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Voykit pocket guide · Greece
Piraeus
Πειραιάς
Treat Piraeus as a ferry gateway, not a sightseeing base: sleep one night near the metro only if your boat leaves before 09:00.
Piraeus is the working port of Athens and the departure point for most Aegean ferries, about 20 minutes from central Athens on metro Line 1 or Line 3. The port is huge: gates for Crete and the Dodecanese sit 15 minutes by shuttle from the metro, so check your gate before you arrive. Most travellers pass through in a few hours; a night here pays off only for early sailings.
- Country
- Greece
- Local name
- Πειραιάς
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and peak ferry crowds)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards are widely accepted; card terminals are required in many businesses.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at the airport; a passport is needed to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency 112 · Police 100 · Ambulance 166 · Tourist police 1571 · Coast guard 108
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European round two-pin plugs.
- Tipping
- Café: Leave the coins, €0.50–1.; Taverna or restaurant: 5–10% in cash on the table; not expected at gyros shops.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night.; Boat crew or guide: €5–10 per person for a day trip.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in Athens, Thessaloniki and most of the mainland. On many islands it is desalinated or hard: ask locally and buy bottled if unsure.
- Toilets
- Use cafés (buy something), museums and sites. Paper goes in the bin, not the toilet, in most places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Greek coffee or freddo espresso | €2–4 |
| Souvlaki or gyros wrap | €3.50–5 |
| Fish taverna main at Mikrolimano | €12–22 |
| Beer: taverna / supermarket can | €4–6 / €1–2 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | €6–10 |
| Metro or bus ticket, 90 minutes | €1.20 (check) |
| Ferry Piraeus–Aegina, one way | €10–15 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ATH · Athens International (Spata)
- Express bus X96 runs 24 h to the port, about 90 min; metro via Monastiraki also works.
Typical fares
- Metro Piraeus → Athens centre
- €1.20, about 20 min (check)
- X96 bus Piraeus → airport
- €5.50, about 90 min (check)
- Taxi port → Mikrolimano
- €6–10 (check)
Get around
Metro Lines 1 and 3 meet at Piraeus station near gate E6; a €1.20 ticket covers 90 minutes of metro, bus and trolleybus connections. Free shuttle buses inside the port run from across the metro to the Crete, eastern Aegean and Dodecanese berths. Trolleybus 20 links the port with Passalimani and the coast. Walking the port end to end takes about 30 minutes.
See and do
Known for
- Ferry port for the Aegean islands
- Archaeological Museum of Piraeus
- Mikrolimano and Zea marinas
- Fish tavernas on the coast
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Athens | Metro Line 1 or Line 3 from Piraeus station | About 20–25 min |
| Aegina | Ferry or flying dolphin from the Saronic berths near the metro | About 1 h 15 min by ferry |
| Palaio Faliro | Trolleybus 20 or metro Line 1 towards Faliro | About 20–30 min |
| Lavrio | Bus or taxi to the other port; no direct rail | About 1 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Metro station and port centre
- Walk to Saronic ferries and the Cyclades gates; best for a one-night ferry stop.
- Zea and Mikrolimano marinas
- Quieter, waterfront tavernas; 20–30 min walk or a short taxi from the metro.
- Piraeus centre (Dimotiko Theatro)
- Shops on Sotiros Dios, cafés and hotels; metro Line 1 to Athens.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Γεια σαςya sas |
| Thank you | Ευχαριστώefharistó |
| How much is it? | Πόσο κάνει;póso káni |
| Where is the ferry gate? | Πού είναι η πύλη του πλοίου;pu íne i píli tu plíu |
| The bill, please | Τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώton logariasmó, parakaló |
| Can I pay by card? | Δέχεστε κάρτα;déheste kárta |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'kaliméra' (morning) or 'kalispéra' (evening) on entering shops and tavernas; avoid: Launching straight into a question
- Hospitality: Accept offered coffee, sweets or raki; it is part of the welcome; avoid: Refusing flatly — take a little
- Churches: Covered shoulders and knees; quiet voices; a small candle donation; avoid: Turning your back on the altar for photos during a service
- Gestures: Wave with the palm turned towards yourself; avoid: The open palm pushed forward (moutza)
- Conversation: Family, food and football are easy topics; avoid: Lecturing on the debt crisis, Türkiye or the name of North Macedonia
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries or wine; arrive a little late; avoid: Leaving food on the plate if you have been served more
- Dress: Casual; long trousers or skirt for monasteries; avoid: Swimwear in town, shops and churches
Scams and watch-outs
- Port traffic: cars, taxis and trucks drive among pedestrians at the ferry quays.
- Unlicensed drivers meet arriving ferries; use metered taxis or the metro.
- Pickpockets reported on the Piraeus–airport bus.
- Men who carry your bag to the front of the ferry queue then demand a tip.
- Avoid wearing Panathinaikos colours on matchdays; the rivalry with Olympiacos is intense.
- Outside the port, centre and marinas, streets get rough at night: stay on the known routes.
The passenger port, the centre around Dimotiko Theatro and the Zea and Mikrolimano marinas are fine by day and evening. Watch traffic and bags, skip unlicensed taxis, and do not wander the industrial streets at night.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Piraeus yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ferry port for the Aegean islands
- Archaeological Museum of Piraeus
- Mikrolimano and Zea marinas
- Fish tavernas on the coast
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Municipality of Piraeus: piraeus.gov.gr/
- Port of Piraeus Authority: www.olp.gr/en/
- Athens transport (OASA): www.oasa.gr/en/visit-athens/
- Wikivoyage: Piraeus, revision 5172862 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5172862
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
PiraeusΠειραιάς
Σε αυτή τη διεύθυνση, παρακαλώ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Piraeus; most are in central Athens (check your country's address).
Buy bus tickets from kiosks or metro stations before boarding; drivers may not sell them.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/piraeus). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.