Guide to Greece and the Greek Islands
Getting to Piraeus port from the airport and finding your way around
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- 4.1 Printing your ticket and finding your ferry in Piraeus port
4.0 Getting to Piraeus port from the airport and finding your way aroundFlying in to Athens and then taking a ferry to your destination is often a lot cheaper than taking a connecting flight. And in the summer, there’s also every chance you won’t find a flight to the smaller islands. For many taking the ferry is also a very enjoyable experience - giving you the chance to get a sneak peak of different islands on your way. As Nikos Kazantzakis writes in Zorba the Greek: "Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean Sea.” If taking the ferry from Athens, you will use the port of Piraeus - pronounced pea-ray-us. This is one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean. About 22 million people use it every year. Luckily, getting to the port of Piraeus from the airport is very easy. There are three main choices: taxi, bus or metro. Taxi:
Availability: Available at all times. Location: Taxi pick-up point located at arrivals between exit 2 and exit 3. Approximate costs: Day time: 47 Euros. Night time: 65 Euros. Travel time: About 50 minutes depending on traffic. Metro:Availability: 06:30 - 23:30. Departures: Every 30 minutes. Directions: Take the metro to Monastiraki station. Change in Monastiraki to the green line to Piraeus. The port is opposite the station. There is a pedestrian bridge over the road. Travel time: About 1hr 10 minutes. Cost: One way: 8 Euros. Return: 14 Euros. Children under 6 travel for free. Bus:Availability: Available all day and night. Departures: Every 30 minutes. Location: Bus stop located at arrivals between exit 4 and exit 5. Directions: Use bus: X96: Piraeus - Athens Airport. The port is on the opposite side of the bus stop. There is a pedestrian bridge over the road. Travel time: About 50 minutes depending on traffic. Cost: About 5 Euros. Children under 6 travel for free. Half price tickets available for students and those under 18 or above 65.  Various ferries docked at the port of Piraeus
All photos for illustration only. Photos may not be copied under any circumstance. 4.1 Printing your ticket and finding your ferry in Piraeus portMost the major ferry companies departing from Piraeus have ticket collection booths or offices located in the port itself: Aegean Speed Lines, Anek-Superfast, Blue Star Ferries, Hellenic Seaways and Minoan Lines all have booths or offices in the port. If not in the port, there will be an agency immediately outside the port once you cross over the pedestrian bridge. In the port, most booths or offices are located near the pedestrian bridge or taxi-point near gates E6 or E7. Many now have electronic self-service points similar to those at airports and even if you sail at night, the ferry office will open with enough time for you to collect your ticket. You also may be able to pick up your ticket from an agency at the airport by presenting your booking confirmation and ID. There may be a small charge for this, but if you’re in a hurry, it may be more convenient. Be warned though, Piraeus is a large port, and it could take up to 15 minutes to reach your departure gate. Please bear this in mind when calculating travel times. Piraeus has 12 gates. Which gate you use will normally depend on where you are travelling to. However, occasionally, fast ferries may use a different gate to conventional ferries. Your ticket, once printed, will normally tell you which gate to go to. If nothing is written on your ticket, there is an information booth and you will find port police who will be more than willing to assist you. The port police are around at night and during the day. It’s also more common in Greece for people to give the ship name rather than the ferry company when asking for directions – for example “Blue Star Delos” or “Highspeed 5”. Download 3.03 Mb. Share with your friends:
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