Port of Piraeus (Athens)

Athens (Piraeus) Cruise Port

Port of Piraeus, as the largest Greek seaport, is one of the largest seaports in Europe and the world, located in the Mediterranean Sea basin. The Port of Piraeus served as the port of Athens since the ancient times.

AT THE HEART OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Piraeus Port, the largest passenger port in Europe, with more than 20 million passengers throughput every year, is sited in a unique geographical position for reaching multiple tourist attractions in the East Mediterranean. The Port of Piraeus, at the south east end of the continental European Union, is located at the same area with the ancient Athenian port, which at its peak in 5th century BC, was the most important trade center of the then known world. In fact, when cruise passengers disembark, they can see the ancient protective walls of that period. The cruise terminals of the port are in a comfortable walking distance from the city of Piraeus and the metro station. The market center of Athens and the famous Parthenon are easily accessible, since they are within 30 minutes by metro.

Today, the Port of Piraeus is a major employer in the region, with more than 2,500 employees who provide services to more than 40,000 ships and 20.000.000 passengers every year, and is operated by the Piraeus Port Authority S.A., a state-owned company. According to Lloyd’s list for top 100 container ports in 2015 Piraeus ranked 8th in Europe and 3rd the Mediterranean sea.This rapid growth is expecting to make Piraeus the biggest commercial port in the Mediterranean by 2016.

Piraeus cruise port is the port near Athens, an important port since the Greek Golden Age. In Greece the spelling of the name is “Pireas” and it is shown on all the signs like this. The best way to arrive is by plane, landing in Athens, and then there is an easy transfer to the Piraeus cruise port. In the Renaissance, the port name was “Porto Leone”. It was named after the stunning lion, made of marble,who stood in front of the harbor until it was stolen. Currently the lion in moved to Venice. The Piraeus cruise port is located on the Saronic Gulf coastline. It is part of the Aegan Sea and it is on the southern end of Piraeus. Its first service was a terminus for ferries. The terminals for cruise ships are Terminal A and Terminal B. the berths are located on the southern quays. Between Xaveris and Mioulis docks, at the harbor’s middle is located cruise terminal Miaoulis. It can be reached by gate E11. Enter E12 leads to cruise terminal Themistocles. It is situated into the Termistokleous breakwater but is not open so often. If it is closed, the passengers from cruise terminal B are transferred to cruise terminal B by a shuttle bus.

International Passenger Terminal B

The newly extended Cruise Terminal B, renamed Themistocles, was opened in May 2013. The international passenger terminal has been expanded to 5.400sq mtr and provides two separate halls – one for arrivals and one for departures. The glass-fronted extension provides more space for passengers and baggage handling.

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