Though the most famous port of Athens is Piraeus, it is not the only one. There are three ports that have itineraries connecting Athens to an array of different islands.
Piraeus is the main port of Athens and one of the most important ports in Europe. From here, you can take a boat to the Cyclades, to Crete, to the Dodecanese, and to the Northern Aegean islands.
The port of Rafina is Athens’ second-largest after Piraeus. It’s located about 30 km from Athens’ center, towards the east. Rafina is a lot more manageable than Piraeus and quite smaller, so it will make for a less hectic experience!
This port is fairly small and only serves very specific routes to islands, as we will see in a bit. That makes it low in crowds and extremely manageable. The port of Lavrio is in the southeast of Attica’s coastline.
The best way to book your tickets and plan your island hopping is to do so online, using a site like ferryhopper to pick the best ferry routes at the best possible price (remember, the earlier you do it, the better).