In Brief
Where should I stay near the Athens cruise port?
In Piraeus if you sail before about midday, and the Ideal Hotel is the closest to Terminal A at a measured eight minutes. If you want a hotel that solves the transfer rather than shortening it, the Phidias publishes a free 24-hour shuttle to every gate including the cruise gates. Stay in central Athens only for an afternoon sailing, because the port leg alone is over an hour.
Key takeaways
- Three cruise terminals: A Miaoulis at gate E11, B Themistocles and C Alkimos sharing gate E12
- Ferry gates are 9 to 11 minutes from Piraeus metro. The cruise terminals are 25 to 33.
- The free port shuttle runs inside the port only, between the berths and the terminals
- Terminal assignments can change late, so book a hotel that works for gate E12, the furthest
Which one fits how you travel
Find the row that sounds like your trip. Every pick below names the traveller it is wrong for, so you can book on fit rather than on rank.
| If you are | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sailing from gate E12 and want it solved | Phidias Piraeus Hotel | Free 24-hour shuttle its own site says covers the cruise gates. |
| Sailing from Terminal A and watching the budget | Ideal Hotel | The closest measured, at 634 m and eight minutes. |
| Arriving by metro the night before | Piraeus Acropole | Six minutes from the station, published 11:00 check-out. |
| Wanting a real hotel, not a functional one | Piraeus Theoxenia | The town's only five-star. Take a taxi in the morning. |
| Wanting a good evening before the ship | Lilia Hotel | Zea Marina at the door, and it publishes every time you need. |
| Sailing in the afternoon | Central Athens | A far better evening. Only with a departure after about 15:00. |
- Free cancellation on most rooms
- No booking fee
- Prices on Trip.com
What the bands mean
Rates are shown as bands rather than numbers, because Piraeus hotel pricing is driven by the sailing calendar rather than the season: the night before a big Saturday departure costs far more than the Tuesday either side of it. The bands describe where each hotel sits against the others here, and the live rate for your dates opens through the button on each card.
- €
- simple two-star and small guesthouses
- €€
- the mid-range three-stars where most of Piraeus sits
- €€€
- the better four-stars, harbour or square positions
- €€€€
- the city's five-star and central Athens rates
The 9 hotels, and who each one is wrong for
Walking times are to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately. Walking times are real pedestrian routes measured through OpenStreetMap foot routing at 4.5 km/h, and the anchor needs explaining because it is the whole point of this page. Piraeus has three cruise terminals: Terminal A Miaoulis at gate E11, and Terminals B Themistocles and C Alkimos, which share gate E12 at the far western end of the port. From Piraeus metro station our routing gives 1,848 metres and 25 minutes to the Terminal A quay and 2,466 metres and 33 minutes to gate E12. For comparison the ferry gates E7 and E8 are 9 and 11 minutes from the same station. Holland America independently publishes about 15 minutes to Terminal A and about 30 to gate E12 from Dimotiko Theatro station; our routing from there gives 19 and 30. The free port shuttle does not help with this leg: the Port Authority describes it as running between the anchoring areas and the passenger terminals, inside the port, not from the metro.
Kountouriotou, Pasalimani
Phidias Piraeus Hotel
€€Best all-roundThe one hotel here that solves the port transfer outright, with a free 24-hour shuttle its own site says covers every gate, including the remote cruise gates.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 17 minutes to Terminal A, 27 minutes to gate E12, 7 minutes to Dimotiko Theatro station, or the hotel's own free shuttle to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone sailing from gate E12, which is the problem this page exists for. Our routing puts the hotel 27 minutes on foot from E12, and the hotel's own site publishes a free shuttle service to and from the port covering all gates regardless of how much luggage you have, plus the metro, the railway station and the X96 airport bus stop. Two vehicles including a nine-seater, booked on +30 210 4296160.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Anyone who wants to walk everywhere unaided. Without the shuttle this is a 17-minute walk to Terminal A and a 27-minute one to gate E12, though Dimotiko Theatro station is only seven minutes away.
- The catch
- The catch: Its own site does not publish a check-out time, which is the other half of a cruise-morning plan. Confirm it when you book the shuttle.
Notara, Troumba
Ideal Hotel
€Best valueA two-star in the middle of Piraeus and, by our measurement, the closest hotel here to Terminal A at 634 metres.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 8 minutes to Terminal A, 19 minutes to gate E12, 11 minutes to Dimotiko Theatro station to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- The practical minimum on a sailing morning. Eight minutes on foot to the Terminal A quay and nineteen to gate E12 is the shortest pair on this page, and it costs the least. If your ship is at Terminal A this is the sensible booking.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Anyone arriving on line 1. It is a measured eighteen minutes from Piraeus station, though only eleven from Dimotiko Theatro on line 3, so come in on the newer line.
