Athens Ports Info

Athens has three main ports that connect the mainland of Greece to the Greek islands: Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrion.

map of Attica

PIRAEUS

The biggest and most important port of Greece is Piraeus, about 10 km the south of Athens centre. The history of this port is long, as this is where the Athenian fleet used to moor in the ancient times. Although in the centuries that followed the port of Piraeus fell in disuse, in the last decades it has managed to become the third busiest port in the world, as it carries about 20 million passengers a year. The port of Piraeus is used today only to carry passengers; the cargo vessels have been moved to the docks of Keratsini, a couple of km away.

Destinations from Piraeus
Piraeus usually covers the schedules to the most popular Greek islands, including the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, the Eastern Aegean islands and Crete.
Apart from the normal ferries, there are also catamarans, high speed boats and flying dolphins to the Saronic islands.

How to go to Piraeus

- from the centre of Athens
By taxi: There are taxis going to Piraeus from all over Athens. The trip from Omonoia to Piraeus takes about 30 minutes, unless there is heavy traffic.

By metro: The most frequent way to go to Piraeus is to take the electric train, which has many stops all over Attica. Piraeus is the last stop of the Metro Line 1 (the green line). Metro Line 1 is also linked to the other Metro Lines. There are trains to Piraeus usually every five minutes from all the green-line stations, while along Metro Line 1, there are links to the other Metro Lines. The trip by train from Kifisia to Piraeus takes about 1 hour, while from Omonoia to Piraeus about 30 minutes. The itineraries start from 5 in the morning till 12 in the midnight, while on Fridays and Saturdays itineraries are extended till 2 in the morning.

By bus: Piraeus is well connected to Athens and the airport by buses. Bus 049 connects Omonoia square to the centre of Piraeus, while Bus 040 connects Syntagma square to Piraeus centre. To go to the port from Piraeus centre, you have to walk about 10-15 minutes. These buses run only until midnight.

- from the Athens International Airport

By taxi: The distance from the Athens airport to the port of Piraeus is quite long, about 30 km. It takes about an hour to go from the airport to Piraeus by taxi.

By metro: The metro system is the easiest and quickest way to go from the airport to Piraeus. You take Line 3 (the blue metro line) from the airport and then you change at Monastiraki station and take the green line. Trains from the airport start every half an hour and it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to go from the airport to the port. Metro itineraries stop at around midnight, so then you have to take the bus or a taxi. On Fridays and Saturdays, itineraries are extended till 2 o’clock in the morning. The train station of Piraeus is right on the port. From there, you have to find your gate, as vessels to different destinations leave from different gates. That is why you are advised to be at the port at least one hour before your ship leaves.

By bus: Bus XX96 connects the Athens airport to the port of Piraeus. The trip takes about 1 hour and a half, if there is no heavy traffic. There are itineraries every twenty minutes in the daytime, while after midnight buses leave every forty minutes. The bus operates 24 hours.

RAFINA

The second busiest port of Athens is Rafina. It is actually a small and lovely town to the north of Athens that looks like an island. It has a lovely waterfront, beautiful squares and many taverns to have a meal. It is located about 30 km from the centre of Athens, 40 km from the port of Piraeus and 10 km from the Athens International Airport.

Destinations
The port of Rafina is the only port that serves a vessel to Andros, as it is closer than Piraeus. There are also vessels to Tinos and Mykonos.

How to go to Rafina

- from the centre of Athens

By bus: As there is no metro line till Rafina, you have to take a bus to go there. If you are in the centre of Athens, you take the bus from Areos Park (Pedion Areos). The buses to Rafina are suburban and green in colour. They have the initials KTEL on them. To go to Pedion Areos, take the metro till Victoria station, walk up all along Heiden street and at the end of this street you will see Pedion Areos. Buses to Rafina usually leave hour. The trip from the departure station to Rafina port is about an hour, depending on the traffic.

- from the Athens airport

By bus: To go from the Athens airport to the port of Rafina, you take the KTEL bus from outside the terminal. There are buses almost every hour and the trip takes about 30 minutes.

LAVRIO

Lavrion is a small, coastal town at the southernmost tip of Attica peninsula. In the ancient times, it was a mine area, which reopened in the early 20th century. Today the mines have closed but Lavrion gets lively from its port, which serves nearby and remote islands. Lavrion is 60 km from the centre of Athens and 25 km from the Athens Airport.

Destinations

Vessels from Lavrion go to the nearby Kea island and the Cycladic island of Kythnos. They also serve remote Eastern Aegean islands, in particular Lemnos, Agios Estratios, Thassos and Samothraki.

How to go to Lavrio

- from the centre of Athens
By bus: As there is no metro line to Lavrion, you have to take the bus to go there. KTEL buses to Lavrion leave from Pedion Areos usually every hour and the trip takes about 1 hour and a half, depending on the traffic. To go to Pedion Areos, you take the metro line to Victoria station and then you walk up Heyden street. Pedion Areos is at the end of Heyden street.

- from the Athens Airport
There are KTEL buses that leave from the Athens Airport and go to Lavrion in about 30 minutes. Buses usually leave every hour.