wug

We will be staying in Athens for one night before taking an early boat to Mykonos. This will be our jetlag day as we will be arriving in Athens about 5:30 pm after our multi leg trip getting there from Dallas. I'm familiar with Athens and where to stay if I want convenience to get to the port but, what does anyone think about staying in Piraeus that night? There is a hotel Ideal that I've found. Is anyone familiar with this hotel? Are there any decent places to eat in Piraeus. Or, should we just stay around the Plaka/Syntagma and get up a bit earlier to get to the port?

My husband and I will be better off as we'll be flying business class over the pond (ff miles) but, our 18 year old daughter and her friend are flying coach and really have the multi leg trip. So, we feel that dinner is about all we'll be doing that night.

thanks for all the help and information for this trip and others. Fodorites are great!

brotherleelove2004

Don't know the hotel, but your idea of staying in Piraeus and catching up on your sleep before leaving for Mykonos sounds like a very good idea. And since the Metro goes from the ferry port in Piraeus right to the Plaka at Monastiraki you can conveniently use it to get into town if you find that you have any reason (and the energy!) to do so.

Syl

I agree with brotherleelove. We stayed in Athens (Plaka) & had to get up very early to meet the ferry in Piraeus.As stated, Plaka's a subway ride away.

Heimdall

I guess neither of the above have ever stayed in a Pireaus hotel - I have once, and never again. Seedy, cockroach infested dockyard hotels are not the way to start out your visit to Greece. Lonely Planet Greek Islands guidebook puts it this way: "There's no reason to stay at any of the shabby hotels around Great Harbour when Athens is so close. The cheap hotels are geared more toward accommodating sailors than tourists." After my experience, I couldn't agree more.

Heimdall

Here is another quote, this time from Thomas Cook Greek Island Hopping: "Few tourists attempt to stay in Pireaus as the available accommodation is either downright horrible or inconveniently located (Pireaus isn't noted for its evening feeding or nightlife). The metro also insures that you can still stay in Athens and catch the earliest boats."

Find a hotel in Plaka near the metro stop, and you will be far happier.

brotherleelove2004

I can't recall the name of the hotel or its exact location, but the one time I stayed in Piraeus to catch an early morning ferry I had a very comfortable and CLEAN hotel there. Not all are fleabags for backpackers and sailors.

Heimdall

I stayed at the Delfini, but won't recommend it. When the porter showed me to my room, a cockroach scuttled across the floor, so he quickly closed the door and took me to another room. This one smelled of smoke and the decor had seen better days. The one good thing about the hotel was it was within walking distance of the Cyclades docks.

Digbydog

We stayed at the Hotel Ideal in Piraeus last summer to catch an early morning ferry. We had a double and a triple for 95 euros. It was spotless, although rather sterile-looking. The only drawback was that we had a long walk to our ferry. Although the hotel was close to the harbour, our ferry was at the farthest possible end from the hotel. In retrospect, we should have taken a cab. Athens is certainly more interesting with better places to eat dinner, but we just wanted a place to sleep, and Piraeus worked well.

Carolina

I vote for Athens and then have an early start. I'm not keen on Pireas and with the jetlag, you may find that you wake up early anyway!
Carolena

tableronde

My search of the forum dug up this thread as closest to my question:

for an early morning ferry departure should one stay in Athens or in Piraeus?

I see a few of the experts' vote for Athens. Brotherleelove2004 or the other connoisseurs: would you know if the metro or the bus runs early enough from the Plaka district, or does one need to take a taxi?

The objective is to arrive in Paros or Naxos after having had some sleep somewhere? By contrast, if we decide to take an overnighter to Santorini or Crete, sleeping on deck or in a dorm bed may be preferable.

Thanks in advance for some tips.

travelerjan

There you are again, roundtable. I thought you asked before about the Metro. It starts at 5:30. If you are near Syntagma, you get off at Monastariki and take the Green line to Piraeus. It takes about 35 minutes total. The Metro exit is right across from the Cycladic ferries, Dock 7? 8?.

Buy your ticket the night before in Plaka, so you don't have to stand in line at a dockside ticket office.... so you have plenty of time to get that 7:25 blue star, or maybe even a 7:15 fast ferry, and still have time to buy a koulouri from a cart (those are the wonderful sesame-covered bread rings -- crunchy outside, soft inside 50¢ and better than a soft pretzel from Philadelphia! Best "street food" ever!