Ferry from Athens (Lavrio) to Syros

Athens (Lavrio) Guide

The Greek town of Lavrio, or Laurium as it is sometimes called, is in the Attica region in the south east of the country. The town is situated around 60 km to the south east of Athens, the capital of Greece, and to the north of Cape Sounio. With a long history in mining for silver, the town was at one time a major source of income for the State. The town's seaport is a suburb of Athens but is of lesser importance than the port of Piraeus. The town's residential area is laid out in a grid system with port at the town's heart. It is now connected to the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and the Attiki Odos highway. The nearest towns are Sounion and Keratea.

The port of Lavrio is home to many passenger ferry services, yachts, commercial boats and fishing vessels. because of its location, ferries departing the port have a shorter crossing time to the islands in the Cyclades and the eastern Aegean islands which makes it more convenient than other nearby ports. From Lavrio a ferry can be taken to Kea (Tzia), Kythnos, Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros, Kimolos, Milos, Amorgos, Kythnos, Tinos and Andros.

Syros Guide

The Greek island of Syros is one of the Cyclades group of islands and is unusual in that the island's architecture is more medieval rather than the more typical Cycladic. The island's capital is Ermoupolis and has some fine examples of Venetian mansions to see. In the Vaporia quarter of the capital visitors will find some lovely large churches and impressive neoclassical buildings, such as the Town Hall and Apollo Theatre in the central square. Also popular with visitors are the island's beaches which are well equipped for tourists and have a good range of facilities.

The island can trace its history back to the 3rd millennium BC where signs of inhabitation have been found in the Halandriani and Kastri parts of the island. Artefacts found indicate that there was some kind of metal workshop on the island which possibly had a trading relationship with Asia Minor. The Samians occupied the island in the 6th century BC and is when many of the island's inhabitants moved to the island. At that time, the important physician and philosopher Pherecydis was born in Syros and some years later he went to Samos and became the teacher of Pythagoras.