A taste of an ancient civilization!

The port of Athens from classical times
The magnificent National Archaeological Museum
The dramatic ruins of the Parthenon on the Acropolis

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Piraeus/Athens

Testimony of an ancient civilisation

Landing in the historic port of Athens, Piraeus, on an MSC Cruise is a unique experi-ence. The landscape you will see from the cruise ship is simply a taste of civilization par excellence, the cradle of art, philosophy, and democracy. You will get a sense of Athens, which still exudes "antiquity" in its many facets.

Your MSC Mediterranean Cruise will begin by visiting Piraeus, the soul of a maritime city which alone has more than 160,000 inhabitants. Piraeus is a world apart, is the Saronic Gulf, the seafront, the Municipal Theatre, the Maritime Museum, the National Archaeolog-ical Museum, the Roman ruins.

An MSC Excursion will take you right to Piraeus, the largest port in Greece and the most visited in Europe for the number of passengers. It consists of three bays: Kantharos, the most commercial port, Zea, the most "sportive ", Mikrolimano, the most characteristic for the fishing boats and taverns where you can enjoy delicious fresh fish.

Arriving in Athens, the National Archaeological Museum is one of the destinations of an MSC Excursion. Among the ten most visited museums in the world for the number and richness of artworks found on Greek territory from prehistory to antiquity. You will no longer know where to look. You will be captivated by bronzes, sculptures, vases, and ob-jects. Stop in front of the bronze of Poseidon, the funeral gold-laminate mask of Aga-memnon and the head of Zeus. You won't regret it!

Also in Athens, another MSC Excursion will take you to visit the dramatic ruins of the most famous symbol of ancient Greece: The Parthenon. The temple, built in Doric style between 445 BC and 438 BC, to house a colossal statue of the goddess Athena, made of wood, gold, ivory and 12 meters high, is the main monument of the Acropolis of Athens. The most significant architectural complex of Greek civilization will immerse you in the magical classical atmosphere allowing you to admire, from its 156 meters of altitude, fas-cinating views of the city.

Must see places in Piraeus

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    Greece

    Under the protective wing of the gods
    Under the protective wing of the gods

    It would take a lifetime of island-hopping to fully appreciate the 227 inhabited Greek islands scattered across the Mediterranean Sea.
    With sapphire water lapping at rocky coastlines sprinkled with secret coves and sandy beaches, they are the stuff of dreamy travel posters, the very definition of the eulogized Greek summer of sun, sea and sand.



    For anyone with a cultural bone in their body a cruise to the Greek islands cannot fail to inspire. Every culture has left its mark, and almost every town or village has a link to the past, whether it’s a delicately crumbling temple to Aphrodite, a forbidding Venetian fort or a dusty Byzantine monastery decorated with exquisite frescoes. 


    But the call to cultural duty will never be too overwhelming on a Greek islands holiday. The hedonistic pleasures of languor and warmth – swimming in balmy seas at dusk, talking and drinking under the stars – are just as appealing.
    Sprawling, globalized Athens is an obligatory, almost unavoidable introduction to Greece: aside from the show-stopping Acropolis it offers a truly metropolitan range of cultural diversions, from museums to concerts; well-stocked shops; gourmet restaurants and stimulating clubs.