- The catch
- The catch: Its own site publishes no check-out time, no shuttle and no gate distances, describing itself only as a few minutes' walk from the port. Everything specific here is our measurement rather than the hotel's claim.
Notara, Troumba
Piraeus City Hotel
€€A mid-range hotel a few doors along from the Ideal that sells a private transfer to the cruise gates for 8 to 10 euro a car.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 15 minutes to Terminal A, 26 minutes to gate E12, 5 minutes to Dimotiko Theatro station to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone who wants a short walk and a cheap fallback. Fifteen minutes to Terminal A on foot, five to Dimotiko Theatro station, and a car to the cruise terminal for less than a taxi if the morning turns against you.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Gate E12 sailings on foot. Our routing puts it at 26 minutes with luggage, which is the point at which you are paying for the transfer anyway.
- The catch
- The catch: Its own site contradicts itself on the distance, publishing both a five to seven minute drive and, further down the same page, about ten minutes by car. Take the transfer offer rather than the arithmetic.
Iroon Politechniou
Savoy Hotel
€€Tied with the Ideal for the shortest walk to Terminal A at 612 metres, and the only hotel here that publishes both its check-out time and a straight answer about the port.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 8 minutes to Terminal A, 19 minutes to gate E12, 13 minutes to Dimotiko Theatro station to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone who wants the arithmetic to be knowable in advance. Check-out is published at 11:00, our routing puts it 612 metres and eight minutes from the Terminal A quay, and the main bus station is 30 metres from the door.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Anyone arriving on line 1. Piraeus station is a measured 22 minutes away; the station the hotel means is Dimotiko Theatro on line 3, which is 13.
- The catch
- The catch: Its own site says the metro station is new as of 2024 and that the port is 300 metres away. Line 3 reached Piraeus in October 2022, and 300 metres is the water rather than your ship. Both are small things and both are a sign of how carefully to read hotel pages here.
Gounari, by the station
Piraeus Acropole Hotel
€€Four minutes from Piraeus metro station and 23 from the Terminal A quay, which is the trade this hotel makes.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 23 minutes to Terminal A, 31 minutes to gate E12, 6 minutes to the metro to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone arriving by metro or by train the night before, or combining the cruise with time in Athens. Six minutes from the station means you arrive easily, and check-in and check-out are published at 15:00 and 11:00.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Walking to your ship. Twenty-three minutes to Terminal A and 31 to gate E12 with luggage on a sailing morning is a taxi, and the hotel offers one at extra charge rather than free.
- The catch
- The catch: It is the clearest illustration of the trap on this page: close to the station, and no closer to your ship than most of central Piraeus.
Kasimati, opposite the station
The Port Square Hotel
€€€A four-star with the metro station across the road, and the only hotel here honest enough to publish the three-kilometre figure itself.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 23 minutes to Terminal A, 31 minutes to gate E12, 2 minutes to the metro to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone whose trip is Athens plus a cruise rather than a cruise with a night before. Two minutes from the metro, fifteen minutes to the historic centre, and an hour to the airport on the metro.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Sailing morning on foot. Our routing gives 23 minutes to Terminal A and 31 to gate E12.
- The catch
- The catch: Credit where it is due, this is the hotel that states the problem plainly on its own site: gate E7 100 metres, gate E8 220 metres, gate E9 550 metres, cruise terminals A, B and C three kilometres. Every hotel in Piraeus could write that line and almost none of them do.
Karaoli & Dimitriou
Piraeus Theoxenia Hotel
€€€The only five-star in Piraeus, nine minutes from the metro and 21 from the Terminal A quay.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 21 minutes to Terminal A, 32 minutes to gate E12, 9 minutes to the metro to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone who wants a proper hotel rather than a functional one before a cruise, and is happy to take a taxi across the port in the morning. It is the best room in the town by some distance.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Anyone booking on the assumption that a five-star near the port means near the ship. Thirty-two minutes to gate E12 on foot.
- The catch
- The catch: Its own site publishes no check-out time, no port shuttle and no distance to any gate, saying only that it is close to the main port. For a cruise hotel that is the wrong set of things to leave out.
Zeas, Pasalimani
Lilia Hotel
€€A Pasalimani hotel that publishes its whole timetable and its taxi fare, and is honest about which gates are hard to reach.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- 23 minutes to Terminal A, 34 minutes to gate E12, 20 minutes to the metro to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone who wants to know exactly what they are getting. Check-in 14:30, check-out 11:30, late check-out chargeable at half a day up to 18:00, and a taxi from the port to the hotel at 5 euro. Zea Marina at the door is a much better evening than the container quays.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Walking to any cruise terminal. It is the furthest on this page: 23 minutes to Terminal A, 34 to gate E12, and 20 minutes from the metro.
