Kythnos Athens (Piraeus) ferry

Kythnos Guide

Located in the western Cyclades group of islands, the Greek island of Kythnos lies between the islands of Kea and Serifos and is around 100 km from the port of Piraeus. The small island, with a land area of around 100 sq. km and a coastline of 100 km, has about 100 beaches although many of them are inaccessible by road. The main villages on the island are called Messaria or Kythnos (known as Chora to the locals) and Dryopis or Dryopida (known as Chorio to the locals). Both villages are characterised by steep, winding streets, often stepped, which are often too narrow for cars. The architectural styles of both villages are slightly different from each. Both are pretty but Chora's houses are mainly flat-roofed, typical of the Cyclades, while Chorio's houses tend to have sloping roofs. An interesting attraction in Chora is its large Greek Orthodox Church.

The island can be reached by ferry from Piraeus and Lavrio. The crossing from Piraeus takes around 3 hours by conventional ferry and 1 hour by high speed ferry. The crossing from Lavrio takes roughly 2 hours. Kythnos is also connected by ferry to the islands of Serifos, Sifnos, Milos, Santorini, Sikinos, Folegandros and Kea.

Athens (Piraeus) Guide

The Greek city and port of Piraeus is one of the largest ports in the whole of the Mediterranean, and the third largest in the world, and has become a major hub for the ferry network that spans the Aegean Sea. Piraeus is an important city in its own right despite the fact that it is frequently considered to be a suburb of Athens, the Greek capital, which is only a very short distance away. Despite its proximity to Athens, Piraeus' waterfront has its own distinct appearance and visitors will see that the most appealing parts of the city are located around its eastern quarter, alongside both Mikrolimano Harbour and Zea Marina. A popular event in Piraeus is the Ecocinema International Film Festival which is held annually in late February and is where a number of films are screened at the Atticon Cinema and the Cineac Cinema, which are both located in the city's Town Hall Square.

Full of restaurants, bars and nightclubs, the waterfront district was greatly redeveloped in time for the Athens Olympics and as a result a new harbour front promenade was created that is lined with trees and passes the medieval city walls. The walls serve as a reminder and as an insight into the city's rich past.