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Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Fast Facts: Busy port city located 7km (5m) southwest of Athens, Greece
Coordinates: 37° 57′ 0″ N 23° 38′ 0″ E
Population: 176,000. Athens metropolitan area approx. 3.7 million
Official language: Greek
Currency: Euro
Time: UTC+2 (Helsinki, Athens, Cairo, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Pretoria)
Best time to visit: March - June & September - November
Don't miss: Ships, ships, ships! Oh, and Athens of course...
ShipParade link: Nautica - Eastern Mediterranean (2005)
. Silver Wind - Eastern Mediterranean (2004)
 

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Piraeus (Athens) climate chart

 Metric Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
 Avg. high (C) 13 13 16 20 25 29 32 32 29 23 18 14
 Avg. low (C) 6 7 8 11 15 20 22 22 19 14 11 8
 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
 
 English/US Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
 Avg. high (F) 55 56 60 68 77 85 90 90 84 73 65 58
 Avg. low (F) 43 44 47 52 59 68 72 72 66 58 52 46
 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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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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