- The catch
- The catch: Its own FAQ names the problem: the main gates E7, E8 and E9 are 1.2 km away, while for the farthest gates including E11 and E12 access on foot or by public transport is more difficult. Believe it, and budget for the taxi.
Plaka, Koukaki or Syntagma
Central Athens, as the split-stay option
€€€€Sleeping in Athens and travelling out on sailing morning, which works for an afternoon departure and not for a morning one.
- Walk to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Not walkable. Roughly 20 minutes on metro line 3 to Piraeus, then 25 to 33 minutes across the port. to Cruise Terminal A at gate E11, with gate E12 given separately
- Right for
- Anyone whose ship sails in the afternoon. Metro line 3 runs from the centre to Piraeus, a leg Attiko Metro designed at 20 minutes from Syntagma, and the evening in Plaka is incomparably better than an evening in a port town.
- Wrong for
- Wrong for: Morning sailings. Add the walk to the metro, the ride, and then 25 to 33 minutes across the port on foot or a taxi, and you are over an hour before any check-in queue, on the one morning that cannot go wrong.
- The catch
- The catch: None of the central Athens hotels we checked, including Herodion, AthensWas, Electra Palace, Electra Metropolis, Athens Gate, Plaka Hotel and Divani Palace Acropolis, publishes a standard check-out time or any Piraeus cruise transfer information on its own site. You are planning the hardest morning of the trip with the least information.
Where not to book in Athens
The mistake this page exists to prevent is booking on the word Piraeus. The port has twelve gates and the ferry gates are not the cruise gates: from Piraeus metro station our routing gives 9 minutes to gate E7 and 11 to gate E8, against 25 minutes to the Terminal A quay and 33 to gate E12, where Terminals B and C sit. A hotel can be genuinely two minutes from the port and still be half an hour from your ship. Three further traps. First, you may not know your terminal in advance: the Port Authority's own gate chart tells passengers to check their ticket and call 14541 if the gate is not listed, and Holland America warns that terminal assignments can change at the last minute. Book for gate E12, the furthest, and be pleased if you get E11. Second, the free port shuttle is not the answer to this leg; the Port Authority describes it as running between the anchoring areas and the passenger terminals, inside the port. Third, be careful with hotel pages, which are the primary source for shuttles and check-out times and are also where we found a hotel dating the metro to 2024 when line 3 reached Piraeus in October 2022, and a hotel quoting a 1.40 euro metro fare when the operator's price is 1.20.
When to book
Piraeus hotel demand is set by the sailing schedule rather than by the season, which makes it unusually spiky and unusually predictable. The night before a large ship departs the town books out, and because the fleet concentrates on particular days you will find one date sold out and the next open at much less. Check your sailing date against the port calendar before assuming rates are simply high, and book as soon as your cruise is confirmed if you sail between May and September. One risk worth planning around rather than predicting: Greek transport strikes are a recurring category, with several nationwide stoppages in 2026, and on 1 May 2026 metro lines 1, 2 and 3, the tram and the suburban railway all stopped. They are usually announced one to three weeks ahead. If a strike falls on your sailing day and you are in central Athens, the metro leg disappears and you are relying on a taxi across a city that has just lost its transport.
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Photo credits (9)
Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.
- A cruise ship berthed at Piraeus, the port that serves Athens: HG32 - CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
- Ferries loading at the Piraeus quay, the gates nearest the metro station and not the cruise terminals: Rakoon - CC0 · source
- The arched train shed at Piraeus station, where metro lines 1 and 3 reach the port: Badseed - CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
- Fishing boats and yachts in Mikrolimano, the small harbour on the far side of Piraeus from the cruise gates: Francisco Restivo from Porto, Portugal - CC BY 2.0 · source
- Masts at Zea Marina in Pasalimani, the yacht harbour east of the Piraeus cruise terminals: Μιχάλης Ανδρεάκος - CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- The neoclassical Municipal Theatre of Piraeus on Iroon Politechniou, in the middle of the town: Templar52 - Attribution · source
- The white houses of Kastella climbing the hill above Pasalimani in Piraeus, seen across the water: Templar52 - Attribution · source
- A square in central Piraeus with the cathedral of Agia Triada, a few streets back from the ferry quays: Jean Housen - CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- A vine-shaded taverna lane in Plaka, the central Athens alternative to sleeping at the port: northernsky7007 - CC BY-SA 3.0 · source