Piraeus

Assignments follow the destination group rather than the operator:

• E1–E2 — Crete (Heraklion, Chania) and the Dodecanese (Rhodes, Kos). The far end of the port.
• E3 — also used for Crete; ANEK directs Chania passengers here specifically.
• E5–E6 — nearest the metro; Saronic Gulf and some conventional sailings.
• E6–E10 — the Cyclades: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos. E7 is the usual high-speed catamaran gate.

These are patterns, not guarantees — see the next section.

Ships are shuffled between berths during high season, so the gate printed on a ticket bought in March may not be the gate used in August. Two habits protect you:

• Check the electronic boards at the port entrance on the day — they show the live berth for each departure.
• Allow the walk. If the board sends you from E6 to E1, that is the far end of the port.

A free shuttle bus circulates inside the port, picking up just outside the metro exit. For E1 and E2 it is worth waiting for.

The Piraeus metro station sits directly opposite gates E5 and E6, which is why those gates feel easy and E1 does not. Line 1 (green) from Monastiraki and Line 3 (blue) from Syntagma both terminate here, taking about 25–30 minutes from central Athens for around €1.20.

From the airport, the X96 express bus runs to the port directly; the metro requires a change. Taxis drop at the gate itself, which is the argument for taking one when your gate is E1, E2 or E3.

Rules differ by ship type and route:

• Conventional car ferries to Crete and the Dodecanese: 60–90 minutes, more with a vehicle. ANEK asks 90 minutes with a car and one hour on foot in summer, dropping to 30 minutes in winter.
• High-speed catamarans to the Cyclades: 30 minutes is usually enough, but boarding closes firmly.

Add the walk to your gate on top of whatever the operator states.

From Piraeus the same island often has both:

• Conventional ferries — slower, cheaper, take vehicles, and keep sailing in weather that stops everything else. The overnight ships to Crete are cabins-and-a-night's-sleep rather than a crossing.
• High-speed craft — roughly half the time to the Cyclades, passenger and small-vehicle only on most, and the first to be cancelled when the meltemi blows.

In July and August that wind is a scheduling factor, not a footnote: it can suspend fast services for days while the conventional boats run.

It is the busiest passenger port in Europe and the hub for most of the Aegean. Direct sailings reach the Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Milos, Syros), Crete (Heraklion, Chania), the Dodecanese (Rhodes, Kos, Patmos), the North Aegean (Chios, Lesvos, Samos) and the Saronic Gulf (Aegina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses).

Browse the full list on our Piraeus port page, or start from a specific crossing such as Piraeus to Chania.

Most sailings can be booked online, and in high season the popular Cyclades departures do sell out — particularly cabins on the overnight Crete boats, which go first. Agencies cluster around the port for same-day purchases.

Two things the fare usually excludes: the island's own charges on arrival where they apply, and any port shuttle or taxi at the far end. The ticket buys the crossing, not the transfer.