In all likelihood a visitor to
Greece will pass through the port of
Piraeus on a trip from
Athens to one of the many
Greek islands. Visually, the city of
Piraeus is almost the same as
Athens, the border between the two cities is imperceptible within the endless maze of streets and houses. Yet
Piraeus is a separate city, with a very different past, and a distinct atmosphere.
Piraeus has three harbors: Great Harbor, where the bulk of
Greece's maritime trade and the bulk of the Aegean ferry traffic arrives and departs, and Zea Marina and Mikrolimano, two smaller harbors where private yachts dock and a small amount of hydrofoil traffic takes passengers to the
Saronic islands of Greece.
The area of
Piraeus around the port is quite dirty, rundown, and a place where you should keep your possessions under a watchful eye. Unfortunately, this is the side of
Piraeus that most visitors see. Yet just over the hill, on the opposite side of the tiny peninsula that makes up
Piraeus, is Kastella, a charming old neighborhood that has been restored and now boasts one of the liveliest nightlife scenes in the entire
Athens area. Zea Marina is a nice place to walk around, visit the Naval Museum, grab some
Greek food at a taverna on the edge of the water, and gawk at the enormous yachts that dock there. Mikrolimano harbor is the place to go if you want trendy bars, fashionable restaurants, and late nightlife.
