
might want to consider booking a room in Piraeus. Actually,
Piraeus is a city in itself with lots of restaurants, coffee
bars and an attractive shopping area. Photo © 2008 Bart de
Boer
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For a port that handles millions
of passenger annually, Piraeus seems quite cramped. Pictured
is MSC Armonia having turned in the basin and heading out to
sea. Photo © 2008 Bart de Boer
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Piraeus is first and foremost a
ferry port, serving most of the Greek islands. Athens, the
sprawling Greek capital is looming on the horizon. With
excellent train connections, downtown Athens is at an arm's
length from Piraeus. Photo © 2008 Bart de Boer
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The port of
Piraeus is mainly geared towards ferry travel. As Greece is
made up of many, many islands, ferry traffic is vital and at
all hours of day and night ferries in all shapes and sizes
sail in and out of Piraeus. Being the port of Athens, Piraeus
is also a very port of call for cruise ships. Photo © 2005
Bart de Boer |
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You can of course
book on of the shore excursion to make the most of your visit
to Greece. One of the more popular getaways is to Cap Sounion
with its ancient ruins. Unless you like to spend hours on a
coach and finally stumble across a bunch of "old stones", give
this tour a miss and head for Athens instead. Photo © 2005
Bart de Boer |
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Nestled on a plain
between five mountains, Athens can get hot, sticky and dirty
in summer. It is one of the most polluted cities in Europe.
Standing on the Acropolis, you get an impression of this huge,
sprawling city. Photo © 2005 Bart de Boer |
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The organized
shore excursions will bring you to most of Athens' sights. If
you've never been to Athens before, booking one of these tours
is not a bad idea as Athens is a big city and lacks a major
center of interest. However, if you're more of the adventurous
kind, you will have the day of your life exploring the Ancient
City by yourself, away from the tour groups, lollipops and
screaming guides. It's so easy. Head for Piraeus railway
station (approx. 20 minutes' walk from the cruise ship berth)
and take the train to Monisteraki, the hub of Athens activity.
From the train station, you literally walk right into the
famous Bazar and are steps away from the Plaka district.
Overlooked by the mighty Acropolis, you will find hundreds of
nice little restaurants here to enjoy a souvlaki and perhaps a
glass of ouzo. So much cheaper than going on an organized
shore excursion. And arguably so much nicer! Photo © 2005 Bart
de Boer |
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Major sight in
Athens is of course the Acropolis, a 150 m (512 ft) rock in
the center of the city topped with a series of temples that
were erected around 400BC. The archeological importance of
these ancient monuments makes the Acropolis world-famous.
Pictured above is the Parthenon, the rock's best known temple.
Photo © 2005 Bart de Boer |
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Prepare for a
climb if you plan on visiting the Acropolis. In the true Greek
tradition, there is just a seemingly endless set of slippery
marble steps leading up to the top of the rock. Forget all
about elevators and escalators - this is a voyage into
antiquity! The Greeks should be commended for leaving much of
the Acropolis souvenir-free and in a semi-original state. Be
careful walking as the terrain is very uneven and rocky. Photo
© 2005 Bart de Boer
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My favorite: the
Erechteion with the Caryatid Porch. Too bad all the caryatids
are replicas... Some of the original ones may be admired in
the Acropolish Museum. And one is in the British Museum in
London. Photo © 2005 Bart de Boer |
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Should you have a
real urge to see a guy in a skirt wearing pompons and white
tights, head for Syntagma Square. The guards at the Parliament
building look about as threatening as ... Barbie. Photo ©
2005 Bart de Boer |
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