Piraeus Harbour — Attraction in Attica

This is our first time to visit Port of Piraeus. We booked a ferry ⛴️ to go to Crete by Minoan Line.

It’s a massive port and total are 12 gates in this port.

Ways to enter the port:

• Go to the port by taxi 🚕 or park your car inside the port two hours before boarding (drive into the port)

• Walk in - Our ferry is at Gate 2, we walked in by a side gate next to Gate 3 and walked about 2 minutes to the Minoan Line office at Gate 2.

• Arrived near to Main terminal and go to the gate by shuttle bus (Free transportation)

I won’t suggest to wait inside the port because the seating area is not very comfortable.

There are many restaurants, cafes and hotels but it would be great just go straight into the port two hours before boarding.

The port is a sharing space between cars and trucks. So just pay attention when you get there. There are no waiting terminals in each gates, it’s just a few benches.

*Good to know * Piraeus is the main port of Athens and the city's gateway to the islands of the Aegean. It is the largest port in Greece and the busiest in Europe, with approximately 20 million passengers passing through per year. There are daily ferry crossings from the port of Piraeus to the Saronic islands, the Cyclades, Crete, the Dodecanese and the North...

Navigation in this port is close to zero. Despite an abundance of signs and labels, actual directional guidance is practically invisible. There are no clear announcements about departures or arrivals, and no electronic boards or multilingual passenger information — it’s as if the concept simply doesn’t exist.

Distances between points are significant. I spent almost 40 minutes trying to find where the ferry arrives — constantly redirected from one place to another. While waiting, I watched dozens of people running around in panic, dragging suitcases and children, desperately looking for their departure points.

Staff rarely have accurate information. Ironically, a man selling sunglasses outside was more helpful in directing confused passengers than most port employees.

Boarding/disembarking areas are highly questionable in terms of safety — a chaotic mix of people and vehicles blocks access to other ferries.

In extreme heat, there are almost no shaded or accessible waiting areas available.

Access from the street to the piers is restricted — you need to walk all the way around with suitcases just to enter the port.

Please arrive 1.5 hour before to find (recheck several...

I was there today for a day trip to a nearby island. It seriously made me want to ditch visiting islands altogether just because to get to them I'll have to go through this nightmare of an area. (and I'm not a newbe there). Quite beyond me how the busiest place of the tourism season is so painfully neglected. Safety or accessibility do not exist, there are almost no shaded waiting areas. NO SHADE! the sunniest country, high summer season and no shade. No organized parking lot (short an long term).. But the real pain is when getting back. The taxis are a total rip off and the taxis app doesn't help there at all. The train is old, dirty, and doesn't feel safe. The entire area is full of traffic, hard to navigate, and generally - a horrible scene to come back to after visiting an island. How to suffer less: make sure you know your gate and boat's name. preferably buy in advance online AND check-in online. If you use the metro, go for the blue line if you can, avoid the green. If you are not familiar with the place, come early. If you are - max 10 minutes before. Expect the worst so you can be surprised for...