Piraeus Hotel

[CruisingIGo]

Hopefully, we have a late April Oceania cruise starting in Athens.  A few days before the cruse starts, we will be on the island of Hydra.  Originally, we thought we would take a ferry from Hydra-to-Piraeus the morning of embarkation.  Now we have decided to get to Piraeus the day before embarkation.  Are there any Pireaus neighborhood/hotel recommendations or any neighborhoods to stay away from?  While we will only be in Piraeus less than 24 hours, some port area can be very "seedy" and we would like to avoid that.  We would like to be in an area with charming restaurants.  Thanks!

[dogs4fun]

1 hour ago, CruisingIGo said:

Hopefully, we have a late April Oceania cruise starting in Athens.  A few days before the cruse starts, we will be on the island of Hydra.  Originally, we thought we would take a ferry from Hydra-to-Piraeus the morning of embarkation.  Now we have decided to get to Piraeus the day before embarkation.  Are there any Pireaus neighborhood/hotel recommendations or any neighborhoods to stay away from?  While we will only be in Piraeus less than 24 hours, some port area can be very "seedy" and we would like to avoid that.  We would like to be in an area with charming restaurants.  Thanks!

Although it is possible that there are some charming restaurants in Piraeus, we have ever found one (full disclosure, we have not actually searched for restaurants in Piraeus). We have found the most delightful restaurants in the Plaka and Monastiraki neighborhoods of central Athens.

You could easily stay in Athens and then take a taxi to the port on the morning of embarkation. Personally, I would not be interested in staying in the port area - central Athens is much more palatable.

Checking with culture trip online, below is a link to their recommendations if your heart is set on Piraeus:

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/the-10-best-restaurants-in-piraeus-athens/

Edited August 26, 2020 by dogs4fun

[marazul]

On 8/26/2020 at 1:10 PM, dogs4fun said:

Although it is possible that there are some charming restaurants in Piraeus, we have ever found one (full disclosure, we have not actually searched for restaurants in Piraeus). We have found the most delightful restaurants in the Plaka and Monastiraki neighborhoods of central Athens.

You could easily stay in Athens and then take a taxi to the port on the morning of embarkation. Personally, I would not be interested in staying in the port area - central Athens is much more palatable.

Checking with culture trip online, below is a link to their recommendations if your heart is set on Piraeus:

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/the-10-best-restaurants-in-piraeus-athens/

 

I agree 100% with the advise of staying in Athens.  You can enjoy the city and restaurants in the evening and morning. And a taxi ride from the Plaka to your dock is 15 minutes and about 10-12 euros.  

[cruisemom42]

On 8/27/2020 at 3:30 PM, marazul said:

 

I agree 100% with the advise of staying in Athens.  You can enjoy the city and restaurants in the evening and morning. And a taxi ride from the Plaka to your dock is 15 minutes and about 10-12 euros.  

 

Count me as another one in agreement with this advice.

 

Really, the port is such a short distance from Athens -- there is no reason to stay in Piraeus. And Athens is very charming in the evening, more so than during the day.

[CruisingIGo]

Pre-cruise, we will be in Athens for 3 days.  Then on Hydra for 3 days. We want embarkation to be convenient. 
 

Thank you for the restaurant suggestions.

Edited September 5, 2020 by CruisingIGo

[marazul]

20 hours ago, CruisingIGo said:

We want embarkation to be convenient. 

 

Does that mean you would like to walk to the pier?  Not a great idea.

The most convenient way to embark is to have a taxi deliver you to your pier (even if you are staying in Piraeus).  There is a lot of walking and traffic to get to the piers.  There are two cruise ship terminals , A and B.  The ferries to Hydra are on the opposite side of the port from the cruise ship terminals. 

 

Look at the map.  The hotels are marked with the $ signs.  The cruise terminals are on the lower left hand corner (Piraeus Port)  The ferry to Hydra is the top dotted lines (Egina-Piraeus line). The hotels are somewhere between the two and it is not a lovely area.  Do a street view of the hotels in the map and you'll see.  

 

https://www.google.com/maps/search/Hotels/@37.9423077,23.638175,16z/data=!4m8!2m7!3m6!1sHotels!2sPireas,+Greece!3s0x14a1bbebb7ac3147:0xd820da95ff30fdf7!4m2!1d23.6469832!2d37.9429857?hl=en

 

Stay in central Athens.  Piraeus is part of the city even if it is nominally a different town. Look at this satellite view with the taxi route from the excellent Athens Gate Hotel to the farthest Terminal B.  As you can see, the towns run into each other.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Athens+Gate+Hôtel,+Athens,+Greece/Piraeus+port,+Pireas+185+38,+Greece/@37.94467,23.6818856,9601m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x14a1bd16c3c139dd:0xcb1be6891f217887!2m2!1d23.731445!2d37.9687633!1m5!1m1!1s0x14a1bbd55712aa75:0xa93329c6eea40aab!2m2!1d23.624673!2d37.9351377!3e0?hl=en

 

[dogs4fun]

1 hour ago, marazul said:

Stay in central Athens.  Piraeus is part of the city even if it is nominally a different town

Excellent advice! Take a taxi to the cruise pier - what could be more convenient?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

But should you wish to be closer to the port in the morning, and aren't planning to spend the night in Athens, you could look at Scorpios Sea Side Hotel just beneath Piraeus port, at the tip of land where cruise ships come in, very close to the water.  It's different, but might possibly be a nice place to spend a night if you're not necessarily into sightseeing, utmost comfort, or best dinner.  I haven't stayed there, but it got my interest.