Piraeus (Athens), Greece Excursions

Inhabited since the 26th century BC, Piraeus was originally an island, which became connected to the mainland, by 800 BC creating a natural harbor. In 510 BC, it was fortified and in 483 BC the Athenian fleet was moved here. Long walls were built connecting the fortified port with the fortified city of Athens. It has been Athens port ever since.

Nearby are Marina Zea and Mikrolimano for a delicious seafood meal. Several Greek churches and a small archeological museum are also nearby. What few archeological sites there are in Piraeus are closed to the public.

Piraeus is the gateway to two important areas, the Greek Islands by boat and Athens by land. With recorded history dating back to around 1500 BC, and evidence of humans dating back before the 9th millennium BC, Athens is one of the Worlds oldest cities. It is referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements on the rest of the then known world, during the Golden Age. (5th and 4th centuries BC) Lead by the Delian League, who controlled much of the money, they funded the building of the Acropolis and maintained Athens dominating naval power and military dominance. The Agora was a center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum and Socrates philosophical teachings. Playwrights such as Sophocles and Euripides wrote the first comedies and dramas. It was the time of historians Herodotus and Thucydides, and the father of Western Medicine, Hippocrates.

In 338 BC, Philip II of Macedon attacked and ended Athens independence. Roman rule lasted from 146 BC until 330 AD. Life did not change dramatically for the Athenians as Roman culture was highly influenced by the Greeks. The city declined during the late antiquities, reviving during the Byzantine period and then declining again with the Ottoman takeover in 1458. It lasted until Greek independence in 1834.

Todays Athens is a city constantly reinventing itself. Given streets designed for chariots not cars, the city came up with several creative alternatives. Realizing that the building boom after WWII had left them with a canvass of bland cement buildings with hundreds of TV antennas on each roof and limited green spaces, the city began a massive urban design program. The antennas are gone and green spaces are springing up. The cement buildings will never completely disappear but young architects are coming up with new buildings that rival any other from this century.

No visit to Athens would be complete without a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Acropolis. It is home to the Parthenon, the Erechtheon, and the Temple of Athene Nike. Clinging to its western slope is the Roman Odeum of Herodes Atticus and the Greek Theater of Dionysus. On the eastern side of the Acropolis is the Agora with remains that include the Temple of Hephaestus and the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos. Between the Agora and Syntagma Square is the Plaka (Old Athens) an area inhabited since antiquity. Today its pedestrian streets are home to cafes and shops. In Syntagma Square you find the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the old palace, now home to the parliament. Other sites in the city include the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium, as well as many other classical buildings.

Athens has incredible museums. Two not to miss are the National Archaeological Museum, with its collection of antiquities from around Greece and the Acropolis Museum, home to the treasures of the Acropolis. Greek food and wine are not be missed. .

Day trips include the Temple at Sounion, Corinth Canal, Epidaurus, Mycenae and Delphi. Shore Excursioneer has unique and selected Cruise Excursions in Piraeus (Athens) to help you see and sample all of the highlights during your day in Cradle of Civilization!