Lavrio (or Lavrion, or Laurium) is a town in the southeastern part of Attica, Greece, 54 km southeast of central Athens.

The clock tower of Lavrio, built in the 1870s — the first one built in Greece

Understand

Up until a few years ago, Lavrio was a pretty dismal place. In the last few years Lavrio has gone through an amazing transformation. Restaurants, cafes and shops have opened and Lavrio has new life due to the rebuilding of the port into a major ferry terminal for the Greek Islands and the relocation of several sailboat charter companies and a marina.

Get in

Lavrio is a sea port of a much lesser importance than nearby Piraeus and Rafina, but the port of Lavrio is changing fast, becoming an important ferry boat hub for the Cyclades Islands and home port for several cruise ships and sailboat companies.

From the port of Lavrio there are very frequent connections to the nearby island of Kea. During high season there are up to five departures per day and the journey takes between an hour and 90 minutes depending on the boat. There are also frequent connections to the islands of Kythnos, Syros, Tinos and Andros. From the port of Lavrio you can also travel to the Greek Islands of Amorgos, Anafi, Folegandros, Ios, Kimolos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros and Sikinos, but these connection are less frequent.

From July 2019 a direct ferry sails between Lavrio and Çeşme near Izmir in Turkey, operated by Aegean Seaways. This sails overnight M W F from Lavrio at 22:00 to reach Çeşme at 06:00, with the return sailing Tu Th Sa at 22:00. On Sunday the ferry sails from Lavrio at 11:00 to reach Çeşme at 19:00, then sails back near midnight to reach Lavrio at 08:00. It's intended to run this service year-round.

See

The town of Lavrio has one of the oldest and biggest ancient amphitheatres in the country and a mysterious giant hole that could be an attraction to seekers of unexplained phenomena if they knew about it.

Eat

There are several places from fast food to good standards all around the main square (Plateia Heroon).

• Kokovios (next to the National Bank, nearby the Plateia). Offers very good food at reasonable prices in a traditional and very clean facility. 
• Yard (directly at the bus stop from Athens, between the main square and the port). A rather modern style and very clean place that offers traditional Greek dishes as well as a variety of international plates, prepared and offered in a nice style with decent prices. 

The port of Lavrio is changing fast, opening tavernas and cafes.

• Festival Bistro (coffee & dining), Kountouriotou 6 (Port of Lavrio), ☏ +30 2292023690. All day cuisine ( coffee, breakfast,crep,gril house,spaghetti,pizza,burgers,sweets,) 

Go next

Move on by boat to Mykonos, Naxos or Paros.