Sailing from Athens
Greek Isles cruises leave from Piraeus, the port of Athens, and the season runs roughly April to November. Nothing much sails from here in winter, which is worth knowing before you plan around it.
Two spellings, one port. The feeds file this as Athens (Piraeus),
Piraeus (Athens) and plain Piraeus. They are the same berths, and the count
on this page covers all of them.
Come at least a day early, and stay in Athens. The Acropolis is forty minutes from the pier and it is the reason to be in this country. Piraeus itself is a working port; sleep in Plaka or Koukaki and take the metro down on sailing day.
Short sailings exist here and are good. Three- and four-night Aegean loops are common out of Piraeus and pair well with a few days in the city, a shape of vacation the Caribbean ports do not really offer.
Shoulder season is not a compromise. October in the Aegean is warm, the meltemi has dropped, the islands are quiet and the fares are a fraction of August’s.
